Download or read book The Greatest Special Ops Stories Ever Told written by Tom McCarthy and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Greatest Special Ops Stories Ever Told, editor Tom McCarthy has pulled together some of the finest writings about Special Operations that capture readers imaginations, meticulously culled from books, magazines, movies, and elsewhere. It is an unforgettable collection, and includes stories by Marcus Luttrell (author of Lone Survivor), Mark Owen (author of No Easy Day; the Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden), William Morgan, Christian McBurney, James Otis, H. Beam Piper, Duane Schultz, Hampton Sides, Michael Haas, Ben S. Malcolm, and many others. It includes legendary tales from the French and Indian Wars up through present-day Afghanistan and Iraq. We’ve all read about the killing of Bin Laden and the heroics of Chris Kyle and the SEALs and other special forces teams. Who hasn’t seen or heard about the extraordinary success of the book and movie American Sniper? But what many people don’t know is that they follow in a direct line from the earlier and equally lethal efforts of Special Forces in wars throughout our history. Special Operations have been going on since man first started fighting--from the Trojan War (think Trojan horse) to the American Revolution and the Civil War, and from World War II to Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In one place, The Greatest Special Ops Stories Ever Told pulls together all of the greatest tales.
Download or read book The Greatest Stories Never Told written by Laurence J. Yadon and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-10-11 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Greatest Stories Never Told: Special Ops, attorney and author Larry Yadon has written some of the greatest tales about special forces and operations – not twice- or thrice-told tales, but the ones you haven’t heard before. It is an unforgettable collection, and includes stories of legendary operations from the late 18th century, when special forces emerged, through present-day Afghanistan and Iraq.
Download or read book Beyond Hell and Back written by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2013-12-03 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside look at seven of the most harrowing and significant Special Operations missions ever. Courage beyond reason. Loyalty beyond faith. Perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity. These are just some of the qualities of the members of the U.S. Special Operation Forces. BEYOND HELL AND BACK details the seven defining Special Ops missions that have made the Special Operation Forces the best fighting unit in the world, including: *THE RESCUE OF BAT-21: The largest and longest Combat Search and Rescue mission in the Vietnam War lasted 17 days and cost the lives of 13 Americans—all to rescue one man and the invaluable knowledge he alone possessed. * TASK FORCE NORMANDY: Planned in secrecy and executed with flawless efficiency, Task Force Normandy was an Army/Air Force Special Operations joint op that fired the opening shots behind enemy lines in Operation Desert Storm. *OPERATION EAGLE CLAW: The devastating Special Forces operation mounted to retrieve 52 American hostages in Iran resulted in the deaths of eight members of the rescue team. This failure ultimately led to the creation of Special Operations Command. *BASHER 52: Captain Scott O'Grady was shot down over the "no fly" zone above Bosnia, and his daring rescue was one of the Marine Corps' finest operations ever. These are a few of the dramatic true tales that represent the defining moments that helped shape the operational methods, planning, and deployment for all future Special Ops missions. BEYOND HELL AND BACK is the greatest collection of Spec Ops missions ever assembled.
Download or read book The Greatest Air Combat Stories Ever Told written by Tom McCarthy and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2017-10-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heroism and valor in the sky! * A new title in the relaunch of our successful Greatest Stories Ever Told franchise. * Air combat has captured the imaginations of people since the fighter plane was first introduced during WWI. * Stories of aces such as Eddy Rickenbacker and Captain Baron Manfred Von Richthofen have become staples of books and movies as well as the stuff of legend. In The Greatest Air Combat Stories Ever Told, the editor has pulled together some of the finest tales of heroism and valor in the skies over the battlefield! It is an unforgettable collection, and includes stories by Baron Manfred Von Richthofen, Len Deighton, Jay A. Stout, and many others. It includes tales of legendary aces from the Great War up through the present day, and is the newest title in the series that includes: *The Greatest Special Ops Stories Ever Told *The Greatest Sniper Stories Ever Told *The Greatest Air Aces Stories Ever Told *The Greatest Coast Guard Rescue Stories Ever Told
Download or read book Relentless Strike written by Sean Naylor and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times Bestseller and Winner of the 2015 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Unit History Since the attacks of September 11, one organization has been at the forefront of America's military response. Its efforts turned the tide against al-Qaida in Iraq, killed Bin Laden and Zarqawi, rescued Captain Phillips and captured Saddam Hussein. Its commander can direct cruise missile strikes from nuclear submarines and conduct special operations raids anywhere in the world. Relentless Strike tells the inside story of Joint Special Operations Command, the secret military organization that during the past decade has revolutionized counterterrorism, seamlessly fusing intelligence and operational skills to conduct missions that hit the headlines, and those that have remained in the shadows-until now. Because JSOC includes the military's most storied special operations units-Delta Force, SEAL Team 6, the 75th Ranger Regiment-as well as America's most secret aviation and intelligence units, this is their story, too. Relentless Strike reveals tension-drenched meetings in war rooms from the Pentagon to Iraq and special operations battles from the cabin of an MH-60 Black Hawk to the driver's seat of Delta Force's Pinzgauer vehicles as they approach their targets. Through exclusive interviews, reporter Sean Naylor uses his unique access to reveal how an organization designed in the 1980s for a very limited mission set transformed itself after 9/11 to become the military's premier weapon in the war against terrorism and how it continues to evolve today.
