Wikipedia

Andy McNab

Steven Billy MitchellCBE,DCM,MM(born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name ofAndy McNab,is a novelist and formerSpecial Air Servicesoldier.[1][2]

Andy McNab
Birth nameSteven Billy Mitchell
Born(1959-12-28)28 December 1959(age 65)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/ branchBritish Army
Years of service1976–1993
RankSergeant
Service number24428654
UnitRoyal Green Jackets(1976–84)
Special Air Service(1984–93)
14 Intelligence Company(secondment)
CommandsBravo Two Zero
Battles / warsThe Troubles
Gulf War
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Conduct Medal
Military Medal
Other workAuthor

He came into public prominence in 1993 when he published a book entitledBravo Two Zerocontaining an account of amilitary mission which he ledwith theSpecial Air Service(SAS) during theGulf War,for which he was awarded theDistinguished Conduct Medal.[3][4]He had previously been awarded theMilitary Medalin 1979 for gallantry in action whilst serving with theRoyal Green Jacketsin Northern Ireland.[5][6]

He has published a number of other novels and two autobiographies in addition toBravo Two Zero.He has also published a book onpsychopathyentitledThe Good Psychopath's Guide to Success,claiming that he exhibits many psychopathic traits.[7][8]

Early life

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McNab was born on 28 December 1959. He did not do well in school, and eventually attended nine schools in seven years. After dropping out of school McNab worked at various odd jobs, usually for friends and relatives, and was involved in petty criminality, finally being arrested for burglary in 1976. Partly inspired by his brother's time in the army, he wanted to join theBritish Army.He failed the entry test for training as an army pilot, but enlisted with theRoyal Green Jacketsat the age of sixteen after being released from juvenile detention.[9]

When McNab joined the army he was found to have the reading age of an eleven-year-old. Shortly before his seventeenth birthday he read his first book, entitledJanet and John.Speaking in 2019, McNab recalled how "I can vividly remember the sense of pride and achievement I felt. It was meant for primary school children but I didn’t care... From then on I read anything and everything I could get my hands on."[10]

Military career

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He was posted toKentfor his basic training, and boxed for his regimental team. After basic training, he was posted to the Rifle Depot inWinchester.In 1977 he spent time inGibraltaras part of his first operational posting, while with 2nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets.[citation needed]

From December 1977 to June 1978, he was posted toSouth Armagh,Northern Ireland,as part of the British Army'sOperation Banner.In 1978 and 1979, he returned to Armagh as a newly promotedLance Corporal,and claimed to have killed for the first time during afirefightwith theProvisional Irish Republican Army.McNab wrote of the incident: "I remember vividly the first time I had to kill someone to stay alive. I was a 19-year-old soldier inKeady,South Armagh, and my patrol stumbled across six IRA soldiers, preparing for an ambush. When the shooting started, they were just 20 metres away from my patrol. I was scared, very scared. "He was awarded theMilitary Medalfor this incident. However, security sources later reported that the person McNab shot was only wounded and died as a result of injuries from a separate shootout later that day.[6]

In 1982, after six years' service with the Royal Green Jackets (RGJ), and having been promoted to the rank of sergeant, he applied for transfer into theSpecial Air ServiceRegiment, which was approved by the RGJ. After failing his first attempt atUnited Kingdom Special Forces Selection,he passed in 1984, and was attached to the SAS, with which he remained for the rest of his career in the British Army. During his 10 years with "Air Troop", B Squadron, 22 SAS Regiment, he served withAl Slater,Frank CollinsandCharles "Nish" Bruce.[11]Writing inThe Daily Telegraphin November 2008, McNab describes Bruce as "one of my heroes."[12]

McNab worked on bothcovertand overt operations includingcounter terrorismand drug operations in the Middle East and Far East, South and Central America andNorthern Ireland.McNab trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons, tactics, covert surveillance roles and information gathering in hostile environments, andVIPprotection. He worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and Western-backedguerrillamovements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland, he spent two years working as an undercover operator with14 Intelligence Company,going on to become an instructor.[9]

During theGulf War,McNab commanded an eight-man SAS patrol, designatedBravo Two Zero,that was given the task of destroying underground communication links betweenBaghdadand north-westIraqand with trackingScudmissile movements in the region. The patrol was dropped into Iraq on 22 January 1991, but was soon compromised, following which it attempted an escape on foot towardsSyria,the closestcoalitioncountry.[citation needed]

Three of the eight were killed, and four captured (including McNab) after three days on the run; one member,Chris Ryan,escaped. The captured men were held for six weeks before being released on 5 March.[13]By that time, McNab was suffering fromnerve damageto both hands, a dislocated shoulder, kidney and liver damage, andhepatitis B.After six months of medical treatment he was back on active service.

Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal during his military career, McNab claims to have been the British Army's most highly decorated serving soldier when he left the SAS in February 1993.[9]

Post-military career

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McNab assumed his pseudonym while writingBravo Two Zero.When he appeared on television to promote his books or to act as a special services expert, his face was shadowed to prevent identification.[14]According to the bookThe Big Breach,byRichard Tomlinson,a renegadeMI6spy, McNab was part of a special training team after the Iraq War, training MI6 recruits in sabotage andguerrilla warfaretechniques.

Due to the extremely sensitive nature of his work while serving with the SAS, McNab is bound by contract to submit his writings to theMinistry of Defencefor review.[2]

After leaving the Army, McNab developed and maintained a specialist training course for news crews, journalists and members of non-governmental organisations working in hostile environments. He spent time in Hollywood as a technical weapons adviser and trainer onMichael Mann's filmHeat.He was also the technical adviser on the 2005 crime filmDirty.[15][better source needed]

In February 2007, McNab returned to Iraq for seven days asThe Sunnewspaper's security adviser with 2nd Battalion,The Rifles.[16]

McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in three best-selling books,Bravo Two Zero(1993),Immediate Action(1995), andSeven Troop(2008).Bravo Two Zerosold over 1.7 million copies, withImmediate Actionselling 1.4 million in the UK. It has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages.[9]The CD spoken word version ofBravo Two Zero,narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. ABBCfilm ofBravo Two Zero,starringSean Bean,was shown on prime timeBBC Onetelevision in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.Immediate Action,McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the best-seller lists following the lifting of anex-parteinjunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995.[9]

The veracity of McNab's first book,Bravo Two Zero,has been questioned byMichael Asher,an explorer,Arabistand former SAS reservist, who visited Iraq with aChannel 4film crew, and interviewed many eyewitnesses. Asher concluded that much of what McNab wrote was a fabrication, and that there was no evidence that the Bravo Two Zero patrol accounted for a single enemy casualty.[17][18]Moreover, McNab's account and that of his comrade Chris Ryan are contradictory on many points. This has been corroborated byPeter Ratcliffe,who wasregimental sergeant majorof 22 SAS Regiment during the Gulf War, who stated that, in a debriefing to the entire Regiment, recorded on video, none of the patrol members mentioned contacts with large numbers of enemies or any of the other extraordinary incidents included in the books.[19]Asher's conclusion was that the book's claim to be "the true story of an SAS patrol in action" was a fraud.[17]

McNab now lives inNew York Citywith his fifth wife.[2]He is a director of military service recruitment, mentoring and Foundation organisation,ForceSelect.[20][vague]

In August 2014, McNab was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter toThe Guardianexpressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September'sreferendum on that issue.[21]

In the2017 Birthday Honours,McNab was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire(CBE) for services to literacy and charity. The award recognised his charity work withThe Reading Agencypromoting literacy, particularly in young adults and prisoners.[22]The award was gazetted under the name "Andrew McNab".[23]

Fiction writing

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McNab is the author of a number of action thrillers written with the help of aghostwriter.[24]

TheNick Stone Missionsare a successful series based on an ex-SAS soldier working on deniable operations for British intelligence. The series draws extensively on McNab's experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. TheBoy Soldier Serieswas written with the co-operation ofRobert Rigbyand follows a boy named Danny Watts and his grandfather Fergus, apparently a rogue ex-SAS soldier.

McNab has also written books forQuick Reads,a charity that supports World Book day. BBC raw words offers exclusive audio versions of the latest Quick Reads by Andy McNab,Last Night Another Soldier(2010), read by Rupert Degas. Other fiction books include Audio Stories, Men at War series, Battlefield 3, Tom Buckingham series, and two young adult series: Dropzone Stories and The New Recruit series.

