Customer Reviews

U.S. Special Forces: A Guide to America's Special Operations Units-The World's Most Elite Fighting Force

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would recommend this book to people who do not have a very good understanding of US Special Forces. For those of us who have a deeper knowledge of the Special Forces that our country employs, I would not recommend this book.

The book reads well and includes chapters on the Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Operations (Combat Controllers and Pararescue Jumpers), Army Special Forces (Green Berets), Delta Force, Marine Force Recon, Army Airborne, Army 10th Mountain Division, Coast Guard Special Operations, and CIA Paramilitary Forces.

The inclusion of the Coast Guard "Special Operations" is a bit suspect as a special operations group, but that chapter is enlightening and informative.

The book does not go into very much detail on any of the special operations forces so I would only recommend this book to someone who wants a very general overview.

One of the major gripes that I had with the book (besides being overly simplistic) is on page 188. In the chapter about the 10th Mountain Division, the book mentions how a "young Lieutenant Bob Dole was badly wounded. After a couple years in a hospital he would go on to be vice president of the United States..." Umm, am I missing something here or was I asleep when Bob Dole was the Vice President?

Anyway, if you are a stranger to the world of US Special Forces, this is a decent book to get started. However, if one already has a pretty decent grasp of the subject, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

I purchased this book just expecting a general overview and thats what I got. If just want to see an overview of all of America's special forces, this is the book for. If you're looking for lots of detail, find something else (recommend Tom Clancy's Special Forces, Airborne, and Marine)

This is a great book for any intelligent person who wants to get an overview and some background on the many branches of US Special Forces. Southworth is a lively and enthusiastic writer, and working with Tanner (who also contributed to Southworth's first book "Great Raids in History") seems to suit him. These are historians who understand the Special Forces mindset, and they go far beyond cartoonish conceptions to reveal the dedication and difficult tasks of modern commandos. The inclusion of the US Coast Guard and CIA Paramilitary units is one indicator of the depth to which they have plumbed this subject. Much better than Clancy and his editorial team. A highly recommended and high-spirited book, and quite timely as well.

I was suprised at how small this book was, but it's still a very good book on US Special Operations Units. It gives a brief history of each unit, describes the selection and training programs, and lists the missions each unit has taken part in. There is also a section on the equipment and weapons they use. This book and "America's Special Forces" by David Boher are probably the two best books on the subject.

One word....Perfect

Includes the history of the : US Ranger regiment , SFOD-Delta , Navy SEALs , 10th Mountain division , CIA paramilitary force and much more ( plus a special chapter on the special forces in Afghanistan .

I thought this book was a good primer on US special ops forces, although by no means exhaustive. Gives the histories, training, and capabilities of the various US SpecOps forces. I did think it could use more detail in some areas (eg. SEAL team Six and DEVGROUP) which were glossed over. I did like the inclusion of the 82 Airborne, 101st Airborne, and 10th Mountain Division, which aren't technically SpecOps forces, but do have specialized abilities and missions, and also the CIA paramilitary forces. All in all, the book is good for the uninitiated reader, but those with some knowledge will probably want to refer elsewhere.

This is a very informative and entertaining look into the special forces of the US. I like the way each chapter has its history and missions explained. Especially interesting, are the brief accounts of each branches' successful and failed missions. All the way up to the current fight against terrorism, it gives people a look at something almost as good as the RAMBO and BRADDOCK movies. A very good and informative reference for Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Army Delta Foce, Navy SeALs, Air Force Special Operations, Marine Force Recon, Airborne units, 10th Mountain, and CIA Paramilitary Groups. Everything is good, except the constant reference in every chapter to JFK and his concept of unconvertional warfare. I take it these two guys were fans of his. I highly recommend it.

I'm on the chapter about the 10th Mountain Division and so far this book is a great read. I know a lot about SOF but this book tossed in a few things I didn't know. I've never known much about the 10th Mountain Division. And the Coast Guard spec ops guys aren't really special operations. They're Special Operations Capable. I think the Marin Force Recon is gonna be considered SOF now cause they committed a select few to SOCOM in 02. It's about timeis all I can say. The Navy didn't want SEALs under SOCOM's command but look where it's gotten them. Although they lost a lot of men at Patilla Airfield in Panama, they still accomplished the mission. This is definately a good read for anybody interested in U.S. SOF.

This is a good book for a ... price. Although it doesn't go into great detail on any one Spec Ops group it does give good information. Each group section is broken down into history, training, and missions that they have participated in.

This book, in my opinion, best outlines all units that can be considered elite, conventional or non conventional in the u.s. military. If you want to learn about spec ops teams, read this book.