Search results for ""Author Craig Allen""

In 2021, the British Army's 20-year engagement in Afghanistan ended with chaotic scenes at Kabul International Airport. The Parachute Regiment had been involved since the earliest days of conflict and was there at the end to provide security for the final evacuation. The years of conflict saw the Paras endure some of the toughest operational conditions since World War Two as they confronted Taliban fighters in their Helmand stronghold. In 2008, 2 and 3 Paras were deployed to Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban in areas such as Kandahar and Musa Qala. That summer, they fought the insurgents in the fields and ditches of the Green Zone, always taking the fight to the enemy. Written by a former Para and battlefield photographer, this book takes the reader on a visual journey from training for this deployment in Scotland to the desert heat of Afghanistan, showing the soldiers, their equipment, weapons and vehicles. With over 200 colour photographs, it provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Paras both in battle and going about their day-to-day lives at the bases.

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Craig Allen, a Paratrooper for 29 years, returned to 2 PARA as a reservist and unofficial photographer for the Battlegroups dramatic 2008 Tour in Helmand. As both a respected soldier and photographer he had unrivalled access to the fighting and moved from area to area following the action. Every evening he wrote up his experiences and those of the men he was with, whose trust he had as a member of the club. He had a ringside seat to a very costly summer tour, with the Taliban proving themselves worthy enemies to even the most elite British Army soldiers. His story tells in superb action photographs and no-nonsense prose of the hardships, courage, fears and cost suffered by front line soldiers over prolonged periods. He captures the colour of life and death in Afghanistan for both combatants and the luckless civilian population caught up in this vicious spiral of war. An unforgettable book which has true visual appeal.

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As rush hour came to a close on the evening of May 25, 1950, one of Chicago's new fast, colorful, streamlined streetcars—known as a Green Hornet—slammed into a gas truck at State Street and 62nd Place. The Hornet's motorman allegedly failed to heed the warnings of a flagger attempting to route it around a flooded underpass, and the trolley, packed with commuters on their way home, barreled into eight thousand gallons of gasoline. The gas erupted into flames, poured onto State Street, and quickly engulfed the Hornet, shooting flames two hundred and fifty feet into the air. More than half of the passengers escaped the inferno through the rear window, but thirty-three others perished, trapped in front of the streetcar's back door, which failed to stay open in the ensuing panic. It was Chicago's worst traffic accident ever—and the worst two-vehicle traffic accident in US history. Unearthing a forgotten chapter in Chicago lore, The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster tells the riveting tale of this calamity. Combing through newspaper accounts as well as the Chicago Transit Authority's official archives, Craig Cleve vividly brings to life this horrific catastrophe. Going beyond the historical record, he tracks down individuals who were present on that fateful day on State and 62nd: eyewitnesses, journalists, even survivors whose lives were forever changed by the accident. Weaving these sources together, Cleve reveals the remarkable combination of natural events, human error, and mechanical failure that led to the disaster, and this moving history recounts them—as well as the conflagration's human drama—in gripping detail.

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For Operation Telic, the 2003 campaign in Iraq, the UK was the junior partner alongside their American allies but still contributed a substantial force. This was based around the 1st Armoured Division consisting of 7th Armoured Brigade, 16 Air Assault Brigade and 102 Logistics Brigade, with the Marines of 3 Commando Brigade under command. This photographic diary concentrates on 16 Air Assault Brigade's two parachute battalions, 1 and 3 Para. Beginning with the invasion and operations in the southern oilfields, the story follows 3 Para's successful entry into Basrah, before the action switches to 1 Para and a move to Baghdad to secure the British Embassy. This is followed by a look at life at the Embassy and on patrol in the city before 3 Para's return south. Written by a media escort and photographer with 3 Para, who was himself a Para for 23 years and continued to serve as a reservist, this book shows how paratroopers looked and fought during the campaign. Illustrated with over 200 colour photographs, it shows the reality of British forces in a modern-day war, with insights into the Parachute Regiment's equipment and operations.

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