Ultimate soldier. Ultimate mission. But will the SAS survive a nightmare journey into the tunnel lair of the Viet Cong?
June 1966: 3 Squadron SAS (Australian Special Air Service) set up a Forward Operating Base in Vietnamโs Phuoc Tuy province, a swampy hell of jungle and paddy-fields forty-five miles east of Saigon in the heart of enemy territory. The Viet Cong have bases throughout the jungle, and the Australians soon find themselves under constant attack.
Enter three members of the legendary 22 SAS, to assist in a major assault against the Viet Cong: Sergeant Jimmy โJimboโ Ashman, founding member of the Regiment; Sergeant Richard โDead-eye Dickโ Parker, veteran of previous SAS operations in Malaya, Borneo and Aden; and Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick โPaddyโ Callaghan, pulled out of administration specially for this secret mission.
Working under appalling conditions, Brits and Aussies must try to forge themselves into a potent fighting machine, as they have been tasked with the fearsome job of rooting the Viet Cong out of their labyrinthine tunnel system. It will be a journey into hell, and some will never return.
โShaun Clarkeโ is the pen name of a British author who emigrated to Australia aged 19, serving for 6 years in the Royal Australian Air Force. Returning to England, he lived in London for twenty years before moving to Ireland.