McNab worked withDICEserving as the game's consultant on military tactics forBattlefield 3.[25]He penned a tie-in novel calledBattlefield 3: The Russian,which follows the story of aSpetsnaz GRUcommandoDmitri "Dima" Mayakovskyand his involvement against the PLR (People's Liberation & Resistance), anIranianparamilitaryinsurgentgroup, as well as his connection to the antagonist.[26][27]The novel was released on 25 October 2011.[28]

Film work

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After his work on the Miramax filmHeat,Miramax acquired the film rights to the first four of McNab's novels, and as of 2011Echelonwas in production, based on the bookFirewall(2000). McNab is to co-produce and co-write the script and also act as technical adviser.[29]In 2014,Luke Evanswas cast as Tom Buckingham inRed NoticewithNick Loveas director. McNab is to consult as technical adviser and have a role in production as well. This did not end up happening.[needs update]

Other work

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McNab took part inE4'sBig Brother: Celebrity Hijackon 13 January 2008.[30]

The Mobcast e-book platform he co-founded with Tony Lynch was sold to Tesco for £4.5 million; McNab's share was £1 million.[1]

Books

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Non-fiction

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Fiction

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Nick Stone Missions

  1. Remote Control(17 February 1998)
  2. Crisis Four(22 August 2000)
  3. Firewall(5 October 2000)
  4. Last Light(1 October 2001)
  5. Liberation Day(1 October 2002)
  6. Dark Winter(3 November 2003)
  7. Deep Black(1 November 2004)
  8. Aggressor(1 November 2005)
  9. Recoil(6 November 2006)
  10. Crossfire(12 November 2007)
  11. Brute Force(3 November 2008)
  12. Exit Wound(5 November 2009)
  13. Zero Hour(25 November 2010)
  14. Dead Centre(15 September 2011)
  15. Silencer(24 October 2013)
  16. For Valour(23 October 2014)
  17. Detonator(22 October 2015)
  18. Cold Blood(20 October 2016)
  19. Line Of Fire(20 October 2017)
  20. Down to the Wire(November 2022)[31]

Boy Soldier Series(written withRobert Rigby)

  1. Boy Soldier(US titleTraitor,5 May 2005)
  2. Payback(6 October 2005)
  3. Avenger(4 May 2006)
  4. Meltdown(3 May 2007)

Quick Reads project

  1. The Grey Man[32](8 May 2006)
  2. Last Night Another Soldier(4 May 2010)
  3. Today Everything Changes(31 January 2013)
  4. On The Rock(4 February 2016)

Audio Stories

  1. Iraq Ambush(May 2007)
  2. Royal Kidnap(June 2007)
  3. Roadside Bomb(September 2007)
  4. Sniper(TBA?)

Dropzone Series(Young Adult)

  1. Dropzone Bk. 1(February 2010)
  2. Dropzone Bk. 2 – Terminal Velocity(March 2011)

Men at War Series(written with Kym Jordan)

  1. War Torn(13 May 2010)
  2. Battle Lines(19 July 2012)

Battlefield 3

  1. Battlefield 3: The Russian(October 2011)

Tom Buckingham Series

  1. Red Notice(25 October 2012)
  2. Fortress(22 May 2014)
  3. State Of Emergency(21 May 2015)

Nathan Pike Series

  1. Shadow State(05 January 2023)

The New Recruit – Liam Scott series(Young Adult)

  1. The New Recruit(20 December 2012)
  2. The New Patrol(30 January 2014)
  3. The New Enemy(15 January 2015)

Street Soldier – Sean Harker(Young Adult)

