Jump to content

Delta Force: A Memoir about the History and Founding of America’s most elite unit.


wartimecollectables.com
 Share

Recommended Posts

wartimecollectables.com

Delta Force: A Memoir about the History and Founding of America’s most elite unit. By Charlie Beckwith.
Last week’s read, the autobiography of a FAC in Vietnam who worked with B52 Delta Project, lead me to Beckwith’s memoir of Delta. The book is an excellent read and Beckwith surprised me at his writing skill and sometimes dry sense of humor. This is not a ‘war story’ nor is it a book of facts and dates. He traces the history of this elite within the elite Special Forces from its inception using the British SAS as a model (I wasn’t aware of that connection). He speaks highly of the Vietnamese counterparts Delta worked with during the Vietnam War and without making it a book of excuses or blame, reinforces the point that America’s military failure in SE Asia was largely political in nature. The book continues post-VN with Beckwith’s commitment to the idea of the Special Operations unit and he gives a good account of the Iran Hostage rescue attempt under President Carter. A highly recommended read.

 

 

post-93-0-23278800-1474801341.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wartimecollectables.com

Project DELTA / Detachment B52 was a Special Forces operation under MACV in Vietnam. Begun in ’64, it consisted of six reconnaissance hunter-killer teams each composed of four USSF and six LLDB troopers. They operated in VC areas (mostly border and base operations areas) directing air strikes, bomb damage assessment, VC/NVA prisoner snatches, bugging trails, psy ops, etc. The mission closed in 1970 I think. Beckwith continued the idea merging it with his observations of the British SAS and eventually formed Delta Force in the post Vietnam terrorist era.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...