May 2011, Afghanistan: Camp Bastion is under attack, the Sun's Defence Editor is about to catch the wrong helicopter, and a famous TV war reporter is missing half his kit and wants his trainers back. Amid the chaos, Christian Hill is preparing to lead his Combat Camera Team on the British Army's first big operation of the Helmand summer, inching through the IED-riddled fields of the notorious Green Zone, very probably getting shot at. A captain in the Media Operations Group, his job is to promote the war to the British media – and make it look like things are under control and getting better…

Funny, offbeat, shocking and affectionate, Combat Camera offers a unique insight into the military's media operations in Afghanistan. As coalition troops return home after years of fighting, it will appeal to anyone who wants to know whether our campaign against the Taliban has really been worth the effort.

Christian Hill's profile page

Christian Hill joined the British Army in 1996, undertaking officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before being posted to 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. He served as Troop Commander and later Operations Officer in Canada, Germany, Jordan, Bosnia and the Falkland Islands. After four years he left the army and worked as a showbiz reporter in London before joining the BBC as a broadcast journalist. In 2009 he returned to soldiering as a reservist in the Media Operations Group, serving as a Combat Camera Team leader in Afghanistan in the summer of 2011.

“The most appealing aspect of the writing is the self-effacement and modesty. There's no showboating heroism here . . . for what Hill makes clear is a faltering, ill-conceived and unsure mission. For a good look behind the journalists' blue flak jackets and mendacious military press-releases, readCombat Camera.” - Frank Ledwidge, author of Losing Small Wars and Investment in Blood

“Opens your eyes to the casualties on all sides.” -Soldier Magazine

“This book should be read from those at secondary school upwards, especially those wishing to join the Armed Forces, by everyone concerned with the decision-making of going to war, and all those who simply care for their fellow men. It is an extraordinary account of the human side of war . . . Our British soldiers will soon be coming home and we will be left wondering if this was all worth it. Read this book and make your own judgement.” -Yorkshire Gazette

“A thought-provoking account . . . Hill tells it like it is.” -Business Standard

“A mix of humour and tragedy, bravery and bumbling. Drop the Dead Donkey meets the military.” -The Lady

“Hill's memoir provides a unique insight into the Afghan war from the role of the military journalist. The book provides an excellent blend of harrowing and witty prose, which pulls no punches and shines a much needed light into the chaos and confusion of modern warfare.” - Sean Rayment, author of Tales from the Special Forces Club

“Thrilling, witty and insightful . . . this brutally honest portrayal of how the war in Afghanistan was being reported will shock some, amuse others and anger many.” - Chris Terrill, documentary maker

“Fascinating . . . manages to enlighten and entertain.” -Kirkus Reviews

“A harrowing, warts-and-all account of the human cost to the British Army of the war in Afghanistan.” -The Daily Mail