Your audiobook is waiting…
The Three Battles of Wanat and Other True Stories
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Finish
- The Killing of Osama bin Laden
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 361
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 306
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 307
From Mark Bowden, internationally best-selling and acclaimed author of Black Hawk Down and the preeminent chronicler of the actions of our military and special forces writing today, comes an intensely gripping account of the hunt for and elimination of Osama bin Laden. With unprecedented access to key sources and his great gift for storytelling, Bowden takes us inside the rooms where decisions were made and on the ground where the action unfolded.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not the best
- By Donald on 06-07-16
-
The Chosen Few
- A Company of Paratroopers and Its Heroic Struggle to Survive in the Mountains of Afghanistan
- By: Gregg Zoroya, William H. McRaven - foreward
- Narrated by: Gregg Zoroya
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 463
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 432
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 429
The story of one of the Afghanistan war's most decorated units and their 15-month ordeal, culminating in the Battle of Wanat, the deadliest battle of the war. A single company of US paratroopers - calling themselves the "Chosen Few" - arrived in eastern Afghanistan in late 2007 hoping to win the hearts and minds of the remote mountain people and extend the Afghan government's reach into this wilderness. Instead, they spent the next 15 months in a desperate struggle, living under almost continuous attack, forced into a slow withdrawal, and always outnumbered by Taliban fighters.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow! What an amazing group of men!
- By Mila on 06-22-18
-
Hue 1968
- A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 18 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,306
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,217
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,207
By January 1968, despite an influx of half a million American troops, the fighting in Vietnam seemed to be at a stalemate. Yet General William Westmoreland, commander of American forces, announced a new phase of the war in which "the end begins to come into view". The North Vietnamese had different ideas. In mid-1967, the leadership in Hanoi had started planning an offensive intended to win the war in a single stroke.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I KNEW This Book Would Sting Me . . . .
- By Bee Keeper on 07-28-17
-
When the Killer Man Comes
- Eliminating Terrorists as a Special Operations Sniper
- By: Paul Martinez, George Galdorisi - contributor
- Narrated by: Paul Martinez, Nicholas Irving - foreword
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
America has one force with the single mission of direct action to capture or kill the enemy. That force is the 75th Ranger Regiment. Staff Sergeant Paul Martinez was a Ranger Sniper with the 75th Rangers during the desperate fighting in Afghanistan in 2011 when the United States made the decision to try to withdraw from Afghanistan. It was never going to be easy. There were still a large number of senior Taliban and al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists in secure locations throughout that country.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
When the Killer Man Comes
- By JHMJr on 01-27-19
-
To Quell the Korengal
- By: Darren Shadix
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 95
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 88
In 2007, the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade posted to northeastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Battle Company, the best within the Brigade, was assigned the toughest Area of Operations. It was called the Korengal Valley. During their fifteen-month tour, Battle Company saw more combat than any unit since Vietnam. Raw and unapologetic, To Quell the Korengal is a first-hand account of life on the front lines.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great war memoir
- By David Ginaitis on 03-03-18
-
The Outpost
- An Untold Story of American Valor
- By: Jake Tapper
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,092
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 992
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 991
At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by Taliban insurgents. The 53 U.S. troops, having been stationed at the bottom of three steep mountains, were severely outmanned by nearly 400 Taliban fighters. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, their casualties made it one of the war's deadliest battles for U.S. forces. And after more than three years in that dangerous and vulnerable valley a mere 14 miles from the Pakistan border, the U.S. abandoned and bombed the camp.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read!
