The True Story of Blackhawk Down

If you have seen the Hollywood version of the book "Black Hawk Down" and have wondered if that is how urban warfare really takes place - here is your answer. The real life commentary by the soldiers that fought in Somalia is chilling, and at the same time inspiring. Knowing that people like these men even exist should make you proud to be an American. Now that I have raved about the content we can not ignore the way it was put togehter for TV. Just the right amount of real and dramatized images, along with the true stories from men who barley survived. When you are done watching this you will not be sorry you spent the time.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the battle of Mogadishu the history channel broadcast this at the weekend while Sky movies showed the film version of BLACK HAWK DOWN . I liked Ridley Scott's movie a lot . In fact I would say it was my second favourite release of 2001 behind FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING , but my major criticism of the film is that it has unlike the book an entirely subjective American viewpoint . As you might expect this documentary is closer to Mark Bowden's written account than the movie

TTSOBHD is composed of interviews with people who were there on the day , intercut with news footage and dramatised segments . The interviewees are an electic bunch : rangers , special forces , Somalis , and UN staff . It also explores in depth the context of what was happening in the horn of Africa at the time and doesn't go out of it's way to whitewash American mistakes , indeed one of the first things the documentary mentions is when the Delta Force raid a building , tie up the occupants at gunpoint only to realize later they've snatched a load of humanitarian staff working at a UN compound ! Of the people interviewed Mark Bowden is awarded the most screen time which since he wrote the source material is hardly surprising , but perhaps the most interesting interviewee is Hussein Aidid who served in the US marines and took over his father's clan after he was killed in 1996 . Mike Durant's account of when he was held prisoner is also of great interest since he's reduced to a bit part in the film , and though it's not obliquely stated by Durant or any of the American servicemen who fought in the battle you can't help feeling these men are still bitter at the Clinton administration for sending them to Somalia and then pulling them out when things started getting tough .

I've only one real criticism of the documentary and that's it never raises a point brought up in an edition of the BBC's history series TIMEWATCH about the battle , and that's the possibility that a Somali spy was a double agent working for Aideed . You have to ask yourself why were the Aideed faction so well prepared for the American raid ? , but this point is never brought up , but all in all this is a very informative documentary

update Aug 2006: In reply to Dubblegock I do realise it was originally Bush Snr who sent American forces to Somalia but the Rangers themselves were sent and taken out by Clinton . Apologies for any confusion

Having bought and read the book a few times - which I thought was a superb piece of writing - I was thrilled to receive the DVD as a Xmas present. Anticipating the usual Hollywood hoopla and revisionism I was agreeably surprised at how faithfully the film followed the real events and how effectively the director was able to re-create the very real drama of the actual event. The producers and (perhaps more importantly, the director) avoided the temptation to embroider the Mogadishu raid with fluff and yet managed to insert very real aspects of close combat such as the machine gunner who temporarily loses his hearing because of his partner firing his SAW to close to his [partner's] head. This reeked of veracity. (One of the more absurdities of modern filmdom is how protagonists casually shrug off the stupefying and deafening effect of high powered weapons fired in close proximity or in an enclosed situation).

If I have one disappointment it was that in the epiloge the producers failed to fasten the blame for the Mogadishu fiasco on the [then] existing Washington administration for failing to approve the use of light armor (and specialised air support) for the Mogadishu raid. Although I suppose that it will be rationalised in history it must be galling for the American Special Forces (Rangers and Delta Force operatives) to accept that they were actually rescued by light armor elements of despised third world countries (eg Pakistan & Malaysia) using lightly armored APC's long discarded by the American military. But I suppose that Hollywood can hardly be expected to risk the 'black' list by being too honest.

Now to the technical flaw. It's simple really - no flies! In BHD blood flows like water and in that part of the world blood attracts flies. I haven't been in Somalia but I have spent time in South-East Egypt and I know that if one scratches a pimple and draws blood, then several thousand flies flock in for a feast. In BHD no flies; zilch, nuttin, nada. Even in Morocco where BHD was filmed - no flies.

Trivial perhaps! But for me and a few thousand others who have served in the general region this impinges on reality. But then I suppose integrity has its limits.