  1. Street Soldier(11 August 2016)
  2. Silent Weapon(10 August 2017)

Television

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Notes

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  1. ^abGoodley, Simon (4 September 2012)."Andy McNab sells stake in Mobcast ebook business to Tesco".The Guardian.Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2014.Retrieved26 May2015.
  2. ^abcHanks, Robert (19 November 2004)."Andy McNab: The hidden face of war".The Independent.Archived fromthe originalon 21 August 2012.Retrieved25 October2011.
  3. ^"No. 55340".The London Gazette(Supplement). 15 December 1998. p. 13620.
  4. '^"McGibbon, Rob, 2005The Press Conference with Andy McNab".Robmcgibbon. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 February 2012.Retrieved25 October2011.
  5. ^"No. 48061".The London Gazette(Supplement). 8 January 1980. p. 312.
  6. ^ab"Stinson, James 'McNab tells of killing IRA man in 1979 gun battle'Irish News,1 August 2005 ".Nuzhound. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved25 October2011.
  7. ^Weeks, Linton (21 August 2014)."Is There Such a Thing as a 'Good Psychopath'?".NPR.Retrieved8 June2016.
  8. ^Merz, Theo (7 May 2014)."Why psychopaths are more successful".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved8 June2016.
  9. ^abcde"Andy McNab".penguin.co.uk.Retrieved31 January2020.
  10. ^McNab, Andy (24 June 2019)."Andy McNab: 'At 16, I read my first book – and it changed my life'".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved25 June2019.
  11. ^McNab, Andy (2008).Seven Troop.Corgi.ISBN9780552158664.
  12. ^McNab, Andy (22 November 2008)."Andy McNab on the battle that never ends".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved26 May2015.
  13. ^The Prisoner of War uniform worn by Andy McNab after his capture by the Iraqis is on display at theRoyal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum.
  14. ^"CNN LARRY KING LIVE: Larry King Interviews Bob Dole, Max Cleland".CNN – Transcripts.20 November 2001.Retrieved14 November2009.
  15. ^"Andy McNab".IMDb.Retrieved31 January2020.
  16. ^Nestruck, Kelly (21 June 2007)."How would an SAS unit survive Glastonbury?".The Guardian.Retrieved31 January2020– via theguardian.
  17. ^abAsher, Michael(2002).The Real Bravo Two Zero.ISBN0752842471.
  18. ^The Real Bravo Two Zero.Channel 4.
  19. ^Ratcliffe, Peter(2000).The Eye of the Storm.Michael O'Mara.ISBN1854795333.
  20. ^http:// forceselectForceSelect
  21. ^"Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories".The Guardian.London. 7 August 2014.Retrieved26 August2014.
  22. ^"Best-selling author Andy McNab appointed CBE for literacy work".BBC News.17 June 2017.Retrieved17 June2017.
  23. ^"No. 61962".The London Gazette(Supplement). 16 June 2017. p. B9.
  24. ^McCrum, Robert (27 July 2014)."Bestselling ghostwriter reveals the secret world of the author for hire".The Guardian.Retrieved16 May2021.
  25. ^"Official Battlefield 3: The Russian website".DICE. Archived fromthe originalon 14 November 2011.Retrieved6 November2011.
  26. ^Ben Gilbert (1 August 2011)."'Battlefield 3: The Russian' is a book based on Battlefield 3, has Russians ".Joystiq. Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2012.Retrieved6 November2011.
  27. ^McNab, Andy. "Prologue".Battlefield 3: The Russian.Solomon sat cross-legged on his bed, the disassembled pieces of his US-sourced Colt 45 laid out in front of him.[…]Once Dima had been his mentor[,] but Solomon didn't need mentors now.
  28. ^"EA Announces Battlefield 3 Novel by Consultant, Former SAS Operator Andy McNab".IGN.1 August 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2012.Retrieved6 November2011.
  29. ^Reynolds, Simon (28 October 2011)."Jason Statham exits Andy McNab's 'Echelon' movie".Digital Spy.
  30. ^Flynn, Fiona (13 January 2008)."Celeb BB Hijack: Mourning Self- Manipulation, Nominations and More..."Entertainment.ie.Retrieved31 January2020.
  31. ^McNab, Andy (3 September 2022). "Amazon listing".ASIN1787632431.
  32. ^"The Grey Man (Quick Reads 2006) by Andy McNab".FantasticFiction.Retrieved25 October2011.

References

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  • Ratcliffe, Peter (2000).Eye of the Storm: Twenty-Five Years in Action with the SAS.Michael O'Mara Books.ISBN978-1-85479-809-1.
  • Coburn, Mike (2004).Soldier Five: The Real Truth About The Bravo Two Zero Mission.Mainstream Publishing.ISBN978-1-84018-907-0.
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