- By Jason on 11-16-12
-
The Finish
- The Killing of Osama bin Laden
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 361
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 306
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 307
From Mark Bowden, internationally best-selling and acclaimed author of Black Hawk Down and the preeminent chronicler of the actions of our military and special forces writing today, comes an intensely gripping account of the hunt for and elimination of Osama bin Laden. With unprecedented access to key sources and his great gift for storytelling, Bowden takes us inside the rooms where decisions were made and on the ground where the action unfolded.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not the best
- By Donald on 06-07-16
-
The Chosen Few
- A Company of Paratroopers and Its Heroic Struggle to Survive in the Mountains of Afghanistan
- By: Gregg Zoroya, William H. McRaven - foreward
- Narrated by: Gregg Zoroya
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 463
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 432
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 429
The story of one of the Afghanistan war's most decorated units and their 15-month ordeal, culminating in the Battle of Wanat, the deadliest battle of the war. A single company of US paratroopers - calling themselves the "Chosen Few" - arrived in eastern Afghanistan in late 2007 hoping to win the hearts and minds of the remote mountain people and extend the Afghan government's reach into this wilderness. Instead, they spent the next 15 months in a desperate struggle, living under almost continuous attack, forced into a slow withdrawal, and always outnumbered by Taliban fighters.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow! What an amazing group of men!
- By Mila on 06-22-18
-
Hue 1968
- A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 18 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,306
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,217
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,207
By January 1968, despite an influx of half a million American troops, the fighting in Vietnam seemed to be at a stalemate. Yet General William Westmoreland, commander of American forces, announced a new phase of the war in which "the end begins to come into view". The North Vietnamese had different ideas. In mid-1967, the leadership in Hanoi had started planning an offensive intended to win the war in a single stroke.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I KNEW This Book Would Sting Me . . . .
- By Bee Keeper on 07-28-17
-
When the Killer Man Comes
- Eliminating Terrorists as a Special Operations Sniper
- By: Paul Martinez, George Galdorisi - contributor
- Narrated by: Paul Martinez, Nicholas Irving - foreword
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
America has one force with the single mission of direct action to capture or kill the enemy. That force is the 75th Ranger Regiment. Staff Sergeant Paul Martinez was a Ranger Sniper with the 75th Rangers during the desperate fighting in Afghanistan in 2011 when the United States made the decision to try to withdraw from Afghanistan. It was never going to be easy. There were still a large number of senior Taliban and al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists in secure locations throughout that country.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
When the Killer Man Comes
- By JHMJr on 01-27-19
-
To Quell the Korengal
- By: Darren Shadix
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 95
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 88
In 2007, the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade posted to northeastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Battle Company, the best within the Brigade, was assigned the toughest Area of Operations. It was called the Korengal Valley. During their fifteen-month tour, Battle Company saw more combat than any unit since Vietnam. Raw and unapologetic, To Quell the Korengal is a first-hand account of life on the front lines.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great war memoir
- By David Ginaitis on 03-03-18
-
The Outpost
- An Untold Story of American Valor
- By: Jake Tapper
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,092
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 992
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 991
At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by Taliban insurgents. The 53 U.S. troops, having been stationed at the bottom of three steep mountains, were severely outmanned by nearly 400 Taliban fighters. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, their casualties made it one of the war's deadliest battles for U.S. forces. And after more than three years in that dangerous and vulnerable valley a mere 14 miles from the Pakistan border, the U.S. abandoned and bombed the camp.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read!
- By Jason on 11-16-12
-
Wanat
- By: Combat Studies Institute
- Narrated by: Felbrigg Napoleon Herriot
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
On 13 July 2008, nine American Soldiers perished while fighting a pitched battle in the village of Wanat in Afghanistan's Waygal Valley. On that day the men of Company C, 2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, endured four hours of intense close-quarters combat and mounting casualties. The contingent of 49 United States and 24 Afghan National Army Soldiers valiantly defended their small outpost against a coordinated attack by a determined insurgent force armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons.
-
Guests of the Ayatollah
- The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Mark Bowden
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 271
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 155
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 158
The Iran hostage crisis was a watershed moment in American history. It was America's first showdown with Islamic fundamentalism, a confrontation at the forefront of American policy to this day. It was also a powerful dramatic story that captivated the American people, launched yellow-ribbon campaigns, made celebrities of the hostage's families, and crippled the reelection campaign of President Jimmy Carter.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Iran hostage crisis gets a good treatment
- By Scott on 11-15-13
-
We Few
- US Special Forces in Vietnam
- By: Nick Brokhausen
- Narrated by: George Spelvin
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 243
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 218
A Green Beret's gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Is there such a thing as funny war genre ??
