Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Operation Medusa cover art

Operation Medusa

Written by: Major General David Fraser, Brian Hanington, Gen. Lord David Richards
Narrated by: Paul Gross
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $42.55

Buy Now for $42.55

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

From the Canadian in charge of the joint military command in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, this is the real on-the-ground story of one of NATO's bloodiest, most decisive and misunderstood operations: the battle of Panjwayi, the defining moment of Operation Medusa.

In the summer of 2006, David Fraser was the Canadian general in charge of NATO's Regional Command South, a territory spanning six Afghan provinces surrounding the Arghandab Valley. Birthplace of the Taliban decades earlier, this fertile region had since become Afghanistan's most deadly turf. It would soon turn deadlier still. Advised in the night by his intelligence officers that the Taliban had secretly amassed for a full-scale military assault, Fraser knew it would fall to him, his Canadians, and their allies to avoid the wholesale slaughter of NATO troops, keep the Taliban from laying siege to Kandahar, and restore control of the south of the country to a newly formed, democratic Afghan government.

The odds were solidy against Fraser's forces. The Taliban knew every millimeter of their own terrain. During the months of secret manoeuvers they had stocked every farmhouse, school, grape hut, and tunnel with weapons and ammunition. They had drilled Soviet-era landmines into all of the marijuana and poppy fields and dug IEDs into every roadway. Protected from detection by corrupt officials, their sophisticated warfare schools had successfully readied an army of zealous fighters to attack and fight to the death. And now their top commanders were poised to launch decisive military operations against freshly arrived troops who had never seen combat.

The bloodiest battle in NATO's history was about to begin.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Major General David Fraser, Brian Hanington (P)2018 McClelland & Stewart
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What the critics say

"Operation Medusa: The Furious Battle That Saved Afghanistan from the Taliban is extraordinary for what it says (and maybe more for what it doesn't say) about the combat mission that arguably changed the course of a war that claimed the lives of 159 Canadian soldiers and cost billions of Canadian dollars.” (CBC)

More from the same

What listeners say about Operation Medusa

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    53
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Came across as making excuses

I served under his command, he made excuses then and he is still making them today. Real strong leadership is making the hard choices not the easy or popular ones.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really Good!

I quite enjoyed listening to Paul Gross read the story. I found it interesting to learn about the Canadiens in Afghanistan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MJB
  • 2020-02-21

Well worth the listen.

I've read a lot of the stories written by and about Canadians in the Afghan Theatre. I found this a great way to deal with one with a good deal of technical jargon. well worth the listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!