Mark Bowden, who wrote the book on which the movie "Blackhawk Down" was based, has just about the most comprehensive view of that controversial conflict as anyone is likely to have.This documentary includes some reenactments and newsreel footage but mostly we hear Bowden's dispassionate analysis of what happened, along with a dozen or so interviews with Delta Force and Rangers who provide a subjective point of view. By "subjective," I don't mean "prejudiced." I mean personal, as in, "This is what I experienced and what I felt." The documentary is a History Channel Special and, although it's not as big and splashy as the Hollywood production, it has some virtues that the feature film doesn't.It provides the perspective of the Somali militia who fought against our troops, for instance. Now, I can imagine that many people don't want to hear from the "other side." It's enough to know that we were good and they were evil. Yet no one puts his life at risk by telling himself, "I'm doing this because I'm evil." Taking up arms is always seen as a necessity by both sides in a conflict.And the documentary gives us some of the back story behind the hatred felt towards Americans. It answers questions such as how WE, on a humanitarian mission, with no other goals in Somalia, could become the enemy? One of the reasons is that the people of Mogadishu couldn't watch CNN or read the New York Times. The only radio station was controlled by Aidid, the chief of the strongest clan, and listeners simply believed what they were told -- that this was an American invasion whose aim was to convert all the Moslems to Christianity.Another improvement over the feature film is that it clarifies the topographical situation. We learn where the two helicopters went down, the relation of those crossroads to the target building. We learn where the convoy went when it got lost in the maze of urban streets.We can pinpoint, in retrospect, where our plans were weakest. We underestimated the willingness of those thin, black, raggedy, homely, backward natives to die for what they saw as their nation -- "failed state" though it was. We didn't expect such organization on the part of our enemies, though they had after all been involved in urban warfare with each other for years while our troops had no such experience. We didn't expect so many guns to be turned against us. Every male seemed to carry an automatic weapon or an RPG because they're cheap and available. (Says Bowden, "Everything that could be accomplished with guns was being accomplished in Mogadishu.") Nobody expected to see twelve-year olds firing AK 47s from the hip because the kids were too small to heft the weapons to their shoulders. Nobody expected to have to SHOOT those kids and the women who were firing beside them. We lost twenty-eight troops KIA. The Somali lost thousands of men, women, and children in the battle.Some offensive footage is shown of American bodies being dragged through the streets. It's offensive because one of the principles of our elite forces is that nobody gets left behind. And it's offensive to ordinary viewers who prefer to think of warfare as a kind of football game or schoolyard fist fight or Hollywood movie in which people die gracefully and are then forgotten. I agree entirely with Bowden that showing such footage is essential in a democracy. We absolutely MUST know what it is that we're getting into.The Somali celebrate the great victory over the American invaders. It's a "national" holiday. I put that word in quotes because there is no "nation" of Somalia except in name. It's a lawless country whose territory is ruled by warlords and their cronies. And it was hardly a victory. We withdrew our forces, an inevitable move unless we wanted to declare war in order to recover our national pride. And when we left, as one Somali woman states it, "the death and the famine came back." It's a courageous documentary because it tells us about things we don't want to think about. Our elite forces were filled with esprit de corps. One of them admits they thought of themselves as invincible. In the end, no one is invincible. (The Japanese felt the same way in the early months of World War II. They later called it "the victory disease".) Well, nobody always wins, not even when the best of troops is backed up by advanced weapons to fight an enemy that only carries small arms and burns tires to send signals.

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.

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 movieTTSOBHD 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 documentaryupdate 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

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.