'Black Hawk Down'

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews Mark Bowden's book "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War". The purpose of the paper is to compare the book's events to the 'Principles of War', an Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations, which describes nine principles of war and their definitions.

From the Paper:

"So where did the mission fall short? One area was the principle of "maneuver," which is supposed to "Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power" (Editors). Unfortunately, the troops did not place their enemy at a disadvantage. Actually, they were at a disadvantage due to snipers and sharp shooters that they did not anticipate. The guerilla type tactics of the rebel forces took the troops by surprise and effectively pinned them down in different locations, which placed them at the disadvantage in the situation. The situation was complicated by poor communication and direction, which led to a prolonged time before the troops were liberated from the city. Not enough planning and understanding went into the ground portion of the maneuver, and so it ended poorly, and gave the advantage to the Somali rebels. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. New York, Signet, 2001.
• Editors. "Principles of War." Department of Military Science - Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 28 Aug. 2003. 5 May 2006.< http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/MilSci/BTSI/prinwar.html >

More papers on 'Black Hawk Down':

• Film Review # 117790 : "Black Hawk Down"
• Book Review # 115450 : "Black Hawk Down" by Mark Bowden"
• Essay # 16807 : "Black Hawk Down"

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