The Real Story of Black Hawk Down (2024)

FAQs

What is the true story behind Black Hawk Down? ›

The story of Black Hawk Down began when Delta Force arrested 20 Somalis. During the assault, a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down and the rescuers were ambushed. Eighteen Americans were killed.

After the battle, dead American soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu by enraged Somalis, an act that was broadcast on American television to public outcry. The battle led to the pullout of the U.N. mission in 1995.

Although a good war movie that remains superficially faithful to Bowden's descriptions of the basic actions of 3-4 October 1993, Black Hawk Down is a failure in terms of explaining some of the fundamental assumptions and conditions that underlay Task Force RANGER's operations.

Massed rocket-propelled-grenade fire brought down four Black Hawk helicopters, only two of which managed to limp safely to the task force's base. The other two crashed in the city, requiring immediate rescue, splashing the firefight across the city. The battle raged for 18 hours until a large, armored U.N.

By the end of the relentless 15-hour battle, 18 U.S. service members were dead and another 73 wounded. American intervention in Somalia began in 1991 when a severe famine and a collapsed central government hurled the beleaguered nation into civil war.

Todd was medically retired, and went on to work in his home town PD of Pensacola, where we worked numerous divisions, including K9, Narcotics, Patrol, and as an SRO.

Not only the Rangers and Delta Force soldiers made the Mogadishu Mile, but also soldiers from U.S. 10th Mountain Division alongside them: "We didn't ride off the crash site. We didn't run out. We walked expediently in a tactical formation for about a mile to get to an awaiting convoy."

American soldiers survived the Battle of Mogadishu through a combination of desperate defense, fighting through the night, and rescue operations. During the battle on October 3, 1993, Somali forces shot down three American Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters using RPG-7s.

U.S. casualties in the Battle of Mogadishu numbered 18 dead and 84 wounded among fewer than 200 personnel involved in the initial assault; perhaps 700 to 1,500 Somalis died (the total is unknown). There were also 13 casualties among UN personnel.

Durant uses an MP5A5 when defending his helicopter. Pilots really used MP5K's, which are significantly smaller. At the end of the movie, it is stated that Mohamed Farrah Aidid was killed on August 2, 1996 -- without mentioning by whom. He actually died of a heart attack on that date.

What happened to the pilot of Black Hawk Down? ›

After his helicopter was hit on the tail by a RPG-7, it crashed about a mile southwest of the operation's target. Durant and his crew of three, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank, and Tommy Field, were badly injured in the crash. Durant suffered a crushed vertebra in his back and a compound fracture of his left femur.

Nelson (Ewen Bremner) says to Twombly "Just don't fire that thing so close to my head, I can barely hear as it is." Bremner actually partially lost his hearing because of all the gunfire. He eventually recovered from it. The set was constantly bothered by stray dogs running into shots.

Altogether, the 18-hour urban firefight, later known as the Battle of Mogadishu, left 18 Americans and hundreds of Somalis dead. News outlets broadcast searing images of jubilant mobs dragging the bodies of dead Army special operators and helicopter crewmen through the streets of Mogadishu.

The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia.

The Federal Government of Somalia was established in August 2012, constituting the country's first permanent central government since the start of the civil war. International stakeholders and analysts subsequently began to describe Somalia as a "fragile state" that is making some progress toward stability.

He was eventually freed and rescued by the International Red Cross, who took him to Germany to begin his long road to recovery. Durant had broken his back and leg so badly during the Black Hawk crash that doctors told him he would never be able to fly again.

He remained on active duty until May of 2008, when he retired after 20 years of service. Committed to sharing the lessons he learned in the military, Matt draws parallels from his experiences to highlight the importance of leadership, followership, courage and responsibility within any team or enterprise.

Staff Sergeant John “Stebby” Stebbins was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his gallantry in action, and also received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds sustained in combat. He is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence at Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas.