Andy Dougan – författare

A cultural and military history of the sniper since 1643, when the first shot was fired by a sniper during the battle for Litchfield in the English Civil War, to the present day, when the sniper has become the embodiment of contemporary military strategy and technology.Since Robert Greville, Lord Brooke, commander of the Parliamentarian forces, was struck in the eye by a marksman positioned on the spire of Litchfield cathedral, the story of the sniper has been one of the gradual empowerment of the individual soldier over the massed battalions. As military technology evolved to produce lighter, and quieter firearms that could strike with accuracy over longer and longer distances, so the role of the talented individual marksman has become more central to the outcome of military conflicts.Andy Dougan tells the story of the sniper as seen in the wars of Vietnam, the first and Second World Wars, the American Civil War, the Boer War and European conflicts and up to the present day when the sniper is not only a battlefield phenomenon but a terrorist in civilian society of almost phantom-like elusiveness. In three hundred and fifty years the history of the sniper has, more than any other military history, been the story of individuals: of high profile victims such as the Union General Sedgwick, whose legendary last words were 'They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance' to the celebrated shooters. Sniping has more mythology than any other aspect of warfare, more mystery too. That's because the sniper does not participate in a war fought between huge killing machines at great remove from their victims. With the sniper, there is selection, identification and deliberate execution. In short, it's personal.Andy Dougan, author of Dynamo, has written an engrossing human history of the men and women who have taken up the gun to expert and deadly effect.Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.

In 1942 at the centre point of World War II an extraordinary event took place not on the battlefield but in a municipal stadium in Kiev. This is the true story of courage, team loyalty and fortitude in the face of the most brutal oppression the world had ever seen.When Hitler initiated Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, he caught the Soviet Union completely by surprise. At breathtaking speed his armies swept east, slaughtering the ill-prepared Soviet forces. His greatest military gains of the entire war were made in a few short months, and the largest single country that he conquered was the Ukraine, roughly the size of France. Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, was circled, assaulted and overrun, and among the city’s defenders who were captured and incarcerated were many of the members of the sparkling 1939 Dynamo Kiev football team, argaubly the best in Europe before the war. Captured Kiev was a starving city whose population were deported in vast numbers as slave labour.However one man determined to save not just the surviving players from the Dynamo side but other athletes. He offered them work, shelter and, most valuable, bread, as workers in his bakery. Inspired by the charismatic goalkeeper Trusevich, the Dynamo side was re-formed as Start FC and a series of fixtures was arranged, all of which the team win handsomely, to such an extent that they inspired Kievan spirits. The final fixture against the Luftwaffe was agreed by the German authorities: a well-fed team from the Fatherland would vanquish the upstart Ukrainians, especially if the game was refereed by an SS officer. The match is an allegory of resistance; its consequences are brutal. Andy Dougan has discovered the truth behind a legendary encounter, sorting fact from fiction and restoring to the centre of World War II a moment of extraordinary poignancy and complex bravery, of which the cliché is demonstrably true: football is not a matter of life or death; it’s much more important than that.

A cultural and military history of the sniper since 1643, when the first shot was fired by a sniper during the battle for Litchfield in the English Civil War, to the present day.Previously published as The Hunting of Man.‘The modern sniper is perhaps the most versatile soldier on the battlefield. He is totally self-reliant, living off the land and his wits, the most vital link in the chain of combat. Ranging at will over the battlefield, he will push himself to his technological and psychological limit to provide protection for his comrades, intelligence for his commanders, and deadly interdiction whenever it is necessary. He is essentially a living weapon.’In an engrossing history driven by the stories of the great marksmen of each era, Andy Dougan traces the development of the sniper’s role from the English Civil War to the modern day. A role that, despite tactical innovation and technological advance, has always aspired to the same lethal efficiency: one shot, one kill.

40 years ago a group of eleven young men stood in the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon and faced a crowd of 77,000 and the mighty Inter Milan. They were the first British team ever to reach the final of the European Cup. Indeed it was the first time their club had even played in the European Cup. And yet they faced one of the richest teams, with a fearsome reputation and an unbeaten defensive strategy. But these men would go on to make football history...Told by a life-long fan, The Lisbon Lions follows the fortunes of eleven men born within 20 miles of Glasgow who had come to play for a football team struggling in the League. Reinventing the team with his positive playing strategies, manager Jock Stein guided Celtic to victory in the Scottish championships and eventually to the European Cup itself. Andy Dougan takes us on the thrilling journey with Celtic as, round by round, the team's passion, inventiveness, and above all style brings them to the biggest game in their club's history. The story remains as romantic, inspiring and stirring as ever.

Andy Dougan draws on first-hand interviews with some of De Niro's closest friends and colleagues. The result is a revealing and sometimes startling account of an intensely private man. While previous biographies of De Niro have only scraped the surface of his complex character, this sensitive and perceptive portrayal lays bare the psychological and emotional scars that De Niro has sought to hide for so long.