Rating: Summary: Informative and timely Review: Having just completed the Armor Officer Advanced Course I read General Franks' book with much anticipation. Although, well written and extremely accurate, I found General Franks defending his actions entirely too much. General Franks was and is an outstanding leader; and the criticism leveled at him by Schwarzkopf was totally uncalled for. General Franks has brought up a great point about the lethality and tempo involved with modern warfare. The CINC was far removed from the battle and could only track the progress by reports sent to him. Not knowing the true nature of the attack left Schwarzkopf open for alot more criticism than what General Franks leveled at him. Through their hi-tech equipment today's brigade and battlalion commanders will be able to see the battlefield alot better than the company commander and platoon leader on the ground will; they will literally dominate "battlespace". But what they have to keep in mind is that only that commander on the GROUND knows the true tempo and lethality of war. Being a student and future commander I hope people will share their ideas with me at rrodrig947@aol.com FIRST TEAM!!!!!
Rating: Summary: Into the Storm:is a terrible book about a fascinating battle Review: I have read all of Clancy's books. He should be embarassed his name is one this one, his portion of this book is mediocre. Franks writing "style" if you can call it "a style" is not only boring but patently self serving. As a genuine war hero Franks should have used a first class writing assistant. This great battle in American War History deserves far better than this very poorly written and confusing book. Hopefully,someone of the caliber of Stephen Ambrose will give the men and women of Desert Storm what they deserve - An exhilerating fast paced action narrative history of the people, logistics and strategy of this great battle.
Rating: Summary: A book for historians and researchers Review: This is quite simply the worst book I have ever finished. I must admit, that in places, I skimmed over the text. If you have ever been forced to listen to someone recount their golf round shot by excruciating shot, you know what it is like to read this book. It is virtually impossible to follow the troop movements without intense concentration or constant referral to the few maps included. Dry as dust.
Like me, many Clancy fans will be suckered into purchasing this book on his name alone. This will be a mistake. I found no Clancy here. This book is an obvious response by General Franks (who I am sure is a fine man and an excellent soldier) to criticism levelled by General Schwartzkopf in his book on the Gulf War.
If you are researching Desert Storm, this book may be helpful; otherwise, avoid this book at all costs!
Rating: Summary: don't bother Review: I am still trying to understand why Gen. Franks,
who holds an MA in English from Columbia, chose to
let Mr. Clancy write his memoir for him.
This book is an absolute muddle. At times it is not
clear which man is doing the writing (largely because Mr. Clancy, who never served, insists on using first person plural pronouns when referring
to the U.S. Army). More often, it is not clear whether the thoughts belong to Mr.
Clancy, or if they are his representation of Gen. Franks'.
The subtitle, "A Study in Command," is an absolute
misnomer. "Study" implies objectivity, and even--
dare I say it--some criticism. Clancy never bothers
to present any perspective beyond Gen. Franks' own.
Franks' ideas, decisions, and memories are never
questioned.
Finally, the writing is atrocious.
The first hundred pages or so I circled gross
grammatical errors and ugle style choices.
Until I hit exasperation saturation. Clancy's writing talks down to his reader in a way I find insulting.
Again, why did Gen. Franks let Mr. Clancy tell his
story? I am not sure what I am supposed to be
reading. It isn't memoir. It isn't biography.
It isn't history.
To the book's credit: it fawns on the army, and
the army's phoenix-like rise from the napalm
ashes of Vietnam. It does take a little of CNN out
of the so-dubbed "CNN-war." And Gen. Franks, when he
is allowed to write, outdoes Clancy. The general
could write better than Clancy with both hands
tied behind his back. To those three other Desert Storm participants who
have agreed to let Clancy tell their stories: Renege. You and your soldiers deserve better.
Rating: Summary: A Must Read For Students of Military History Review: This book is an excellent read for anyone who is interested in the living, breathing organism that is the U.S. Army. Tom Clancy and Gen. Fred Franks do an excellent job of portraying the team work required for any successful military operation
Rating: Summary: Evolution Review: This book is a testament to the decades of hard work the U.S. Army had to undergo in order to improve or evolve from what was considered a state of chaos the Army was in from the outcome of Vietnam. There is only one man to provide the story for this and that is Retired General Frederick Franks. And there is only one man who can write it down in a clever, fact-finding, well written novel and that is Tom Clancy. This combination is what makes this book special. Franks says in his book that he became frustrated when the press would show the laser guided bombs on CNN and would leave out the combat aspect that he is writing about. Franks is leaving a message for all of us, I believe. We Americans sometimes take for granted the freedoms that we are so accustomed to such as the gasoline in your car. The book portrays the skill involved in a military that is sent to fight a war for our society, for our national interests. I highly recommend this book, because sometimes we civilians have to research in order to gain the real insight and truth of the Gulf War and not just from watching CNN. Frederick Franks is a true hero
Rating: Summary: Desert Storm as Viewed From a Corps Commander Review: This is a book that is written with great care;both authors love the military service and are clearly proud of their relationship with the US Army(one formal and one informal).It is quite informative with substantial detail regarding the US Army in general and the movements of VII Corps during the four days of Desert Storm.The book is most interesting on a human level,as General Franks explains his reasoning in a number of decisions and relates the emotional impact of a variety of events.General Franks comes across as a dedicated professional who is worthy of the responsibility he had during Desert Storm.
This book would be a challenge for anyone who has no past knowledge or experience with the US military.It has too much detail.Thus at times it can be more informative than entertaining.Apparently there are three more books to be written by Clancy in conjunction with other participants of Desert Storm.These books should not exceed 300 pages each,and,unless they are being written for military historians,the writers need to focus on human elements with a more generalized presentation of the events.The details should be saved for only the most readable and exciting circumstances.
Rating: Summary: Important information on Gulf War - Not a novel Review: The book provides an important prospective of the
workings of the U. S. Army at war from the prospective of a senior Army General. The book does not try to present an objective analysis but rather Gen. Franks tells his first
hand experience and presents his side of the
"who is right" debates with his bosses. This justification gets old fast. The book is worth reading.
Rating: Summary: Dull Review: Some authors have the knack of writing non-fiction and creating a vibrant, readable narrative. In this category, Winston Churchill, Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote come to mind immediately. Tom Clancy's fiction is good but I found this latest of his books mired in trivia and dull, dull, dull
Rating: Summary: The Best Desert Storm Book To Date! Review: This book caught the corner of my eye, I instantly bought it, and then consumed it within a week. As a Persian Gulf veteran (who did not serve under GEN Franks, whose memoirs this book is), I have to say that it is the best book yet on Desert Storm. It is captivating, extremely readible, and, most importantly, exceptionally educational in several subjects, including: the recovery of the US Army following Vietnam, leadership, military art at the operational level, and the histroy of VII Corps in Desert Storm.
Mandatory reading for military historians, anyone who wants to learn about the modern military profession, and prospective leaders
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