Customer Reviews

Delta Force: America's Elite Counterterrorist Force (Power)

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

 

 

I have spent a great deal of both time and money on books in "The Power Series." By far, my favorite is Delta: America's Elite Counterterrorist Force. This book has a detailed background on the history of the Delta Force and Colonel "Chargin' Charlie" Beckwith's attempts to closely mirror the make-up and training of the British SAS, as well as gives several examples of recent operations (especially the failed hostage-rescue attempt in Iran and missions destroying Scuds during Operation Desert Storm.) Despite the fact that the Pentagon refuses to acknowledge the existence of Special Forces Operational Detachment--Delta, (loosely referred to as "The Delta Force"), this book alleviates any doubt as to whether or not they do indeed exist and are successfully eliminating the ever-growing terrorist threat to the United States. The book also gives a profile of the typical Delta trooper, and the day-to-day tasks and training that he will perform. Over all, I have to give this book a high rating; afterall, there are very few good books on the market today about this particular subject.

This is a good, solid, history of DELTA. Note that I say "history." In it the reader will find a discussion of the unit's creation, its weapons and equipment, the selection process and training of troopers, and the rotary and fixed-wing assets available to DELTA. The book ends with two chapters examining DELTA's role in Desert Shield and Desert Storm (especially hunting Iraqi Scud missile launchers deep behind enemy lines). The text is clearly informed by authors who know their subject.

Again, note the word "history." Some knock the book for not including up-to-the-minute current capabilities, weapons, photos, etc. Think about it, is this what you expect should be in a book on DELTA -- current capabilities and methods? Let's not make it too easy for the bad guys. Besides the book came out in the first-half of the 1990s, so photos run from the unit's beginnings through Desert Storm and the funerals afterwards.

As regards the photographs -- they are good, and there are plenty of them -- maybe over 150 or so color and black & white shots. A few previous reviewers don't like many of them -- they aren't pretty, they appear "out of date." But this is what separates the amateurs from the pros. Amateurs and buffs like the pretty shots, everyone nicely arranged for the camera. But that's not the reality of training in special forces. You don't dress up in pretty attire and pose for the photographer -- you use stealth, you charge hard, but you don't preen for the camera (and live to tell about it!). Besides, full-up battle gear is actually worn in less than 5% of the unit training, and depending on the mission, often not during active operations either.

This issue of photographs also begs the questions -- how are contemporary pictures in a work of history, "out of date?" Are Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner's Civil War photographs "out of date?"

As for the scurrilous charge of plagiarism (tough to charge it when you can't spell it!). I have read Beckwith's book and can say that none, zero, zip, nada is plagiarized in this book. I would challenge the alleged "reviewer" to provide one instance of plagiarism. What makes such a charge absurd is the fact that Beckwith told a colleague (an SF LTC) that he liked this book. Would he like a book that plagiarizes him?? Hardly! I do recommend that one read Beckwith's book along with Black Hawk Down, but these don't replace reading Giangreco and Griswold's DELTA.

Of all the American special operations assets, DELTA is the one most shrouded in secrecy -- it's great to have a book by these coauthors that gives us historical insight into the unit.

After reading D.M. Giangreco's article "Special Forces" in the new edition of American Heritage (November-December 2002), I pulled out my copy of Delta from the shelf. It has stood the test of time well. It is a well-researched history of Delta Force from its founding in 1979 through various operations including DESERT ONE, URGENT FURY, and JUST CAUSE. It ends with DESERT STORM. Over time, Delta Force changed what was needed and didn't tinker with what worked. Recruiting and training obviously worked and have stayed fairly static. Technology has changed with time. The book is great history with great photos of real professionals-not the standard, glitzy public affairs shots. It is an excellent account of a highly secret -- and, consequently, highly misunderstood -- counterterrorist organization. I hope the authors put out a follow-on edition adding Somalia, and Afghanistan. Les Grau, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Dozens of books cycle through SOF's editorial offices each month and are quickly forgotten. A choice few, such as DELTA: America's Elite Counterterrorist Force by Terry Griswold and D.M. Giangreco, beg to be recommended to a wider audience. A great coffee-table book, if your tent has a coffee table. If not, it's one of the most insightful, open-source volumes yet published on Delta. Weapons, training, recruitment, history, air assets, national command structure are all illustrated with color photographs and case histories. Excellent source material; 129 pages of good reading.

I don't know what the Moscow review was talking about, but the history is the most important part of the book.It has excellent detail on how an operation would go down, and info on the weapons the use.Good information about Operation Just Cause and Operation Urgent Fury. I learned info that every other book left out.

Dozens of books cycle through SOF's editorial offices each month and are quickly forgotten. A choice few, such as DELTA: America's Elite Counterterrorist Force by Terry Griswold and D.M. Giangreco, beg to be recommended to a wider audience. A great coffee-table book, if your tent has a coffee table. If not, it's one of the most insightful, open-source volumes yet published on Delta. Weapons, training, recruitment, history, air assets, national command structure are all illustrated with color photographs and case histories. Excellent source material; 129 pages of good reading.

Save your money on this book. Outdated, inaccurate pictures, no real substantial information on DELTA. Some of the pictures are obviously posed amatuers. One picture has a set of "operators" ready to do a door entry and two of the team have their fingers on the triggers with the weapons pointed at the back of their "teammates". This book was poorly edited and produced. Readers would be better off reading "The Commandos" or for a real life account of DELTA Operators read "Blackhawk Down".

This book claims to be full of pictures of "Delta Force members," who are arguably the most elite soldiers in our armed forces. The government essentially denies knowledge of Delta Force, so why would it let pictures be taken of this top-secret unit? The pictures in this book are not Delta Force members at all, they are either stand-ins or other elite units. The pictures that are possibly real are all of terrible quality. I also like a book to be up to date, which this one certainly is not. The book is almost a decade old, so most of the "cutting-edge technology" that is shown is archaic. I don't know about you, but this disappointed me. Delta Force does use the most cutting-edge technology, but the gear featured in this book is now commonplace in today's military. There is an entire section on NIGHT VISION! (oooo, ahhhh!). If you want to know who the men are that CNN has recently been covering so well in Afghanistan, read Charlie Beckwith's book. He assembled Delta, and therefore is naturally an authority on the unit. All I can say is don't buy this: it's overpriced and underdone.

If you like old 1970's vintage photos and elementary-level prose and narrative then this is the book for you. I wouldn't buy this book for a first-timer that has a sudden interest in Delta Force. Very disappointing and just not worth the money. Buy C. Beckwith's and E.Haney's books on Delta Force. Both were members of the unit and can write a better word-picture than any of the photos in the Delta-Power series book.

This book plagarizes most of Col. Beckwith's book. It is written at a high school level. The pictures are only about 20 years out of date. The inventory of weapons is woefully dated. You would be better off watching the movie "Blackhawk Down" in order to get some insight into Delta Ops. Avoid this book.