Gunship ace : the wars of Neall Ellis, helicopter pilot and mercenary

"Spotlights the career of a fascinating modern warrior, while also shedding light on some of the conflicts that have raged throughout the world" (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 fought in the Balkan war for the Islamic forces, tried to resuscitate Mobutu's ailing air force during his final days ruling the Congo, flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and piloted 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. As a "civilian contractor," Ellis has also flown helicopter support missions in Afghanistan, where, he reckons, he had more close shaves than in his entire previous four decades.From single-handedly turning the enemy back from the gates of Freetown to helping rescue eleven British soldiers who'd been taken hostage, Ellis's many missions earned him a price on his head, with reports of a million-dollar dead-or-alive reward. 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 Afghanistan. Along the way the reader encounters a multiethnic array of enemies ranging from ideological to cold-blooded to pure evil, as well as examples of incredible heroism for hire.;Front Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- CONTENTS -- Author Page -- Dedication -- 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 "Spotlights the career of a fascinating modern warrior, while also shedding light on some of the conflicts that have raged throughout the world" ( 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 fought in the Balkan war for the Islamic forces, tried to resuscitate Mobutu's ailing air force during his final days ruling the Congo, flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and piloted 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. As a "civilian contractor," Ellis has also flown helicopter support missions in Afghanistan, where, he reckons, he had more close shaves than in his entire previous four decades. From single-handedly turning the enemy back from the gates of Freetown to helping rescue eleven British soldiers who'd been taken hostage, Ellis's many missions earned him a price on his head, with reports of a million-dollar dead-or-alive reward. 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 Afghanistan. Along the way the reader encounters a multiethnic array of enemies ranging from ideological to cold-blooded to pure evil, as well as examples of incredible heroism for hire. A former South African Air Force pilot who saw action throughout the region from the 1970s, 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), flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and thereafter an Mi-8 fondly dubbed BokkieA for Colonel Tim Spicer in Sierra Leone. For the past two years, as a civilian contractor, A Ellis has been flying helicopter support missions in Afghanistan, where, he reckons, he has had more close shaves than in his entire previous gour-decade career; twice he turned the enemy back from the gates of Freetown, effectively preventing the rebels from overrunning Sierra Leone's capital. 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. 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 multi-ethnic array of enemies ranging from ideological to cold-blooded to pure evil, as well as well as examples of incredible heroism for hire Front Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- CONTENTS -- Author Page -- Dedication -- 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 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. Bisac Code 1: HIS037030 "The days of Congo and Angola when you had the image of mercenaries as drunken guys going around shooting up the place... has gone - the people you find now... are well-trained, professional soldiers, special forces trained." - Neall Ellis Praise for Al J. Venter: "A disturbing insight into the ever growing world of unconventional private armies.