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A review by tbr_the_unconquered
The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth
4.0
The whole of this novel is a very exhaustive plan as to how to mount and execute a small military operation. While the overall slice of military action is a small one, the outcome of this operation is one that is meant to have huge economic advantages. A corrupt and crumbling African republic, a huge pile of unmined platinum, corporate greed and a ruthlessly inventive mercenary group form the key players of the story. While the three act structure of the story itself appeared a tad too idealistic and cliché, the book shines through with the amount of detail that is shed on the planning of the military operation. Forsyth’s pen misses no details and leaves no stone unturned as to how effectively one needs to plan the logistical side of a mercenary op. It is like watching a solid and cost effective structure take place step by step and brick by brick.
A bit of reading about history will tell you that the ones who usually wins the wars are the ones who have a better control over their logistical systems. Strategy, tactics, firepower and luck can help you win battles but the wars are almost always won by those who know how to handle their supplies, ammunition and personnel. More important than all this, they do know how to get these constituent elements from one location to another too. The story is an illustration of this fact wherein the key player, Shannon spends almost 80% of the story planning for a military action that would take roughly half a day to complete. The specifics of the op are rather immaterial here since that would give away a little too much of the plot. As in real life, the planning is entirely slow moving and painstaking while the action when it comes is bloody, brutal and gets over pretty quick.
Recommended if you like a practical and grounded view of how a special forces op might be set up. The surrounding detail on the geopolitical landscape etc. are very dated now and yet the specifics still stand out.
A bit of reading about history will tell you that the ones who usually wins the wars are the ones who have a better control over their logistical systems. Strategy, tactics, firepower and luck can help you win battles but the wars are almost always won by those who know how to handle their supplies, ammunition and personnel. More important than all this, they do know how to get these constituent elements from one location to another too. The story is an illustration of this fact wherein the key player, Shannon spends almost 80% of the story planning for a military action that would take roughly half a day to complete. The specifics of the op are rather immaterial here since that would give away a little too much of the plot. As in real life, the planning is entirely slow moving and painstaking while the action when it comes is bloody, brutal and gets over pretty quick.
Recommended if you like a practical and grounded view of how a special forces op might be set up. The surrounding detail on the geopolitical landscape etc. are very dated now and yet the specifics still stand out.