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Al Venter Gunship Ace (Paperback) (UK IMPORT)
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eBay item number:305330415947
Item specifics
- Condition
- Book Title
- Gunship Ace : the Wars of Neall Ellis, Helicopter Pilot and Mercenary
- Publication Name
- Gunship Ace
- Title
- Gunship Ace
- Subtitle
- The Wars of Neall Ellis, Helicopter Pilot and Mercenary
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- ISBN-10
- 1612009433
- EAN
- 9781612009438
- ISBN
- 9781612009438
- Publisher
- Case Mate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC
- Genre
- Technology & Engineering, History
- Topic
- Military Science, Modern / 20th Century, Military / Aviation
- Release Date
- 13/01/2021
- Release Year
- 2021
- Language
- English
- Country/Region of Manufacture
- US
- Item Height
- 229mm
- Item Length
- 9in
- Publication Year
- 2021
- Item Width
- 6in
- Number of Pages
- 368 Pages
About this product
Product Information
"Written by renowned author and photojournalist, Al J. Venter, this book spotlights the career of a fascinating modern warrior, while also shedding light on some of the conflicts that have raged throughout the world behind the headlines." -- Tucson Citizen A former South African Air Force pilot who saw action throughout the region from the 1970s on, Neall Ellis is the best-known mercenary combat aviator alive. Apart from flying Alouette helicopter gunships in Angola, he has fought in the Balkan War (for Islamic forces), tried to resuscitate Mobutu's ailing air force during his final days ruling the Congo, flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and thereafter an Mi-8 fondly dubbed 'Bokkie' for Colonel Tim Spicer in Sierra Leone. Finally, with a pair of aging Mi-24 Hinds, Ellis ran the Air Wing out of Aberdeen Barracks in the war against Sankoh's vicious RUF rebels. For just two years as a "civilian contractor," Ellis flew helicopter support missions in Afghanistan, where, he reckons, he has had more close shaves than in his entire previous four-decades put together.Twice, single-handedly (and without a copilot), he turned the enemy back from the gates of Freetown, effectively preventing the rebels from overrunning Sierra Leone's capital--once in the middle of the night without the benefit of night vision goggles. Nellis (as his friends call him) was also the first mercenary to work hand-in-glove with British ground and air assets in a modern guerrilla war. In Sierra Leone, Ellis's Mi-24 ("it leaked when it rained") played a seminal role in rescuing the 11 British soldiers who had been taken hostage by the so-called West Side Boys. He also used his helicopter numerous times to fly SAS personnel on low-level reconnaissance missions into the interior of the diamond-rich country, for the simple reason that no other pilot knew the country--and the enemy--better than he did.Al Venter, the author of War Dog and other acclaimed titles, accompanied Nellis on some of these missions. "Occasionally we returned to base with holes in our fuselage," Venter recounts, "though once it was self-inflicted: in his enthusiasm during an attack on one of the towns in the interior, a side-gunner onboard swung his heavy machine-gun a bit too wide and hit one of our drop tanks. Had it been full at the time, things might have been different." The upshot was that over the course of a year of military operations, the two former Soviet helicopters operated for the Sierra Leone Air Wing by Nellis and his boys were patched more often than any other comparable pair of gun ships in Asia, Africa or Latin America. Nellis himself earned a price on his head: some reports spoke of a $1 million reward dead or alive while others doubled it.This book describes the full career of this storied aerial warrior, from the bush and jungles of Africa to the forests of the Balkans and the merciless mountains of today's Afghanistan. Along the way the reader encounters a multiethnic array of enemies ranging from ideological to cold-blooded to pure evil, as well as well as examples of incredible heroism for hire.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Case Mate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC
ISBN-10
1612009433
ISBN-13
9781612009438
eBay Product ID (ePID)
6050400997
Product Key Features
Book Title
Gunship Ace : the Wars of Neall Ellis, Helicopter Pilot and Mercenary
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Military Science, Modern / 20th Century, Military / Aviation
Publication Year
2021
Genre
Technology & Engineering, History
Number of Pages
