Customer Reviews

FROM A DARK SKY: The Story of U.S. Air Force Special Operations

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Orr Kelly is somewhat of a specialist in the special operations genre. This book provides a good overview of USAF experience in that area. However, Kelly falls victim (as many have before him) to embellished stories. Some of these are recognizable as such on their face and should certainly not be repeated, no matter how lurid material may help sales. I was particularly irritated that Kelly checked some detail with me, received a correction, and then printed his version! He also has a problem with incorrect numbers sneaking through his proofing process. Thus, WWII B-24 production becomes 1800 vice the actual 18,000. Estimated 15,000 NVA dead becomes 1500. Range of the ZSU-23 (not ZPU-23 as he writes) becomes 20,000 feet vice its actual max effective range of 6000 feet. And so on. The number of these sort of errors casts doubt on the accuracy of the rest of the book. Good overview, unreliable history. Karl Polifka RAVEN 45 1969

While much of what the modern AFSOC is engaged in globally is classified, there still should have been a lot more regarding the present day Ops (which IS readily available)...sadly, there wasn't.
The upside to the book was the fascinating account of the beginnings of the Air Force special ops, from the early pathfinders and OSS. Again, this could have been better had more photos from that era been included, along with declassified maps, tactical data, and so on.

There were a few glaring inconsistencies, but much of this could be attributable to typos, and not necessarily the author per se.

Overall, this is a decent book about a group of people coming together to form one of America's most potent forces for freedom and democracy.

If this were to be a great book, it would have to have more photos, corrections to the errors, and less "dramatic license" in retelling the stories. When it comes to military actions, the MORE facts...the better!

Good historical synopsis and background, in a readable format. But I was a trifle disappointed in ther author's coverage of present-day AFSOC. After all, the back cover blurb tells us that Air Force STTs "swim like Navy SEALs, attack like the Army's Delta Force, and fight lke hell anywhere, anytime." Yet Mr. Kelly hardly goes into any detail about the training the PJs and combat controllers go through. It would be great to know what their PT requirements are, hand-to-hand combat training, types of different small arms utilized, marksmanship standards, etc. Considering how unheralded and underappreciated Air Force special ops teams are compared to the endless volumes written on SEALs, Green Berets, etc., the above-mentioned types details would provide valuable insight into just how good these guys really are. But hey, any book written by someone with "Orr" in their name has to be doing something right! <heh heh!>

Fairly comprehensive overview of USAF SOps history. Nedlesly weak on facts in multiple areas including and especially the names of people present at events described. While memories often fade or become fuzzy with time too many lapses in accuracy cause one to question the accuracy in other areaswhere onehas no first hand knowledge. Ron Kosh, Butterfly #44 late '66- early '67.