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Summary: Night Stalkers Don't Quit
Review: Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden, is an in-the-streets account of the now infamous seventh mission of Task Force Ranger and Delta Force in Mogadishu, Somalia. Militarily, the mission was a success; politically, it was a disaster.Black Hawk Down was recently released as a major motion picture. I haven't (yet) seen the film, but even to those who have I strongly suggest reading this book. In addition to being made as a movie, an even earlier version of this book appeared as a series of articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Additionally, there is a "companion documentary" (Somalia: Good Intentions, Deadly Results), a shorter version of which has appeared on CNN. Of course, the most famous media related to this story is the news footage of the dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets by angry mobs; second to that would be the image of Black Hawk pilot Mike Durant's smashed face in the video made of him by his captors. Both of these are around; if you really need a reminder, try Google. In the 1990's, the United States found itself in three separate conflicts in (at least partially) Muslim lands. The Gulf War was a conventional military venture, the UN missions in the former Yugoslavia represented a basic-albeit convoluted-peace-keeping venture. The nation-building force in Somalia after the initial famine-busting mission heavily involved special operations. The first sent ripples among the military theorists of nations across the world; the second involved the civilizationally odd American preference to support the Muslim community over that of Orthodox and Western forces; the third was seen as a victory of sorts by Third Worlders and Islamists who drew from it the lesson that America could be shocked into backing out of a conflict. Understanding each of these conflicts-militarily, politically, and culturally-is important to understanding this greater conflict we are now in. Black Hawk Down does much to shed light on the personal and tactical elements in the Somlian campaign's bloodiest battle. While Mark Bowden is a journalist and is quite clear about saying he has no background or experience in combat tactics, covert operations, military strategy, etc., this book is very illuminating. Since the book's publication, Bowden has been invited to address the Military Operations Research Society, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Ft. Leavenworth), and the Central Intelligence Agency. The book been personally recommended by the U.S. Marine Corps commandant and is part of the mandatory reading curriculum at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. So how did this journalist write something that garnered so much respect among military professionals? Quite simply, he tells the soldiers' tales and he tells them straight. The political backdrop, the larger strategic military picture, the command decisions made outside of Mog-these he treats lightly and only as much as needed to provide context for the first-hand accounts of the Americans and Somalis that were actually there. This is a street-level, blow-by-blow narrative of some of the most intense combat American forces have faced since the Vietnam War, and nearly every word of it is drawn either from interviews with combatants, from transcripts of radio traffic, or from video footage shot by U.S. military personnel. I read this book over Memorial Day weekend this year. It was extremely appropriate. Overall I really enjoyed this book and feel I've learned quite a bit from the experience. I had already read a shorter account of overlapping events-from the CIA perspective-written by Vernon Loeb for the Washington Post, titled "After Action Report", but this book fills in details that the other perspective lacked. (At the same time, I strongly recommend you read "After Action Report" as well.) I've heard criticisms of the film that said it was often hard to tell one character from another; I could say the same for the book. At the same time, the sense of confusion that sometimes creeps into the narrative is, in fact, a natural consequence of the fact that this is combat, as experienced by modern soldiers. By the time you complete the book, you'll have enough information to get a remarkably complete picture of the "Battle of the Black Sea"; while in the midst of it, though, you may well find yourself flipping back through the book to remind yourself which unit and which part of the city you are currently reading about. All in all, this is a book well worth reading, and have added it to my Warblogger's Bookshelf. It is an insight into the terrible human experience of modern warfare, set within a significant series of events whose importance were not fully understood in their own time. If it were fiction, I'd say it was a brilliant, thrilling "page turner"; it, however, is not. It is the story of a handful of American soldiers who really lived and (some of them) died, often in stunningly heroic ways. To understand a part of what emboldened enemies such as Al Qaeda, to learn what modern unconventional combat can be like, to renew your faith in the courage and skill of the folks in America's armed forces, read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Tells the tale of modern war
Review: This is military writing at its breathless best. Bowden (Bringing the Heat) has used his journalistic skills to find and interview key participants on both sides of the October 1993 raid into the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia, a raid that quickly became the most intensive close combat Americans have engaged in since the Vietnam War. But Bowden's gripping narrative of the fighting is only a framework for an examination of the internal dynamics of America's elite forces and a critique of the philosophy of sending such high-tech units into combat with minimal support. He sees the Mogadishu engagement as a portent of a disturbing future. The soldiers' mission was to seize two lieutenants of a powerful Somali warlord. Despite all their preparation and training, the mission unraveled and they found themselves fighting ad hoc battles in ad hoc groups. Eschewing the post facto rationalization that characterizes so much military journalism, Bowden presents snapshots of the chaos at the heart of combat. On page after page, in vignette after vignette, he reminds us that war is about breaking things and killing people. In Mogadishu that day, there was no room for elaborate rules of engagement. In the end, it was a task force of unglamorous "straight-leg" infantry that saved the trapped raiders. Did the U.S. err by creating elite forces that are too small to sustain the attrition of modern combat? That's one of the key questions Bowden raises in a gripping account of combat that merits thoughtful reading by anyone concerned with the future course of the country's military strategy and its relationship to foreign policy.
