RnderSafe said:
It was not accurate by any means. It was a good Hollywood portrayal, that is about all.
Even with all of the hard work Mark Bowden put in, his book was skewed - the movie fed off of the book, and then "Hollywoodised" it for the end product.
I agree, even in the sources information, he admits to not talking to several people involved in the mission (Blackburn for one) and he chose to ignore several people's point of view and only went with a handful of others.
Now by the maps, he provides for everyone, in the book:
Chalk One - Cpt. Steele
Chalk Two - Lt. DiTomasso
Chalk Three - Sgt. Watson
Chalk Four - Sgt. Eversmann
It mentions that Sgt. Eversmann, got the command of the chalk due to one soldier leaving due to a health problem and another to a family illness.
For example, I'm sure, not to hender Lt. Gen. Boykin's record but it's been stated all over the Internet that he was the CO of Delta and that's where he earned his Purple Heart from getting wounded due to a mortar. However if you read to Bowden's "Killing Pablo" book, he states Boykin "overlooked" some areas.
*shrugs*
I think it should also be said that Bowden thought Baghdad was going to be Mogadishu II. Maybe people think he's a better author than he really is?!? I mean you have numerous books written on WWII, Vietnam, even the first Gulf War and you have one book written like a fictional story detailing the Battle of the Black Sea. Perhaps one day, there will be another version?
POSSIBLE STRATEGIES FOR THE BATTLE FOR BAGHDAD
Mark Bowden is the author of "Black Hawk Down," an account of the Americans trapped in urban fighting in Somalia in 1993. He says Baghdad could be much worse. He writes in the New York Times that "US soldiers would be moving in a 360 degree battlefield with obstructed sight lines and impaired radio communications, trying to pick out targets from a civilian population determined to hide, supply and shield the enemy."
Mike Durant, who piloted a helicopter downed in Somalia, says US forces are now better prepared. He writes in "USA Today" that precision bombs will precede troop-carrying helicopters, which will be protected by attack helicopters and by tanks and armored vehicles on the ground. He says this kind of support was lacking in Somalia.