- By dax on 11-04-18
-
Victory Point
- Operations Red Wings and Whalers - the Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan
- By: Ed Darack
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
In late June, 2005, media sources recounted the tragic story of 19 US special-operations personnel who died at the hands of insurgent/terrorist leader Ahmad Shah - and the lone survivor of Shah's ambush - deep in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. The harrowing events of Operation Red Wings marked an important - yet widely misreported - chapter in the Global War on Terror, the full details of which the public burned to learn. Victory Point reveals the complete, as-yet untold story of Operation Red Wings and the follow-on mission, Operation Whalers.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Marines carrying on the tradition.
- By David on 11-07-18
-
Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
- By: Dakota Meyer, Bing West
- Narrated by: Zach McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 821
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 738
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 742
In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out 100 men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, 21 year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Exceptional Memoir
- By Jean on 06-26-16
-
No Way Out
- A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan
- By: Mitch Weiss, Kevin Maurer
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 289
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 262
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 259
In a remote enemy-held valley in Afghanistan, a Special Forces team planned to scale a steep mountain to surprise and capture a terrorist leader. But before they found the target, the target found them. The team was caught in a deadly ambush that threatened not only their lives but the entire mission. The elite soldiers fought huddled for hours on a small rock ledge as rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-gun fire rained down on them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good book
- By TRey on 07-20-17
-
Doctor Dealer
- The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 101
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 102
Doctor Dealer is the story of Larry Lavin, a bright, charismatic young man who rose from his working-class upbringing to win a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, earn Ivy League college and dental degrees, and buy his family a house in one of Philadelphia's most exclusive suburbs. But behind the facade of his success was a dark secret - at every step of the way he was building the foundation for a cocaine empire that would grow to generate over $60 million in annual sales.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Awesome writing - horrible narrating
- By farmhouselady on 08-11-15
-
Full Battle Rattle
- My Story as the Longest-Serving Special Forces A-Team Soldier in American History
- By: Ralph Pezzullo, Changiz Lahidji
- Narrated by: Eric Pollins
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 238
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 237
Master Sergeant Changiz Lahidji served on Special Forces A teams longer than anyone in history, completing over a hundred combat missions in Afghanistan. Changiz is a Special Forces legend. He also happens to be the first Muslim Green Beret. Changiz served this country starting with Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, when he entered Tehran on a one-man mission to spy on Iranian soldiers guarding the US embassy where 52 US diplomats were being held hostage.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
They need to find a narrator who knows military.
- By Kevin M. Staples on 05-03-18
-
Worm
- The First Digital World War
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 876
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 769
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 770
Worm: The First Digital World War tells the story of the Conficker worm, a potentially devastating piece of malware that has baffled experts and infected more than twelve million computers worldwide. When Conficker was unleashed in November 2008, cybersecurity experts did not know what to make of it. Exploiting security flaws in Microsoft Windows, it grew at an astonishingly rapid rate, infecting millions of computers around the world within weeks.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and Informative
- By Lynn on 11-04-11
-
Echo in Ramadi
- The Firsthand Story of U.S. Marines in Iraq's Deadliest City
- By: Scott A. Huesing
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 380
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 350
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 348
From the winter of 2006 through the spring of 2007, 250 marines from Echo Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, fought daily in the dangerous, dense city streets of Ramadi, Iraq, during the Multi-National Forces Surge ordered by President George W. Bush. The marines' mission: to kill or capture anti-Iraqi forces. Their experience: like being in hell. Now Major Scott A. Huesing, the commander who led Echo Company through Ramadi, takes listeners back to the streets of Ramadi in a visceral, gripping portrayal of modern urban combat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Combat is Combat
- By Calvin Guthrie on 05-21-18
-
Lions of Kandahar
- The Story of a Fight Against All Odds
- By: Major Rusty Bradley, Kevin Maurer
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,292
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,057
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,056
Southern Afghanistan was slipping away. That was clear to then-Captain Rusty Bradley as he began his third tour of duty there in 2006. The Taliban and their allies were infiltrating everywhere, poised to reclaim Kandahar Province, their strategically vital onetime capital. To stop them, the NATO coalition launched Operation Medusa, the largest offensive in its history. The battlefield was the Panjwayi Valley, a densely packed warren of walled compounds that doubled neatly as enemy bunkers.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
'Merica!