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Summary: Riveting Battle Chronicle
Review: Black Hawk Down is an exhaustive and exhausting account of the disastrous end of the 1993 U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. Providing a concise political context for the mission, the book chronicles, minute by harrowing minute, the desperate attempts to rescue the Ranger and Delta Force soldiers trapped in the city. Bowden does a remarkable job of painting the troops, their commanders, and the situation with precision and clarity, while also providing instructive Somalian viewpoints. If occasionally so over-detailed that it becomes difficult to follow, Black Hawk Down still manages the nearly impossible feat of recreating the chaotic battle as riveting and thought provoking narrative.
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Summary: A frightening tale of modern war...
Review: This book tells the story of our soldiers who were caught in the combat morass in Somalia in 1993. This book does not focus on the issues of why we were in Somalia or should we have been there in the first place. Instead, the story of the individual soldier, fighting for his life in terrible conditions, is the main focus of the book. The tale that is told is extraordinary frightening, and I have the utmost respect for the soldiers who exhibited outstanding courage in the face of daunting odds. This book is highly recommended, and once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down.
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Summary: In the final analysis, a good book
Review: The narrative in this novel did a superb job of immersing me in the drama of a particular military incident. Whether accurate or not, I got a good feel for the soldiers involved in this incident -- where they were coming from, what their concerns and desires were, how they performed under some crazy pressure -- and the processes involved in making the mission a success in name only. In a somewhat sterile fashion, the narrator took me through the hours building up and through our last major military mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. He also superficially explored the psyches of several combatants. But the greatness of the narrative lies in its pacing and subject material and not in its tendency to explore the human angle of the various characters. I was not sure if I needed to know about the families and histories of these guys. I just wanted to read about the action, the chain of events, the process by which American soldiers ended up in the largest firefight since the Vietnam War. And in fairness, the narrative accomplishes this job with great success. In my mind, however, the story would have been better served by using a more more technical, less humanistic framework to hang it on. But as a historical document and a testimonial for those who fought that day, Black Hawk Down serves its purposes well.
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Summary: Enlist now!
Review: This book is one of the best I've ever read. After reading I enlisted!
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Summary: Modern War: Bullet by Bullet
Review: I like war oriented novels, mostly midevil books and science fiction, but this book has stood out in my mind as one of the best written modern war novels i have ever read. I love the style Bowden uses - second by second accounts from different soldiers all over the city. Once you get into reading it you really feel as if you are part of a task force fighting for your life in the run down streets of Mogadishu. It is very specific, and you might get bogged down with all the information coming at you, but if you read the book in incriments rather than all at once than its much easier to stomach. Its hard to do though, because you get [pulled] in :) Its one of few books that will always captivate me long enough for me to lose track of time. Much better than the movie, i definatly recomend this novel.
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Summary: Black Hawk Down
Review: Black Hawk Down is a wonderfully written book and is based on an actual event.
The setting is in the poverty infested city of Mogadishu, Somalia in October of 1993. The city was run by war lords and their militia. A special task force called Task Force Ranger composed of United States Army Rangers, the special anti-terrorist Delta Force, and the best of the best helicopter pilots the Night Stalkers. They where sent in to be peace keepers so the Red Cross could give food to all of the people who were starving. This task force was backed up by the 10th Mountain Division troops and Malaysian armor.
In the city however the strongest militia in Mog ( Mogadisu, as the troops called it ) was led by Mohamed Farrah Aidid. He was mainly responsible for the stealing of food from the Red Cross. On October 3 the task force tried to capture some of Adid¹s high ranking officials in broad day light and in the middle of the Bakara Market which was the most guarded in the city. As they fought in the city two Black Hawks got shoot down. The whole mission went from a capture the enemy to rescue the pilots. The story is about the strongest and most feared military soldiers fighting for their lives. They are out numbered and pinned down in a little one by one block area.
I really enjoyed this book for the excitement and the stories of the soldiers on both sides of the fight. It is a complete story with all of the facts. I thought it was great. I also enjoyed the movie. I thought it was one of the most well written and good books out there for a factual book.
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Summary: a must read
Review: I won't repeat what others have said. I'm a big fan of military novels and non-fiction...this rates among the best. simply sensational. on elong battle scene
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Summary: Vivid
Review: Perhaps that would be the best term used to describe this book. It is vivid, not only to the mind's eye, but to all of the various assets of the imagination. The smell of cordite in the air, the sound of 7.62 JHP rounds slapping into the concrete overhead, the cries for help from the wounded... Bowden forms all of these effects the audio-visual cocaophony that is Black Hawk Down. The story itself has been brought to the visual limelight by the popular film, which more or less stays true to the book, but the true essense of the battle cannot be captured without reading through this work. The orderly, carefully planned mission of the preperation stages quickly descend into a confusing multi-dimensional array of automatic gunfire, downed helicopters, and death. The organization of the book quickly breaks down, and any pretenses of order fade into chaos. It is extremely difficult to keep track of the locations and actions of the various involved parties, which is only marginally helped by the maps here and there. But this all serves to the benefit of the book's mood, highliting the insanity and the absolute surging disorder of battle. Bowden is a journalist, and so captures the spirit of battle unlike a soldier. Where old soldiers recount their wars with a sense of trained recognition and objective perspective, Bowden sees his Etheopian urban jungle as a monstrous laberynth of fire, a horrorific carnval of insanity. There is no calm, academic understanding and analysis to it in the end. It is just the visceral impact of Kalashnikov buttstock in your face, and a short, stunned denumont. An explosion, and the erie, soundless aftermath. Modern war depicted at its best.
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