Incoming!!!! (Black Hawk Down - Mark Bowden)

Member Name: MurphEE

Product:	Black Hawk Down - Mark Bowden
Date:	28/03/02 (130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Powerful story, well written, well balanced.

Disadvantages: You will not eat or sleep until it is read!

Like many people, I had been enthralled by the recent movie Black Hawk Down. I wrote a review for Dooyoo, which prompted a number of comments. Several people pointed me in the direction of the book on which the film was based and after tracking it down in my local bookshop, I managed to get Ann to buy it for me as a birthday present. I had been told that it would fill in the gaps that the film had left and was really looking forward to reading it.


The book is also titled Black Hawk Down and is written by Mark Bowden. I have not read anything by Bowden before but from the notes on the cover, he is also the author of “Doctor Dealer” and “Bringing the Heat”. He has been a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and has written for numerous magazines during his career.


The book tells the story of a mission by US forces into Mogadishu, Somalia to abduct two top lieutenants of a local warlord. The mission was real and the book attempts to recall the events as closely as possible as they happened in real life. In order to do this Bowden interviewed the people on the ground and listened to the US tapes of the radio traffic during the mission. He was allowed to view some of the video taken by the US forces during the mission. In an attempt to be even handed he has visited Somalia and interviewed some of the Somalis who played a part in the action on that fateful day.


The book is written as an account of the mission and takes us through it from take off to the final rescue and escape from the city. The story is told as it unfolded on the day. It is direct and visceral, you will fell the heat, choke on the smoke and duck to avoid the bullets. The style really is that good and you will find yourself reading this book as you attempt to make a sandwich as it is too good to put down. There are photos of the scene of the battle and some of the participants that help to remind you that this is not fiction. Maps of the
key battle areas are also provided and are needed so that you can get to grips with where everyone is and how and why some of the things that unfold actually happened.


The story of the mission is one of bravery and determination against overwhelming odds. Mistakes in planning and execution leading to confusion in the heat of battle. In that respect, it does not differ from many conflicts all over the world or at any time since man first waged war on his fellow man. What makes this mission different is the communication and data recording that was available on the day. Most of the US forces on the ground were in constant radio communication, while high above a spy plane and observation helicopters supplied live video footage of the battle to the commanders back at base. All of this high tech equipment left an excellent record of the events as they happened. It also allows Bowden to recreate the battle as if he himself was there and this is the unique thing about this book. We are able to review the events and make our own minds up as to the horror of war. We have access to what happened and what was said that goes beyond the simple recollection of the participants.


On Sunday, 3 October 1993, 140 US troops from the Ranger and Delta forces were dropped into the Bakara Market area of Mogadishu. Their objective was the abduction of two Somalis. The men were top lieutenants of the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. An informant had led the Americans to the house where the men were having a meeting. The US forces would drop from the sky, capture the men and take them out of the city in a convoy of vehicles that would arrive at precisely the right time to whisk them all back to the American base and safety. It would all be completed in an hour.


From the very start, things went wrong. A young Ranger fell from his helicopter and needed serious medical assistance. Resistance on the ground was fiercer than expected and then the unthinkable
happened. The locals shot down one of the US helicopters. What was meant to be a simple mission had gone pear shaped. The commanders struggled to react and another chopper went down. The convoy taking the prisoners out got lost and was shot to pieces. The men in the Bakara Market were pinned down and yet another chopper went down. The men ended up spending the night in the city under fire from the locals.


When they were eventually recued there were 18 American dead and over 70 seriously wounded. Over 500 Somalis had lost their lives and over 1000 had been injured. The US pulled out of Somalia as a result and the outcome of the battle lead American military campaigners to review the effectiveness of their specialist units.


Many of you will know all this from seeing the film. The unique thing about the book is that it does not take liberties with the facts and it allows both sides of the story to be told. Because Bowden has had access to the people who fought that day, the book has the benefit of their personal insight and recollection. This would be good on its own but Bowden, wise to the fact that recollection may be clouded by the fog of war, has tried to verify every aspect of the reported battle from either other eye witness testimony or radio tape verification. This gives the book an authority that the film does not have.