Download or read book Spec Ops written by William H. McRaven and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 1996-06-01 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vice Adm. William H. McRaven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down Osama bin Laden, and commanded the courageous U.S. military unit that carried it out on May 1, 2011, ending one of the greatest manhunts in history. In Spec Ops, a well-organized and deeply researched study, McRaven analyzes eight classic special operations. Six are from WWII: the German commando raid on the Belgian fort Eben Emael (1940); the Italian torpedo attack on the Alexandria harbor (1941); the British commando raid on Nazaire, France (1942); the German glider rescue of Benito Mussolini (1943); the British midget-submarine attack on the Tirpitz (1943); and the U.S. Ranger rescue mission at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines (1945). The two post-WWII examples are the U.S. Army raid on the Son Tay POW camp in North Vietnam (1970) and the Israeli rescue of the skyjacked hostages in Entebbe, Uganda (1976). McRaven—who commands a U.S. Navy SEAL team—pinpoints six essential principles of “spec ops” success: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. For each of the case studies, he provides political and military context, a meticulous reconstruction of the mission itself and an analysis of the operation in relation to his six principles. McRaven deems the Son Tay raid “the best modern example of a successful spec op [which] should be considered textbook material for future missions.” His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the military arts. Maps, photos.
Download or read book The Force written by Saul David and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hailed as "masterly" (Wall Street Journal) and a "monumental achievement" (Douglas Brinkley), this book tells the riveting, true story of the group of elite US and Canadian soldiers who sacrificed everything to accomplish a crucial but nearly impossible WWII mission. In December of 1943, as Nazi forces sprawled around the world and the future of civilization hung in the balance, a group of highly trained U.S. and Canadian soldiers from humble backgrounds was asked to do the impossible: capture a crucial Nazi stronghold perched atop stunningly steep cliffs. The men were a rough-and-ready group, assembled from towns nested in North America's most unforgiving terrain, where many of them had struggled through the Great Depression relying on canny survival skills and the fearlessness of youth. Brought together by the promise to take part in the military's most elite missions, they formed a unique brotherhood tested first by the crucible of state-of-the-art training—including skiing, rock climbing, and parachuting—and then tragically by the vicious fighting they would face. The early battle in the Italian theatre for the strategic fort cost the heroic U.S.-Canadian commando unit—their first special forces unit ever assembled—enormous casualties. Yet the victory put them in position to continue their drive into Italy, setting the stage for the Allies' resurgence toward victory in WWII. The unit, with its vast range of capabilities and mission-specific exercises, became a model for the "Green Berets" and other special forces groups that would go on to accomplish America's most challenging undertakings behind enemy lines. Knitting first-hand accounts seamlessly into the narrative-drawing on interviews with surviving members and their families; the memoirs, letters, and diaries of Forcemen; and declassified documents in the American, Canadian, British, and German archives—The Force tells a story that is as deeply personal as it is inspiring.
