In the Service of the Sultan: A first-hand account of the Dhofar Insurgency

As with Ian Gardiners other book, “The Yompers”, this is a great read. You get history of the area, history and background of the conflict, insight on the people and their culture and of course the nitty gritty of the fighting itself. Again written from a ground commanders perspective, you get the feel of what is was like to be a grunt on the ground. As a former Army Infantryman, I could identify with what the author was writing about..the heat, dirt, fear and camaraderie.I gave this book 4 stars not because of content and writers style, the book gets 5 stars for that, but for the issues with the digital formatting. Throughout the book the letter “F” is missing from the beginnings of some words; “fire, fine, etc.”. It is manageable most of the time, but some words that are missing the “f” throw you off for a moment. There are other missing letters occasionally as well.The book is great, just prepare for some grammar/syntax issues.

The Dhofar insurgency was without question of vastly greater strategic importance than the Vietnam war and yet hardly anyone has heard of it. This book does a fantastic job of covering this conflict at the strategic, tactical and human level. Given the current situation in Yemen now is a great time to read up on this conflict.Do order the actual book and not the Kindle edition. The Kindle edition was badly done with the letter "f" frequently being left out resulting in sentences such as "we drew enemy ire" or "they're thinking was deeply lawed". Very annoying.

I knew absolutely nothing about the war in Dhofar back in the 70s before reading this book, and now I know at least a little, though not as much as you would think.The book is at its best when it reads more like a piece of travel writing. Oman seems very interesting, both then and now. As a piece of war writing though, the book falls a bit flat.

A well written book by Ian Gardiner about a little known, and barely studied example of a successful counter-insurgency campaign against communist insurgents in the Dhofar region of Oman in the 1970s. Gardiner shares his first-hand accounts of what he experienced working with the Omani government, with the Dhofari people and the fighting against the communist insurgents in some of the most inhospitible terrain on the planet. From blistering heat, to monsoon-like rains, the British, Omanis and other forces fought against a communist-lead insurgency. Working both politically and militarily against the insurgents, the Dhofar campaign is a study in how to conduct a successful COIN effort.Gardiner's writing is both descriptive and easy to read. His writing style keeps the reader captivated, easily bringing you through his accounts of the insurgency and the efforts against it. Although you cannot lay the template for success directly over current counterinsurgency operations but the lessons learned, the political/military approaches and the timeless lessons of working with the host nation (Oman) remain valuable for today's fight.

An easy read about one of the most important "small wars" of the 20th Century. Mr. Gardiner's narrative is self-effacing, humble, and inspiring. The story's action is centered on the famous "Hornbeam Line". Gardiner's description of the environment, the people, and the combatants on both sides is compelling to the point where one has to wonder why we don't know more about this strategically significant conflict. This was a resounding and hard-fought victory against a well equipped and trained Communist threat. If you want to read about how to lose a war, read any book about the American experience in Vietnam. If you want to gain insight on the trials and struggles on the path to achieving a victory in modern war, "In The Service of the Sultan" is a must-read.

A soldier's account of an important, but largely unknown episode in the Cold War that protected the oil supply from the Persian Gulf for the West and gave birth to modern Oman.After deposing is father, with help from the British, the Sultan, Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, defeated a communist insurgency in the South of his country, by military means (again with help from the UK, Iran and others) as well as through enlightened domestic policies that have dramatically improved the lives of the Omani people. I read this book in parallel with "The Sultan in Oman," account by Jan Morris of her trip in the mid-1950s with Qaboos' father when he united the country.Anyone traveling to Oman (also recommended) should read both books. It will allow you to appreciate all the more how far this country has progressed in the past 50 years.

I felt after reading this I’d learnt a great deal about something I’d had no idea about.About Oman.About a war I’d never heard of.About soldiers lives.Perhaps a touch too much focus on the military aspect. I’d like to know a touch more about the culture of the Omanis who had to live amongst a war.

Very useful first-hand account at tactical level of the Oman insurgency. It provides considerable details on how the Omanis and their British supporters conducted operations in the Dhofar, with a number of lessons applicable elsewhere. As with most such memoirs, there certainly are parts of the book that are more akin to "there I was", but overall it is a very good resource for students of counterinsurgency.

Captures a time and place far from our own. In part, 'Boy's Own' adventure, a record of the author's participation in a conflict that seemed, in many ways, to hark back to the North West Frontier, it also gives a readable account to the non-military reader of the practicalities of the conflict (e.g. directing mortar and artillery fire). More than this though, it contains vivid passages I would describe as almost poetic and has some deep ruminations on the nature of courage. A thoroughly engaging read.

The strategic significance of the war in the Dhofar region of Oman in the 1960s/70s is not to be underestimated, yet it barely rates a mention in the annals of history of those times. It’s for this reason that Ian Gardiner’s book is of seminal importance. Gardiner’s story is first hand account of his time as a Royal Marines Officer on loan to the Sultan of Oman’s forces, and the waging of war in the most harsh and extreme conditions. The Sultan’s forces were an odd coalition of soldiers from willing nations and were mainly led by British officers. The participating nations had an interest in suppressing a Communist insurgency of Dhofari locals. Although those locals had very legitimate grievances against the regime, their Communist ideology made it easy for the Sultan to galvanise the support of other nations. The civil war is viewed against the backdrop of the Cold War geopolitical landscape of the times.Gardiner has led a remarkable life and his decorated service in Oman appeared to be his coming of age as an Officer. His writing is first-rate and reflects the honesty, humility and humanity of the man himself. Much of the book centres on the prosecution of war in the harshest of conditions. Chapter 10 is the most significant chapter of the book as it’s full of valuable leadership lessons. He reiterates an important principle that if one is to win a war, one should first respect one’s enemies. Chapter 11 details the strategic significance of the war and the hypothetical consequences if the war had been lost.If you enjoy the book, I would then recommend the book The Yompers, also written by the author about commanding a company of Marines during The Falklands conflict.

Well written and a seamless read from start to finish. I read it as I visited Oman and had it read in only a few days. Like Ian Gardiner I also experienced what it was like to become “enmired in sabkha” in my Land Rover. Pick the book up and learn about a theatre of war and its importance on the world stage at a time when communism was sweeping the globe. Awesome. On the service, speedy and efficient service and well priced. You will read it more than once.

I must say how disappointed I was with the editing of the book – not cheap at a Kindle price of £9.59 (now a month later I see it's 1.19).There were literals and miss-spellings throughout - so much so that I gave up in frustration.The letter ‘f’ was missing from the beginning of most short words and often within a word as well:damaged by ground irelet it lowartillery ireand lanked byoil started to lowthe outbreak of irea selish impulsewhere the ire was coming fromJust a few examples of a very poorly presented book.

The book was well written, the only slightly negative point was the tendency for repetition. Everything else was positive, it read well and was very informative. I arrived in Oman almost ten years after the author departed, even then the Country was still clawing its way into the 20th Century. There was no blacktop roads connecting the North to the Dhofar region. I visited many of the places mentioned although I was stationed with 21 Sqdn Rapier out of Muaskar All Murtafa Garrison, Seen. We played and ran two fire camps per year one in Thumrait and one in Nizwa, I have set foot in Thumrait, Rostaq, Mirbat, Salalah, Barqka, Mutrah. We were running a reconnaissance down near the border of Yemen and had the pleasure of being fired on from the mountains. This book brought back all the sounds and smells of a country with no equal. Well done