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Summary: Audio is the only way to go!
Review: After listening to the last two Clancy novels on tape, I checked out his INTO THE STORM from the local library. I'm glad I did! Whittled done to what really matters, this book about the VII Corps actions in the Gulf War through the eyes of its commander, General Fred Franks, is an inciteful look at the modern U.S. Army. I was most interested in Frank's comments about his misunderstandings with General Schwartzkopf. With all of our advancements in communications, it's baffling to see how leaders and subordinates still mess up the chain of command!
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Summary: Franks sets the record straight; a real commander at work.
Review: Although not as good a read as Clancy's fiction works, Into the Storm: A Study in Command accomplishes what it set out to do. It provides the reader with a case study of modern military command techniques at work in the harsh, complex environment of Desert Storm. Through Clany, Franks, often in his own words, guides us through his thought processes in planning and executing the largest movement of armored froces since World War II. Although dry at times, it is a useful study, especially for military officers. On a personal level, I was more than pleased that Gen Franks received his day in court in light of all the criticism laid at his feet about the pace of VII Corps during the ground war. As a VII Corps vet who was there on the ground, I certainly do not remember a lot of "down time". As a military officer, I was compelled to find out what I always assumed was true; namely, if Schwartzkopf was so concerned about VII Corps tempo, why did he not leave his bunker in the rear and fly into the Corps Area of Operations and see for himself what was going on? While the book does not answer this question for me, it does clarify that Gen Franks never received a speed up order from CENTCOM. Overall, Into the Storm is a great book for the serious student of military art and science. If you are looking for another Red Storm Rising, this certainly isn't it. It's value lies in the insight it provides on the workings of the American Army at war, under the guidance of skilled, dedicated individuals
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Summary: A good tool for studying leadership.
Review: Anyone who has undertaken the task of becomming a leader in the military has struggled with the same decisions Gen. Franks does in this book. The kicker is that the General is doing this in a combat situation, not in training as new leaders mostly do. This book is a good read for any leader. Especially if one's unit is Armor, Armored Cav, or a supporter of this type of unit.
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Summary: A must for soldiers and officers.
Review: As An junior officer in the Swedish Armed Force, the Army. I really enjoyed this book. It's very interesting to read about such a great leader, as Gen. Fredrick Franks, Jr. With his experience and conviction, he gives you an opportunity to follow his career. From his earlier years as a junior officer, his tour to Vietnam, the accident and the hard way back. Finally you learn that all this knowledge and experience put together, makes an officer ready to face yet another battle. To lead the VII Armoured Corps in Desert Storm. It's a joy to read about his commitment to his family, his soldiers and his country - which should set a standard for fellow officers and soldiers.
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Summary: A tough technical slog for civilians
Review: Clancy does a superb job of researching the techo wiz factors for his excellent works of fiction. Then he trys to turn the research notes into books. For the military uninitiated they can be a tough read. INTO THE STORM is the rebuttal to the Schwartzkof book "It doesn't Take a Hero"(?) Far too technical. I was looking foward to Clancys treatise on Desert Storm in his usual style but was very disappointed with this Military Manual.
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Summary: Great Look at the Ground War
Review: Clancy really did an average job with this book. I have also read the other book in this new series he is putting out "Every Man A Tiger" and I have to say that Into the Storm is a second to it. I think that as this was his first attempt at this type of book, he used it as a learning tool and the second book got better. Then again maybe the co-author was just a better writer. Clancy has teamed up with the General that was in charge of the ground war in the Gulf War. The book is basically three parts, the first section talks about the Generals career in the Army, the Army's development from Viet Nam to the Gulf War and a touch of the politics involved within the different military branches. The second section of the book deals with the build up to the ground war. The final section deals with the ground war both the stand-alone part and as a joint effort with the air war. The author does not give you an action packed, inside the tank type of story. What we do get is the process for building up the forces, developing a plan, working with the other countries and military forces and finally the execution of the plan. I found the discussions of attack plan creation and the relationship between the air and ground element to be the most interesting. Overall this is a well-written and constructed book. It has a lot of value if you are interested in the Gulf War or just how current U.S. battles are planned and fought. A good compliment to this book is "The Commanders" by Woodward; it deals more with the U.S. politics involved in setting up the coalition and the interaction between the main U.S. players.
Rating:
Summary: Great Look at the Ground War
Review: Clancy really did an average job with this book. I have also read the other book in this new series he is putting out "Every Man A Tiger" and I have to say that Into the Storm is a second to it. I think that as this was his first attempt at this type of book, he used it as a learning tool and the second book got better. Then again maybe the co-author was just a better writer. Clancy has teamed up with the General that was in charge of the ground war in the Gulf War. The book is basically three parts, the first section talks about the Generals career in the Army, the Army's development from Viet Nam to the Gulf War and a touch of the politics involved within the different military branches. The second section of the book deals with the build up to the ground war. The final section deals with the ground war both the stand-alone part and as a joint effort with the air war. The author does not give you an action packed, inside the tank type of story. What we do get is the process for building up the forces, developing a plan, working with the other countries and military forces and finally the execution of the plan. I found the discussions of attack plan creation and the relationship between the air and ground element to be the most interesting. Overall this is a well-written and constructed book. It has a lot of value if you are interested in the Gulf War or just how current U.S. battles are planned and fought. A good compliment to this book is "The Commanders" by Woodward; it deals more with the U.S. politics involved in setting up the coalition and the interaction between the main U.S. players.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing look at military strategy in Desert Storm...
Review: Desert Storm was a superbly planned operation, which applied Clauswitz tactics with American chilvary. The United States learned its lesson from Vietnam and went in with a well planned attack and clear-cut objectives with the goal of liberating Kuwait and neutralizing the Iraqi Republican Guard in southern Iraq. Tom Clancy chronicles the various aspects of the operations, planning and execution of the attack. It does seem to offer a view of Desert Storm in microcosm (e.g. General Frank's theater of operations.) As a sidenote, I still think we can learn a greater lesson from the history of interventionism, and stop picking the lesser of two evils (e.g. Iraq over Iran.) The West essentially supplied Iraq with much of its missile technology and logistics capability in the 1980's only to face it in 1991.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent work ,though somewhat too detailed .
Review: Excellent work ,though somewhat too detailed for the recereational reader. You need to have geniuine interest in military science to enjoy and understand this book. It gives a detailed account of the gulf war from a commanders point of view.The exterme detail on divisions,birgades,battalions..etc might bore some but for those who are really intersted in the structure of military command and know their divisions from birgades then its truly an awesome work.Tough the well known predujices of Clancy when it comes to other Armies is here again.
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Summary: i am looking forward to reading this one....
Review: forgive me for not reading this book as of yet...i am interested in the fact that some credit is given to this dear man...i was one of his crewchiefs for his uh-60 blackhawk helicopters in germany and in saudi arabia...looking to compare notes...i hope that i will not find this book to be egotistically based on franks alone...by the way...sir...if you read this...this is your female crewchief (Sunshine)...jayhawk (wonder if you mentioned major martinez, your aid...)
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