368 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
9in
Item Width
6in
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
U240
Reviews
Al Venter can always be counted on to provide a good read...Recommend this book for military professionals who do not know Africa, helicopter pilots who enjoy a good tale and academics concerned with the growth of private armies and contract specialists in hotspots around the planet., From veteran International War Correspondent and author, Al J. Venter, we get a rare look into the profession and harrowing times of a talented pilot and gunship ace whose life reads more like an action/adventure novel than a carefully researched biography. Only this isn't fiction and the staggering risks and dangers Ellis faced time and again with daring and skill keep the story fast-paced and, well, I was going to say something trite like, entertaining. But the fact is, some parts of this story are flat out frightening... A fine tribute but then so is this book about a Gunship Ace and exceptional man who is still serving in combat zones today. This time it is in Afghanistan, where the legend and acclaim he never sought and was well earned, continues., Ellis is clearly a superb pilot, and I can't imagine how he survived it all. Not just surviving the usual hazards when hostiles are trying to shoot you out of the air, but surviving the actual aircraft. . . . I couldn't wait to finish the book to see what happened to Ellis in the end. Surely he was killed somewhere long ago, but no! Neall Ellis is still out there, somewhere, flying who knows what airframe in some nasty hotspot., Written by renowned author and photojournalist, Al J. Venter, this book spotlights the career of a fascinating modern warrior, while also shedding light on some of the conflicts that have raged throughout the world behind the headlines., "Reading as dramatically as a finely scripted novel, "Gunship Ace: The Wars of Neall Ellis, Helicopter Pilot and Mercenary" is an impressively blending of biography and military history - making it certain to be an enduringly valued and unique addition to community, community and university library Military Aviation History collections."
Table of Content
Author's Note Prologue 1 Formative Days In Southern Africa 2 Early Days In The South African Air Force 3 Early Days During The Border War 4 Soviet Sams Versus Helicopters In The Bush War 5 Into Angola With The Gunships 6 Death Of A Good Man 7 Koevoet, Night Ops And A Life-Changing Staff Course 8 New Directions--Dangerous Challenges 9 Executive Outcomes In West Africa 10 Into The Congo's Cauldron 11 On The Run Across The Congo River 12 Back To Sierra Leone--The Sandline Debacle 13 Taking The War To The Rebels In Sierra Leone 14 The War Gathers Momentum 15 The War Goes On . . . And On . . . 16 The Mi-24 Helicopter Gunship Goes To War 17 How The War In Sierra Leone Was Fought 18 Operation Barras--The Final Phase In Sierra Leone 19 Iraq--Going Nowhere 20 Air Ambulance In Sarawak 21 Tanzania 22 Neall Ellis Flies Russian Helicopters In Afghanistan Endnotes
Target Audience
Trade
Dewey Decimal
355.3540968092
Dewey Edition
23
Illustrated
Yes
Item description from the seller
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eBay item number:305330415947
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GU14 0GT, United Kingdom
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u***n (38)- Feedback left by buyer.
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Product is 95% alike picture but a little more blurry. Controller play well but had a notice from psn that my joypad wasn't authentic and could by problematic🤷♂️ no trouble so far! Shipping was fast but no tracking and worst packaging ever.. like the box came banged up... send a question to seller never had a reply 😅.... Good product overall, excellent price, fast shipping, wrapped only on 4 sides out of 6, no tracking and never reply... 4★ product / 2★ seller ✌️
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The book is in perfect condition, brand new, and is exactly as described. This item is difficult to find here, and the seller priced it very reasonably. It shipped from the UK to Canada, and unfortunately took a little longer to arrive than the seller hoped, but it was shipped less than 24 hours after I purchased. When I contacted the seller, they were very responsive and helpful. I would not hesitate to purchase from this seller again. Definitely recommend!
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AAA seller. Item came as described and within the due date. Great communication. Well packed and no damage to the case.