Operation Eagle Claw 1980: The disastrous bid to end the Iran hostage crisis (Raid, 52)

Short, concise timeline of the operation. A quick read - 75 pages or so. Interesting text and many pictures. Makes you scratch your head as to what you would have done...

I received this book in a prompt fashion from Amazon books.This book is quite interesting as well as concise. It details the US attempt to free the hostages during the Carter administration (that were held by Islamic Republic of Iran). The taking of the embassy and hostages was an act of war, but then-president Carter, was not able to deal with it effectively. Operation Eagle Claw was a disaster, and contributed to the non-reelection of Carter. Also the lead organizer of it, Charles Beckwith saw his (nearly at end) military career permanently tarnished by it. The operation was too complex with too many variables; not the least of them being the issues with the USN and USMC helicopter pilots.

This book serves as a compilation from numerous published sources (Bowden, Beckwith, et al), and as such provides a useful summary of the notoriously ill-fated attempt to extract American hostages being held in Tehran in 1980. There is an excellent two-page illustration of the U.S. Embassy compound and surrounding area which is used to clearly show how the actual assault and extraction was planned to take place. This diagram also makes it apparent just how sprawling the complex was, with how many buildings, and hence why such a relatively large commando force was needed, with the consequent need also for several heavy helicopters to provide transport.Justin Williamson puts the failure of the mission down to three primary factors:1. Lack of centralized command (a lesson learned leading to creation of the US Special Operations Command)2. Failure to adequately take weather into consideration as part of planning3. Inordinate concern with operational security which hindered team building and information exchangeMr. Williamson's conclusions definitely appear valid, but remain fairly superficial. There is no real discussion about why the assault plan that was adopted, out of apparently many alternatives that were proposed, was seen as the best or most promising. There is also no discussion of the quality of training and tactical leadership. The panicky departure from the initial staging site and the presence of reams of classified information taken into the field (and subsequently recovered by the Iranians) certainly suggests that there were some fundamental flaws in doctrine.Overall, a good summary of a famous raid that went bad.

A great book about brave men trying to save the hostages in Iran. The tragic ending still bothers me to this day. The way the Iranian’s showcased the burnt corpses of our people was despicable

I really enjoyed this one. It filled in a lot of questions I had, and corrected misconceptions. The author did a great job of taking a great deal of data and distilling it without losing too much. It flowed in a logical manner, supported by some great pics. Unlike some recent Ospreys, this was a page-turner, especially as the mission commenced.It will always be too bad that the book is not about the rescue of our hostages, forever to be a debated "what if?"

This book goes into very deep detail of the failed hostage rescue attempt in 1980. People have their opinions of who was to blame. The Military, President Carter or a forward commander. This book ignores all that and just all the facts and planning that went into it. Great reference for model builders to assemble the machines that were used. Highly recommended.

This is the best book out their own operation eagle claw. It has a lot of information along with some great pictures! The only flaw, if there is one, is that some of the pictures are very small. But they are unique pictures and they really tell story of what happened. One of the best books that I have ever purchased from Amazon.

Wouldn’t pay this price for it, but good read.

Very well written and a good read. A must buy for understanding this operation and why it failed.

Accurate information