Download or read book Special Ops written by Orr Kelly and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2017-08-08 with total page 915 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four military histories from a writer “whose fine work should be of great interest . . . both to casual readers and to uniformed students of special ops” (Publishers Weekly). An expert in military affairs, Orr Kelly reveals the cutting-edge technology and jaw-dropping courage of the US military’s elite forces on land, sea, and air. Brave Men, Dark Waters: Originating in World War II as Underwater Demolition Teams, the Navy SEALs are the best of the best in the armed forces—known for their toughness and fearlessness, and their remarkable ability to get the job—any job—done. Facing America’s enemies across the globe, these modern warriors were the first to enter the fight in Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, and Iraq. Brave Men, Dark Waters is “the most complete in-depth study of this fabled elite unit” (Library Journal). Never Fight Fair!: Here, in their own words, are the true accounts of the US Navy SEALs—from their formation in World War II to the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq. In this riveting oral history, these brave men speak openly about their training and their missions, offering the uncensored, inspiring, and sometimes shocking truth about their combat triumphs and their rare but devastating failures. Hornet: Born in 1978, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet has forever changed the way America’s wars are fought. This is the fascinating true story of the controversial development and deployment of the state-of-the-art supersonic fighter and attack aircraft with a top speed of more than one thousand miles per hour. Kelly details how Hornet came to be, how it was nearly doomed by an unprecedented political battle, and how it has served ably in combat from its first mission in Libya to Operation Desert Storm and well beyond. From a Dark Sky: Very little is known about US Air Force Special Operations—yet their exploits have been as daring and their achievements as remarkable as anything accomplished by their brother warriors. Since World War II, these ultrasecretive air commandos have routinely performed the nearly impossible, from providing air support for partisans in Nazi-occupied France to participating in clandestine CIA operations in Vietnam and Cambodia to secretly inserting covert operatives into North Korea. From a Dark Sky is “a well-conceived and well-executed, well-deserved tribute to an uncommonly fine body of American warriors” (Booklist).
Download or read book Sea Stories written by Admiral William H. McRaven and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2019-05-21 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the success of his #1 New York Times bestseller Make Your Bed, which has sold over one million copies, Admiral William H. McRaven is back with amazing stories of bravery and heroism during his career as a Navy SEAL and commander of America's Special Operations Forces. Admiral William H. McRaven is a part of American military history, having been involved in some of the most famous missions in recent memory, including the capture of Saddam Hussein, the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, and the raid to kill Osama bin Laden. Sea Stories begins in 1963 at a French Officers' Club in France, where Allied officers and their wives gathered to have drinks and tell stories about their adventures during World War II-the place where a young Bill McRaven learned the value of a good story. Sea Stories is an unforgettable look back on one man's incredible life, from childhood days sneaking into high-security military sites to a day job of hunting terrorists and rescuing hostages. Action-packed, humorous, and full of valuable life lessons like those exemplified in McRaven's bestselling Make Your Bed, Sea Stories is a remarkable memoir from one of America's most accomplished leaders.
Download or read book SAS and Elite Forces Guide written by Alexander Stilwell and published by SAS. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Narrates key events in recent history of special forces operations around the globe, from the Gulf War through Iraq.
Download or read book Killer Elite written by Michael Smith and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2008-03-04 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A British journalist specializing in defense topics offers a readable, useful addition to the literature on American special operations forces.
Download or read book Roughneck Nine One written by Frank Antenori and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2011-05-24 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frank Antenori chronicles the experiences he had while serving with the Green Berets Special Forces A-team in Iraq, focusing on their battle with heavily armed Iraqi forces on April 6, 2003.
Download or read book Not a Good Day to Die written by Sean Naylor and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-03-01 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning combat journalist Sean Naylor reveals a firsthand account of the largest battle fought by American military forces in Afghanistan in an attempt to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. At dawn on March 2, 2002, America's first major battle of the 21st century began. Over 200 soldiers of the 101st Airborne and 10th Mountain Division flew into Afghanistan's Shah-i-Kot Valley—and into the mouth of a buzz saw. They were about to pay a bloody price for strategic, high-level miscalculations that underestimated the enemy's strength and willingness to fight. Naylor, an eyewitness to the battle, details the failures of military intelligence and planning, while vividly portraying the astonishing heroism of these young, untested US soldiers. Denied the extra support with which they trained, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and prevented an American military disaster.
