Originally Posted by scarletto

Originally Posted by LancePrivateJones

Vague memory of this one.

Was it called 'The Churchill Commando(s)' or something like that?

I think it was written by the same chap that wrote 'Dixon of Dock Green' IIRC.

Oh might be that one, i remember reading it, something sticks in my mind, about putting up Churchills Picture, and a train hijacking, though why i dont know.

Their is at the end of the film, the sound and sight of a Saracen driving towards him, if i remember.

The train hijacking is a major part of the book. It is full of football hooligans and they are made to strip and are hosed down with high pressure water.
Briefly, I remember it was about a group of ex-military vigilantes who confront what the state will not.
I have been trying to get a copy of it myself and I think copies are available from Amazon etc. Can't remember it being made into a film though.
BTW, it was written by Ted Willis, the Dixon of Dock Green man.

Sorry the Saracen was in ' A very British Coup' not Churchill commandoes' Copies are available on Amazon,just ordered one

Originally Posted by LancePrivateJones

Originally Posted by scarletto

Their was a Tv Programme and book called 'A very British Coup' The book was by Chris Mullin. Think thats the one your after?

Have just watched this on 4 on Demand and read the book as well.

No military involvement as I recall.

It's a while since I read it but I recall the threatened hard-left Labour government calling in CND to sort out MOD and then sorting the national finances with massive loans from the peace-loving regimes of Syria and Iraq. More of a dodgy left-wing wet dream than a plan.

Luttwark's book is dated but more practical and based on a study of the 1960s post-colonial banana republics; practical tips on who to arrest, which buildings to seize first etc. Very much on the lines of an academic version of Forsyth's 'Dogs of War'

Thanks for the help guys.
None of the ones mentioned ring a bell at the moment though.
But I'm going to check out the ones mentioned.

I think the book your refering to is "The Churchill Commando".
I remember the train scene and the posters of Churchill. But if my memory serves me correctly did the coup, if that's what is was, not fail at the end. Although it started with the best intentions, by the ex-soldiers involved, it got out of control when seperate Right Wing groups try to stir up racial-disharmony on the streets. At one point the General in charge really believes they have succeded in changing the country only to realise that British society was on the verge of tearing itself apart.
Happily for the PC brigade he is then murdered by a multi-racial mob.
There, i've saved you the bother of reading it again.
BTW, it was about 20 years ago that i first read it, in GW1, did you nick it from me?

Another book worth reading, in conjunction with a history of post-colonial Ghana is General Okran's book "A myth is broken."



Essentially a justification for the first coup in Ghana, against a left wing president, in 1966 plus some interesting insights into the conspirator mindset. It was written whilst he was still in govt and tries to explain/excuse his abandonment of the British-instilled concept of an apolitical army.

You need to understand the rest of Ghanaian history after that to fully understand the level of corruption, dishonesty and economic ruin that followed, although a basic look at pretty much any modern African dictatorship will give you the general impression.

Remember, after you've done the fun stuff like shooting politicans and spin doctors there's still a country to run. Coups are for life, not just for the Killfest.

There was a film made using Luttwaks book as a guide back in `78. It was called Powerplay or Coup d Etat depending on wher it was released. Starred Peter O Toole and David Hemmings. I watched it back in the `90s when it popped up on the box, bit slow but watchable with a fairly dark ending. Not sure where you can get a copy though. IMDB listing

David Hebditch and Ken Connor. How to Stage a Military Coup: from planning to execution, Greenhill Books, London 2005.

Not what you're after specifically but worth a giggle.

Originally Posted by Bouillabaisse

Remember, after you've done the fun stuff like shooting politicans and spin doctors there's still a country to run. Coups are for life, not just for the Killfest.

This is the kicker isn't it? Which high flyers are you going to put in to run the non-mil ministries: I can just see the educational results of a DFES run by the Ed Corps....

Answered here:

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/...8/start=0.html

Wouldn't have been a novel called "Show Me a Hero"?

Hero was codenamed the "Falcon" or the "Hawk" or something.
Lefties invite the Russian Army to take over UK and HM forces launch a counter coup at the end of the book.