I am a bit concerned about the amount of US bashing that is now going on in these threads.
My father served in the British Army from 1941 to 1945 and although he tells the old joke about
When the RAF come over the Germans take cover,
When the Luftwaffe come over the Allies take cover,
When the USAF come over Everyone takes cover.
He also tells of when he was involved in the Arnhem operation. The painfully slow progress made by the Guards Armoured Div towards Arnhem was influenced by a great desire to avoid heavy casualties. My father, and many of his contempories, believe that if the US Army, with their 'Gung-Ho' attitude were used instead then there would have been a much better chance of relieving the Para's holding the Bridge.
And as for De La Billiere - he has made it almost impossible to stop ex-memebers of the special forces from writing their memoirs as, if its good enough for the boss, why not everyone?