On October 3, 1993, U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force operators made their way out unto the Somalian capital, Mogadishu. Their objective, to capture several lieutenants working under warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Under the command of Major General William F. Garrison, the Rangers and Deltas stationed at his base headed out at approximately 3:30p.m. to what was thought to be an hour long mission. They had done missions like this six times before, they thought, this is going to be a piece of cake. They made their way to the target house in helicopters called Black Hawks, MH-6 Little Birds, and a ground convoy that would carry out the prisoners when captured. They arrived and deployed at the target site with only one accident, a Ranger fell from the ropes tens of feet to the ground. The Delta operators, or D-boys, had a successful mission, capturing two main members of the clan, Habr Gidr, under Aidid's commands, and several associates. All was going well with the Rangers, until the worst happened. Angry mobs of people and clansmen were grouping together to fight off the Americans, and an RPG exploded on a Black Hawk, making it crash into the ground.
Black Hawk Down is the heroic tale of the Rangers and D-boys struggle to rescue the downed pilots of the first Black Hawk, as well as a second that happened just minutes after the first had gone down. A mission that was supposed to last an hour, went on for over twelve. Casualties and injuries piling up throughout the battle, the remainder Rangers and Deltas were trapped by the persistence of the Somalis. At the end of the mission, a total of 16 casualties were counted and so many more were injured. Also, Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant of Black Hawk, Super Six Four, the second downed helicopter, was captured by the Somali mob and held captive for 11 days. The tale of the many Rangers and D-boys told in the novel provides the readers with the sense of what these soldiers went through, the drama, the battle, and the emotions that went into what was later named The Battle of the Black Sea. Throughout the story, readers live through a thoroughly told action packed battle that will live with them for a long time. The story of Black Hawk Down will never die.