- By Nick Keene on 03-07-15
-
WAR
- By: Sebastian Junger
- Narrated by: Sebastian Junger
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,779
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,204
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,199
Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat - the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Why we fight re-visited
- By J on 09-20-10
Publisher's Summary
New York Times best-selling author Mark Bowden has had a prolific career as one of America's leading journalists and nonfiction writers. His new collection, The Three Battles of Wanat and Other True Stories, features the best of his long-form pieces on war as well as notable profiles, sports reporting, and essays on culture.
Including pieces from The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, this collection is Bowden at his best. The titular article, "The Three Battles of Wanat", tells the story of one of the bloodiest days in the war in Afghanistan and the extraordinary years-long fallout it generated within the United States military. In "The Killing Machines", Bowden examines the strategic, legal, and moral issues surrounding armed drones. And in a brilliant piece on Kim Jong-un, "The Bright Sun of Juche", he recalibrates our understanding of the world's youngest and most baffling dictator. Also included are profiles of newspaper scion Arthur Sulzberger; renowned defense attorney and anti-death-penalty activist Judy Clarke; and David Simon, the creator of The Wire.
Absorbing and provocative, The Three Battles of Wanat is an essential collection for fans of Mark Bowden's writing and for anyone who enjoys first-rate narrative nonfiction.
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
3.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars7
-
4 Stars13
-
3 Stars9
-
2 Stars3
-
1 Stars7
Performance
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars12
-
4 Stars12
-
3 Stars8
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars2
Story
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars8
-
4 Stars7
-
3 Stars7
-
2 Stars5
-
1 Stars8
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Eddie Wittern
- 04-13-16
Waste of money
I did not like this book, it was not his best work. honestly it felt like a lazy attempt to fill space by using other works.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Scott B Bicknell
- 12-13-18
Little about Wanat
Most of the book was about other topics than Wanat. Not impressed. Waste of money IMHO
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- Scottsdale, AZ
- 11-04-18
War story gets bogged down in the swamp
I was enjoying this well-written account of US military and anti-terrorism exploits until it took an unexpected left turn and morphed into a fawning love note to Joe Biden. So, I guess if you are a Hillary-style democrat you might want to check this out. For everyone else (who would rather just read about the subject matter without having to hear even more about self-aggrandizing politicians such as Obama and Biden) I would recommend choosing another title.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Adam N.
- 10-29-18
Misleading Title
I thought this book was about the war in Afghanistan but it turned out to be a series of stories that were seemingly unrelated. It was a good book and I finished it but I was definitely sold on one thing and given another.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- David
- 04-30-18
Good Listen
If you could sum up The Three Battles of Wanat and Other True Stories in three words, what would they be?
Multi-topic Interesting Listen
If you’ve listened to books by Mark Bowden before, how does this one compare?
N/A
What three words best describe Richard Poe’s voice?
I liked it
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
Any additional comments?
I work nights in a warehouse. This was great to get me through the night,
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kevin
- Rochester, NY
- 08-14-16
misleading title
a collection of magazine articles that have nothing to do with the title. don't waste your time.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- TRey
- 05-30-16
On this book I was to bed.
Stay away from this book, it DOESN'T belong in the military history section. I want my $$ back.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 04-19-16
Not what I thought it would be
I was expecting more War Stories status just as collections from his writings with the Atlantic many of which have nothing to do with our war in Afghanistan
1 of 2 people found this review helpful