SOC = Special Operations Command.
"The Worst U.S. Special Operations Disasters"
"Excessive optimism doomed these five missions"
"The Worst U.S. Special Operations Disasters"
This article originally appeared at The National Interest: "Oppose Any Foe" by Mark Moyar.
1. "The Makin Atoll Raid".
Marine Raiders under the command of Evans Carlson during the Second World War.
2. "Hill 205".
U.S. Army Rangers during the Korean War having to fight as conventional infantry.
3. "Operation Eagle Claw".
Abortive Delta Force mission to rescue American diplomats held hostage in Iran.
4. "Grenada".
Bring order to an unstable island-nation and rescue American students.
5. "Mogadishu".
American Rangers versus Somali warlords.
This article however missing one "special operations disaster" as might be correctly judged as far worse than any other. The obliteration of Darby's Rangers during the Second World War .
This was the Battle of Cisterna, Italy.
"The Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on 30 January–2 February 1944, near Cisterna, Italy, as part of the Battle of Anzio, part of the Italian Campaign."
Army Rangers used as conventional infantry en masse. Hand-picked combat troops of the highest quality and trained to the highest level of proficiency their effort valiant but futile in the extreme. A terrible and glaringly awful waste of the best manpower!!
TWO BATTALIONS HAVING WALKED INTO A PREPARED GERMAN AMBUSH AND ANNIHILATED ALMOST TO THE LAST MAN.
"The two battalions—totaling 767 men and supported by a platoon of 43 men of the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop"
"After the approximately seven-hour battle, only six of the 767 Rangers and one member of the 3rd Recon troop returned to Allied lines, resulting in an overall loss of 803 men."
COMPARED TO CISTERNA ALL OTHER AMERICAN SPECIAL OPERATIONS FAILURES TRIVIAL BY COMPARISON??
coolbert.