Customer Reviews

Just Cause: The Real Story of America's High-Tech Invasion of Panama

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

 

 

The book is a dramatized account of key operations during Operation Just cause. It still is pretty good as it doesn't exaggerate the facts just to make a sale. A couple of books out there are total garbage and make false reference to the actions taken while hiding the sheer stupidity of certain individuals. As for "GI Joe Wannabe's" review what murders was he talking about? The PDF was responsible for burning down the housing district in an attempt to turn the Panamanians against the military occupational forces. The Battalion 2000 and the Mechanizados were responsible for the destruction of the houses in the Paitilla and Tinajitas area with the exception of one incident. The Marine LAVs that supposedly were responsible for these actions were actually V-300s confirmed by the one disabled by our aircraft during the said attack. The book was given 4 stars because it over dramatized a few incidents and not because they spelled my name (which I was surprised to see printed) wrong. With all that was tolerated the US military forces exercised an immeasurable amount or restraint leading up to the operation and once executed carried out their mission in a professional manner. As with any operation there are incidents that do not conform to standards but they in no way define the actions of the military as a whole and should be addressed as such.

This book must be in the arsenals of every warrior in the U.S. military today, for it describes better than any other book how to fight a modern battle correctly. Operation Just Cause was a triumph that resulted in Panamania dictator Manuel Noriega being captured and the PDF disarmed with as minimum as blood shed possible. the secret was to use fast-moving Airborne not slow-moving seaborne forces to simultaneously converge on the enemy's centers of gravity and collapse them with light tracked armored fighting vehicles like the superb M551 Sheridan light tank (parachute airdropped and airlanded by USAF fixed-wing aircraft) and M113 APC could give shielded infantry with firepower superiority at the point of contact. This is why we had such few casualties compared to the October 3, 1993 raid in Somalia described so eloquently in Blackhawk Down! Compare the two battles. If we had wanted to capture Aidid like we did Noriega we should have had light AFVs supporting our 3-D maneuver inserted infantry.

Malcolm McConnell's book is so full of important details like how Army AH-64 Apache helicopters fly in ahead and destroyed Panamania anti-aircraft guns for the Rangers to parachute jump at 500 feet lightly opposed. How the 3/73d BN of the 82d Airborne took its M551 Sheridan light tanks from the drop zone and clandestine locations to take down the enemy's main center of gravity--La Comandancia by storm. He also doesn't shy away from the woes the SEALs had at Punta Paitilla airport where they were caught unshielded by enemy fire.

McConnell's book is THE STANDARD which all other books on Just Cause will be judged---let us hope Hollywood picks up this book and uses it as a basis for an accurate movie depiction.

Airborne!

Though at times, I thought it a little concise on some of the action. Still, one of the best books around on Just Cause,ESPECIALLY because the author goes into the background of the invasion in some detail, namely, the 2 coups against Noriega, and his political plotting / manuevering. This is the only book that I've found so far that gets into detail on the Giroldi coup in October, 1989. The combat scenes are well-written and detailed,though,again, I wish the author could have gotten into more detail on the fight for the Commandancia, and the 2 Ranger airdrops. The photos are mostly post-action, and were well selected. All in all, a great book to learn about this historic battle !!!!!

This book is a false report on what went on in Panama. The author's obvious reverence to the men in green obviously indicates his ignorance of the murder that occured during the invasion.