For instance Bowden tells us that five choppers went down that day, the film only shows the two that fell in enemy territory. Two more limped out of the area with a third being so badly damaged that it was grounded as soon as it managed to get back to base. He also explains how the choppers were actually shot down. Seeing the film one of the questions that it raises is why helicopters were committed to an area where the enemy had surface to air missiles. In fact, the missiles used were anti-tank missiles. The Somalis had modified the launchers to allow them to be used on aircraft!


We als
o get the Somali perspective, from locals who fled when the troops arrived to fighters who participated in the ambush and subsequent battle. In the movie, all we see are hordes on locals throwing themselves on the US invaders. Bowden tells us of the disbelief of the locals as the troops who had come to save them from famine suddenly began to drop into their city and take people away by force. How they were shocked to see women and children blown off their feet as the helicopters swooped low over their streets. How little by little they began to resent the US presence and how this lead to the fierce resistance that they put up when the doomed mission was launched.


Bowden also gives us the US side and explains the manner in which the mission was planned. He gives us an excellent insight into the differences between the two groups who were involved on the day. On one side, you had the Rangers who were the elite group of the US army and on the other Delta force; the shadowy men who the US army denies exist. Both sets of troops were elite but Delta had a different ethos, with their training allowing for individualism and flexible reactions during the heat of battle. The Rangers training went along the lines of the regular army with group discipline being paramount. When things began to go wrong, tensions between the two groups mounted and their different reactions to what was happening began to work against them.


Bowden also examines the politics. He tells us of the lead up to the US presence in Somalia. How civil unrest had lead to famine and ultimate intervention from the UN. He also examines the set up from the local side. Rival clans who had been at war for years were now trying to take control of the country. Clan loyalty was the most important factor and the key point that the UN and the US failed to take account of was the fluidity of the clan structure. This meant that if one leader was killed or captured another sprung up in his plac
e and the clan continued to wage war on its rivals.


He also relates the story of another raid. This was another incursion by the Rangers and Delta into the city. Moreover, one that the locals blamed for turning the supposed liberators into oppressors. The Americans had come to help keep the peace and to ensure that food aid got to the people who needed it. The local people welcome their presence. The US administration grew weary of Aidid and his antics and decided to remove him from power. They attacked a house where Aidid was supposed to be meeting with his top men. As it happened there were some of his men present but also a number of innocent people including women and children. Rather than go in on the ground the Rangers attacked with helicopters and used heavy missiles to destroy the house. Bowden has interviewed a man who survived the attack. His account of what happened is truly harrowing. When the news broke that the attack had killed many local people for no apparent reason, the locals began to look at the Americans in a different light. When the US forces found themselves surrounded on October 3, they were feeling some of the backlash for that particular slaughter.
Bowden argues that the mission was a success as the objectives were achieved. The two targets were captured and evacuated and although the US lost 18 men, this was set against much heavier losses on the Somali side. I tend to agree with his argument, in strict military terms the objective was achieved. When the mission became a battle, the US soldiers acquitted themselves well, against a much larger force. When you look at the bigger picture, it is hard not to think of it as a shambles. 18 young Americans lost their lives as well as over 500 locals. Bowden does not shy away from the fact that the Somali dead included women and children. There was a terrible loss of life for the sake of a kidnap mission.



This book is an excellent read. It allows you to get as
close as anyone would wish to modern warfare. It explains the futility of trying to enforce democracy on people who do not care for it. It shows how well planned military actions can and do go wrong. Moreover, it gives us a glimpse into the minds and feelings of those who were on the streets and in the air on that fateful day in 1993. The truly remarkable thing is the way he manages to weave the human story into the book. This book is not just about war but the reaction of the combatants and the effect that war had on them. Whether you have seen the movie and need to fill in the gaps or are just wondering what all the fuss is about then this book is for you. I found that I just could not put it down.


Thank you for reading.
© MurphEE 2002

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