Customer Reviews

Iranian Rescue Mission: Why It Failed.

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The unfortunate Operation "Eagle Claw" in April 1980 remains a vivid example of what kind mistakes should someone avoid in planning and executing a commando raid. The US war machine took many things (like helicopter servicability) for granted, it made terrible mistakes regarding the inter-service security measures and failed to take into account the serious meteorological conditions of the central Iranian deserts. The result was utter failure, the loss of eight aircraft and eight lives, but the problems encountered, although doomed the Carter administration helped the USA to shape a better relation between the government and the military in 1986. Paul Ryan gives many details of the operation "Eagle Claw" and explains in great length the reasons behind every decision taken. He also unfolds the operation itself and presents the interesting findings of the Holloway committee after the failure.

Paul Ryan is a retired US Naval officer with no background in Special Operations. His book on Operation Eagle Claw is full of factual errors, especially regarding the aircraft used.

If you want to know the facts of the raid, planning, organization, execution, etc., read the following:

Kyle, Col. James H., USAF (Ret.) (1990). The Guts to Try. New York: Orion Books. ISBN 0-517-57714-3.

Lenahan, Rod (1998). Crippled Eagle: A Historical Perspective Of U.S. Special Operations 1976-1996. Narwhal Press. ISBN 1-886391-22-x.

Beckwith, Col. Charlie A., US Army (Ret.) (2000). Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counter Terrorist Unit. Avon. ISBN 0-380-80939-7.

Carney, Col. John T. USAF (Ret.), No Room for Error: The Story Behind the USAF Special Tactics Unit, New York: Ballantine Books, 2002

Haney, Eric (2002). Inside Delta Force: The Story Of America's Elite Counter Terrorist Unit. Random House. ISBN 0-385-33603-9.

Bowden, Mark (2006). Guests Of The Ayatollah: The First Battle In America's War With Militant Islam. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-925-1.

I was just a kid when the Iranian Rescue Mission tried and failed to rescue our hostages. But reading this book put into perspective and clearly illustrated why the most powerful military force in the world was unable to mount a small-scale rescue operation.

Since 9/11, this book has become even more relevant as a comment on the military's continuing inability to maintain smaller versatile teams capable of countering the homegrown armies of the Middle East. This book does not intimidate with military jargon, but rather, simply and logically steps through the plans and mistakes that occurred to bring about the tragic rescue attempt.

Some say I may be biased, as it was written by my grandfather, a naval historian and all-around pretty great guy... but the book is of interest to anyone who wants to understand why the United States juggernaut sometimes falters.