Day Of The Rangers

A story of equipment failures, bad luck, poor planning and unbelievable courage written 25 years after the battle, this new book by Leigh Neville reveals the hard-hitting truth of what happened minute by minute in the dusty streets of Mogadishu. On October 3, 1993, Task Force Ranger was dispatched to seize two high-profile lieutenants of a Somali warlord. Special Forces troops were transported by ground vehicles and helicopters, and the mission was meant to be over within the hour. They quickly found themselves under heavy fire, and two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. With a hastily organized relief column many hours away, the American troops faced a desperate battle for survival. Focusing on the stories of the soldiers on the ground, and in the air, Day of the Rangers reveals the experiences and recollections of the Special Forces units, including the Rangers, Delta operators and Nightstalker crews who fought in the battle of Mogadishu. Published to mark the battle's 25th anniversary and using recently declassified documents and new interviews with many of the participants, Day of the Rangers is a fascinating and revealing new history of a battle that would influence American Special Forces for decades to come.

In the early 90s, Somalia was a country in chaos. As civil war raged, warlords carved out their own territories, enforcing their will through militia gangs, while famine compounded the situation. As a joint US–UN mission struggled to maintain order, the warlords began to unite behind Mohamed Farrah Aidid, who was to proclaim himself President of Somalia and embark upon a campaign to force the peacekeepers out of the country. Operations against Aidid and his strongholds intensified, culminating in the famous Operation Gothic Serpent, and the rescue mission to save a downed Black Hawk helicopter carried out by US Rangers and Delta Force operatives. Day of the Rangers, the latest companion for Force on Force, provides wargamers with all the background, orders of battle, and scenarios they need to immerse themselves in the epic battle for Mogadishu.

“No matter how skilled the writer of nonfiction, you are always getting the story secondhand. Here’s a chance to go right to the source. . . . These men were there.” –MARK BOWDEN (from the Foreword) It started as a mission to capture a Somali warlord. It turned into a disastrous urban firefight and death-defying rescue operation that shocked the world and rattled a great nation. Now the 1993 battle for Mogadishu, Somalia–the incident that was the basis of the book and film Black Hawk Down–is remembered by the men who fought and survived it. Six of the best in our military recall their brutal experiences and brave contributions in these never-before-published, firstperson accounts. “Operation Gothic Serpent,” by Matt Eversmann: As a “chalk” leader, Eversmann was part of the first group of Rangers to “fast rope” from the Black Hawk helicopters. It was his chalk that suffered the first casualty of the battle. “Sua Sponte: Of Their Own Accord,” by Raleigh Cash: Responsible for controlling and directing fire support for the platoon, Cash entered the raging battle in the ground convoy sent to rescue his besieged brothers in arms. “Through My Eyes,” by Mike Kurth: One of only two African Americans in the battle, Kurth confronted his buddies’ deaths, realizing that “the only people whom I had let get anywhere near me since I was a child were gone.” “What Was Left Behind,” by John Belman: He roped into the biggest firefight of the battle and considers some of the mistakes that were made, such as using Black Hawk helicopters to provide sniper cover. “Be Careful What You Wish For,” by Tim Wilkinson: He was one of the Air Force pararescuemen or PJs–the highly trained specialists for whom “That Others May Live” is no catchphrase but a credo–and sums up his incomprehensible courage as “just holding up my end of the deal on a bad day.” “On Friendship and Firefights,” by Dan Schilling: As a combat controller, he was one of the original planners for the deployment of SOF forces to Mogadishu in the spring of 1993. During the battle, he survived the initial assault and carnage of the vehicle convoys only to return to the city to rescue his two closest friends, becoming, literally, “Last Out.” With America’s withdrawal from Somalia an oft-cited incitement to Osama bin Laden, it is imperative to revisit this seminal military mission and learn its lessons from the men who were there and, amazingly, are still here.

In the early hours of D-Day, 1944, a group from the US Army 2nd Rangers Battalion were sent on one of the legendary raids of World War II. The mission was to scale the cliffs overlooking Omaha beach and assault the German coastal artillery at Pointe-du-Hoc. It was thought that only a raid could ensure that the guns would remain silent during the D-Day landings. But allied intelligence was wrong.After climbing the cliffs under aggressive German fire and securing the battery site, the Rangers discovered that the guns themselves were no longer there. It was only due to the heroic actions of the Rangers involved that the guns were located in firing positions facing Utah beach and destroyed before they could be used. In the first of a brand new series for Osprey, this act of audacious daring is brought to life, complete with illustrated artwork, maps and rare German accounts. Taking a more critical look at the story, Steven Zaloga analyses every detail, from the intelligence failings to the boldness of the Rangers' in the face of such odds.

A follow-up to the New York Times-bestselling The Cover-Up at Omaha Beach. “The second volume of the epic study breaks new ground.” —Firetrench Gary Sterne, a keen collector of militaria and co-founder of The Armourer and Skirmish magazines, has always been fascinated by the D-Day landings. In particular he was intrigued by the lack of precise information relating to the mystery of the “missing guns” of Pointe du Hoc. His research led to the finding of a map which indicated the position of an “unknown” German gun position buried in the village of Maisy. The rediscovery of the Maisy Batteries made headline news around the world and his bestselling book The Cover-Up at Omaha Beach subsequently changed the history of the Omaha sector and made many start to question the Rangers’ Pointe du Hoc mission. The Maisy site is now one of the major Normandy D-Day attractions. For the first time ever this follow-up book now offers complete Rangers history for the seven months prior to D-Day and does so using period documents, many of which have only recently been released from TOP SECRET status in U.S. Archives. The author fills in the gaps that many have only guessed at concerning the Rangers’ real missions on D-Day, he explains why a battalion commander was removed hours before the landings, why the Rangers were not briefed on their actual D-Day missions and the extraordinary role that Lt. Col. Rudder played at Pointe du Hoc. This book is a historical game-changer that pulls no punches.

The United States Army Rangers are an elite light infantry special operations force. Readers will learn what life is like as a Ranger, what tools they are trained to use, and what kind of missions they perform.

Saddle up, little partner. You're on patrol with the Rocky Mountain Rangers! It's our job to protect Canada's precious mountain parks. We wrangle grizzly bears, rescue stranded hikers, and ride up and down the trails with our horses - it's all in a day's work for a ranger.