Airborne (Tom Clancy's Military Reference) [Paperback]

Tom Clancy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1997

Offers a detailed, fact-filled examination of the Airborne Task Force, complete with exclusive photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and an extensive interview with the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, General John Keen. Original."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Clancy is a household name. His ten novels, including Patriot Games, Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger, have sold in their millions throughout the world, and been the basis of some of the biggest-name movies. The first four books in this Military Library series, Submarine, Armoured Warfare, Fighter Wing and Marine, were published by HarperCollins. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; First edition (November 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425157709
• ISBN-13: 978-0425157701
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Clancy is America's, and the world's, favorite international thriller author. Starting with THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, all thirteen of his previous books have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. His books, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS have been made into major motion pictures. He lives in Maryland where he is a co-owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great job for someone who has not lived it., January 8, 2000

By 

Michael A Miller - See all my reviews

This review is from: Airborne (Tom Clancy's Military Reference) (Paperback)

I worked as a photojournalist in the public affairs office when this book was being researched and written.

The 82nd Airborne Division is a very complex organization and Clancy does a remarkabe job of pinning that complexity down in concrete terms. Though there are errors, I do not fault Clancy for them as this book was edited by the public affairs officer at the time, and he obviously did not catch them (though I probably would have!). I spent five years in the 82nd and it took me that long to learn all the complexities.

Anyone who is interested in what paratroopers do or what it is like to be a paratroopers should read this book. It is not an easy job and after the 30th or 40th time of chuting up and jumping the dead of night I was very tired of it, but I am glad I did it.

And I am also glad this book exists so others can know what it is like.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Airborne? All the way!, February 6, 2002

By 

Peter Mackay "surgeonsmate" (Campbell, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Airborne (Tom Clancy's Military Reference) (Paperback)

Tom Clancy must be the world's number one fan of the USA Military.

And vice versa.

"Airborne" is another in the series of mutual admiration society books written by Tom beginning with Submarine, and progressing on through Fighter Wing, Marine, Armoured Cav and others.

Each one is an in depth look at the men, equipment, training, tactics and history of a segment of the US Armed Services. Tom doesn't give a dry list of statistics, a few cutaway diagrams and photos, no this is hands-on stuff, straight from the people who use the weapons, supplemented by Tom's observations on a guided tour of the facilities and attendance at a training exercise.

I'd give this a top rating, but for the graphics, which aren't up to the standard of earlier books. Many of the photographs, for instance, are literaly the size of a postage stamp.

But that's a minor niggle, and there are some excellent photos, and diagrams.

What comes across very strongly is the awesom esprit de corps of the Airborne. Far more than any other units, Airborne soldiers fight alone without the direct support of other arms, excepting maybe the airforce. But if an airborne force goes into action on the far side of the world, where friendly runways are few and far between, then they are very much on their own until reinforcements win through.

The unique tactics of the airborne units are highlighted. The "LGOP" mentality, where Little Groups Of Parachutists form up and fight through to the objective. The way that subunits are divided up amongst aircraft so that if one aircraft doesn't make it, it doesn't take out an entire platoon or company.

There's more, a lot more, and I particularly liked the historical chapters. Right at the end of the book is a glossary, almost de rigeur for the acronym-laden world of the military, and most valuable of all for those wanting yet more, a very comprehensive bibliography.

This is a book that belongs on the shelf of any military buff, alongside Tom Clancy's other works. Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clancy examines airborne warfare in this non-fiction work, December 14, 2003

By 

Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Airborne (Tom Clancy's Military Reference) (Paperback)

Tom Clancy and John D. Gresham's Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force is the fifth entry in Berkley's "Guided Tour" series of non-fiction books about U.S. military units. As one might expects, the book zeroes in on the elite paratroopers of the "All-American" 82nd Airborne Division, their "tools of the trade," training, history and roles and missions.

The 82nd Airborne is America's last true paratrooper division; its XVIII Airborne Corps partner, the 101st Air Assault Division ("The Screaming Eagles") traded in its parachutes for helicopters long ago. Along with the 101st, the 82nd Airborne is teamed with the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, giving the XVIII Airborne Corps both a powerful punch and flexibility.

Clancy and Gresham describe practically every weapon, tool, uniform and aircraft employed in modern airborne warfare today in a clear and concise fashion. The authors also discuss the proud history of the 82nd Airborne (and airborne warfare in general) from World War II to Operation Restore Democracy (the 1994 mission to remove the military junta in Haiti) and the various aspects of life for the modern-day paratrooper, particularly the arduous training regimen involved in getting young men and women to jump out of, as Clancy wryly observes, "perfectly good airplanes."

Airborne also includes an interview with the then-incoming commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Gen. John B. Keane and a Foreword by retired Gen. Gary Luck, who commanded the corps during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991.

As in all the books of the Guided Tour series, Clancy includes several short vignettes to illustrate what the 82nd Airborne's roles and missions are. Of course, now that we are in a major conflict in Iraq (in which the 82nd and 101st Divisions are engaged) Clancy's choices for settings (Sudan and Belize) seem odd, but they make for good reading and explain how the XVIII Airborne Corps is used in combat situations.