Gothic Serpent: Black Hawk Down - Mogadishu 1993

Osprey Raid #31

by Clayton K.S. Chun

This book tells the story of Task Force Ranger – a unit of US Rangers and Special Forces – and their attempt to capture the lieutenants of the Somali warlord Muhamed Farrah Aideed, during the 1993 United Nations’ humanitarian relief mission. What started as a simple snatch-and-grab mission quickly degenerated into a desperate battle for survival when US Black Hawk helicopters were struck by rocket-propelled grenades and crashed into the streets of Mogadishu. Racing to save the crew, Task Force Ranger was surrounded by mobs of hostile Somali gunmen. The battle in the city raged all night as the better-equipped and better-trained US forces kept the nearly overwhelming numbers of Somalis at bay. Finally, battered, bloodied, and low on ammunition, the Task Force was rescued by a combined UN and US relief force and extracted to safety. Containing detailed maps and declassified information, this is a dramatic retelling of a brutal battle that had a far-reaching impact on US military policy.

Genres: History, Military History, Somalia, Africa, Nonfiction

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Dr. Clayton K. S. Chun is the Chair for the Department of Distance Education at the U.S. Army War College located at Carlisle Barracks, PA. Before assuming his current duties, he was Professor of Economics at the College. Dr. Chun completed a full career in the U.S. Air Force with assignments to missile, space, acquisition, education, strategy development, and command positions. He has written articles and books dealing with issues related to national security, military history, and economics. He held the Army War College’s General Hoyt Vandenberg Chair of Aerospace Studies. Dr. Chun has a B.S. in business from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.S. in systems management from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in public policy analysis from the RAND Graduate School.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somalia in the early 1990s was falling apart. Famine and warlords divided the population, killing at will. President George H. W. Bush sent the military to help with the famine relief. President Clinton continue the operation. American forces worked with UN forces to guard the supplies and ensure that they weren't hijacked on the way to starving. Mogadishu a sprawling city and the Warlord Aideed's stronghold became the scene of a pitched battle in October 1993 that shifted American public opinion and Pentagon thinking for decades.

Why I started this book: Organizing my TBR pile by number of pages I thought that I could tear thru this 80 page book in an afternoon.

Why I finished it: This book is jargon heavy and detail specific. It took me a lot longer than anticipated but it was interesting. I appreciated all the maps, pictures and even paintings.

[Ricardo Portella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Formato not suitable for Kindle

While Bowden's book focused on the personal stories of the soldiers, this title focus on a more broad view of the strategy and politics for Somalia at that time.
The book is well writen and goes into some details of the rescue force that is not told in Black Hawk Down, but the format is more appropriated for a printed edition because the maps and photographs have a low resolution in Kindle and those are the great strength of this book. If not for this question, I would have rated it 4 stars.

[Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

A quick and easy read, but a poorly written one. Stick with Mark Bowden's "black hawk down" instead.

[Sean Chick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Calling this dry would be an insult to deserts.