Download or read book Ashley s War written by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of the New York Times bestseller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, comes the story of a unique team of women who answered the call to get as close to the fight as the Army had ever allowed women to be, including one beloved soldier who was killed serving her country’s cause In 2010, the Army created Cultural Support Teams, a secret pilot program to insert women alongside Special Operations soldiers battling in Afghanistan. The Army reasoned that women could play a unique role on Special Ops teams: accompanying their male colleagues on raids and, while those soldiers were searching for insurgents, questioning the mothers, sisters, daughters and wives living at the compound. Their presence had a calming effect on enemy households, but more importantly, the CSTs were able to search adult women for weapons and gather crucial intelligence. They could build relationships—woman to woman—in ways that male soldiers in an Islamic country never could. In Ashley's War, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon uses on-the-ground reporting and a finely tuned understanding of the complexities of war to tell the story of CST-2, a unit of women hand-picked from the Army to serve in this highly specialized and challenging role. The pioneers of CST-2 proved for the first time, at least to some grizzled Special Operations soldiers, that women might be physically and mentally tough enough to become one of them. The price of this professional acceptance came in personal loss and social isolation: the only people who really understand the women of CST-2 are each other. At the center of this story is a friendship cemented by "Glee," video games, and the shared perils and seductive powers of up-close combat. At the heart of the team is the tale of a beloved and effective soldier, Ashley White. Much as she did in her bestselling The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, Lemmon transports readers to a world they previously had no idea existed: a community of women called to fulfill the military's mission to "win hearts and minds" and bound together by danger, valor, and determination. Ashley's War is a gripping combat narrative and a moving story of friendship—a book that will change the way readers think about war and the meaning of service.
Download or read book Alpha written by David Philipps and published by Crown. This book was released on 2022-09-13 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “infuriating, fast-paced” (The Washington Post) account of the Navy SEALs of Alpha platoon, the startling accusations against their chief, Eddie Gallagher, and the courtroom battle that exposed the dark underbelly of America’s special forces—from a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter WINNER OF THE COLORADO BOOK AWARD • “Nearly impossible to put down.”—Jon Krakauer, New York Times bestselling author of Where Men Win Glory and Into the Wild In this “brilliantly written” (The New York Times Book Review) and startling account, Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times correspondent David Philipps reveals a powerful moral crucible, one that would define the American military during the years of combat that became known as “the forever war.” When the Navy SEALs of Alpha platoon returned from their 2017 deployment to Iraq, a group of them reported their chief, Eddie Gallagher, for war crimes, alleging that he’d stabbed a prisoner in cold blood and taken lethal sniper shots at unarmed civilians. The story of Alpha’s war, both in Iraq and in the shocking trial that followed the men’s accusations, would complicate the SEALs’ post-9/11 hero narrative, turning brothers-in-arms against one another and bringing into stark relief the choice that elite soldiers face between loyalty to their unit and to their country. One of the great stories written about American special forces, Alpha is by turns a battlefield drama, a courtroom thriller, and a compelling examination of how soldiers define themselves and live with the decisions in the heat of combat.
Download or read book One Hundred Victories written by Linda Robinson and published by Public Affairs. This book was released on 2013-10-08 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An acclaimed military expert describes the evolution of the military's special ops division through studying the elite group in Afghanistan with unprecedented access to mountain compounds, secret missions, troops and commanders.
Download or read book The Final Mission of Extortion 17 written by Ed Darack and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On August 6, 2011, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter approached a landing zone in Afghanistan 40 miles southwest of Kabul. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops. It would never return. Insurgents fired at the Chinook, severed one of its rear rotor blades, and brought it crashing to the ground. All 38 onboard perished instantly in the single greatest moment of sacrifice for Americans in the war in Afghanistan. Those killed were some of the U.S.'s most highly trained and battle-honed commandos, including 15 men from the Gold Squadron of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known popularly as SEAL Team 6, which had raided a Pakistan compound and killed Osama bin Laden just three months earlier. The downing of Extortion 17 spurred a number of conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the shootdown was revenge for bin Laden's death. In The Final Mission of Extortion 17, Ed Darack debunks this theory and others and uncovers the truth behind this mysterious tragedy. His account of the brave pilots, crew, and passengers of Extortion 17 and the events of that fateful day is interwoven into a rich, complex narrative that also discusses modern joint combat operations, the history of the Afghan war to that date, U.S. helicopter use in Afghanistan, and the new and evolving military technologies and tactics being developed to mitigate such tragedies now and in the future. Amazon Best History Book of the Month - September 2017
