Welcome to the Apache HarperPlus website.

I'm Ed Macy and this is my book, Apache. It's the story of 656 Squadron's operations in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007 – for me, the culmination of 23 years with the British Army.

I joined the Paras at 18 and was training for SAS selection when I was hit by a car. The collision was brutal – it was months before I was back on my feet and I was told I'd never fight again. But when I heard that the Army was launching the £4.2 billion Apache attack helicopter programme I jumped at the chance to return to the frontline and was the first to join up.

Apache also tells the story of the gruelling 18-month training programme, which only a handful of pilots pass. Before you engage with the enemy, you have to master the machine.

In 2006 we were dispatched to the notorious Helmand Province; our job, to protect the men on the ground, whatever it took. This is my account of what it's like to fight face to face with the Taliban, and the full story of the Jugroom Fort rescue – the Apache pilot’s version of putting your head in the lion's mouth...

For this paperback edition we've gone interactive. On this site you can access free bonus material which expands on the book – from real-time declassified footage of the events described to additional images, further text and my audio commentary.

Or you can test your own skill as an Apache pilot – play the Apache game.