Bullet Proof: Matt Croucher GC

**mac1** · 26-02-2010, 12:15

This was the marine who threw himself onto a grenade 2 years ago and got the George Cross. Just read this from the library: excellent. Did a search but it's not on here - would have thought it would be - any particular reason?

**hammy123** · 26-02-2010, 12:17

His exploits with the grenade aside, I didnt like the rest of the book.

**Gundolph** · 26-02-2010, 12:22

Read it

Very easy to put down

**Armchairwarrior** · 27-02-2010, 17:24

There's a review of Matt Croucher's Bulletproof on

www.warbooksreview.com

Roar0804 · 27-02-2010, 17:35

Not a reccomended book then?

**muzzleflash** · 27-02-2010, 22:36

A very brave man, however (and probably not helped by the ghost writer) book makes him come across as an utter tool

**Filbert Fox** · 27-02-2010, 23:08

How did he manage to trip the device and have time to get his Bergan off and get it between him and it? did he fall back on it?

**mac1** · 28-02-2010, 10:15

think it was the time between realising he'd tripped the wire and the old Soviet grenade going off

**Carlos_Hathcock_II** · 28-02-2010, 10:57

He sat back down and semi layed on the grenade, he never had a chance to take his Daysac off.

**Filbert Fox** · 28-02-2010, 13:05

Originally Posted by Carlos_Hathcock_II

He sat back down and semi layed on the grenade, he never had a chance to take his Daysac off.

although the book says:

'During a night patrol in February 2008 Croucher set off a trip-wire attached to a grenade. Realising that he had no hope of escaping the blast, he immediately took off his well-packed day sack and threw it and himself onto the grenade'

**mac1** · 28-02-2010, 15:35

Originally Posted by muzzleflash

A very brave man, however (and probably not helped by the ghost writer) book makes him come across as an utter tool

anything in particular?

**muzzleflash** · 05-03-2010, 11:10

Asside from the fact that whilst Mattie and his superhuman bootneck mates were in the thick of it and fought both wars alone, we Army mongs merely loafed around, blah, blah,blah - nothing

**Vastatio** · 19-08-2010, 09:38

I've just failed to finish it, because it's dire.

It's literally one long series of cliches and buzzwords (on almost every page, often repeatedly), glibness, triteness, woeful dialogue, factual errors, embarrassing tripe about 'dodging bullets' and 'shit hot commandos', patronising statements of the bleeding obvious, typos and, occasionally, gibberish. It reads as though it was written in sections by different people, in different languages, over a long period of time.

Robert Jobson - if that's his real name - deserves some kind of Bulwer-Lytton award for mangling a brave man's extraordinary achievements into such a pulp, and somehow getting it published.

(takes deep breath) Having said that, find a copy of Softly Tread The Brave by Ivan Southall (long OOP). It concerns RN, RANVR and USN mine clearance officers' service during the Blitz, during which richly-earned GC's and GM's were awarded for astonishing feats of skill, discipline and nerve. It's the book that Bullet Proof could - and should - have been.