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Operation Eagle Claw 1980: The disastrous bid to end the Iran hostage crisis (Raid) Paperback – March 24, 2020

by Justin Williamson (Author), Jim Laurier (Illustrator), Johnny Shumate (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 172 ratings
See all formats and editions
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A fully illustrated history of the disastrous 1980 attempt to rescue the 53 US Embassy hostages in Tehran, which involved the new Delta Force and a complex series of airlifts, hides and refueling stops in the Iranian desert.

Following months of negotiations after the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran on November 4 1979, President Jimmy Carter ordered the newly formed Delta Force to conduct a raid into Iran to free the hostages. The raid, Operation Eagle Claw, was risky to say the least. US forces would have to fly into the deserts of Iran on C-130s; marry up with carrier-based RH-53D helicopters; fly to hide sites near Tehran; approach the Embassy via trucks; seize the Embassy and rescue the hostages; board the helicopters descending on Tehran; fly to an airbase captured by more US forces; and then fly out on C-141s and to freedom. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly given the complexity of the mission, things went wrong from the start and when the mission was called off at the refueling site at Desert One, the resulting collision between aircraft killed eight US personnel.

This title tells the full story of this tragic operation, supported by maps, photographs, and specially-commissioned bird's-eye-views and battlescenes, which reveal the complexity and scale of the proposed rescue and the disaster which followed.

Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Raid
  2. Print length
    80 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  5. Publication date
    March 24, 2020
  6. Dimensions
    7.4 x 0.3 x 9.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1472837835
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1472837837
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

the raid series unique approach provides a detailed analysis of each raid

tank battlescene

Map

Archival Photographs of a plane

Full colour battlescenes

Beautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life.

Maps

Detailed maps frame each battle or action, and provide the key historical context.

Photographs

Each volume features a wide range of photographs, which provide unparalleled detail of the uniforms and weaponry used by the combatants.

raid series titles. With a range of titles examining the greatest special operations

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Justin Williamson is a career US diplomat who has served in Iraq, Mexico, Spain, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has degrees from Texas Tech University, The University of Texas at El Paso, and has recently graduated from the US Army Command and Staff College with a Master of Military Arts and Sciences. He is based in the US.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England, growing up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and throughout his life he has worked in many mediums creating artwork on a variety of subjects. He has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000, and in that time he has produced some of the finest artwork seen in these volumes.He lives in New England, USA.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing (March 24, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 80 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1472837835
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1472837837
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.3 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 172 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
172 global ratings
I was one of the Marines off the coast that day.
5 Stars
I was one of the Marines off the coast that day.
I want to thank Justin for writing this book. The 40th anniversary of the Hostage Rescue Attempt was this year and due to COVID-19, all ceremonies were cancelled. It was a pleasure to provide any knowledge used to write this book and any photographs to make the story complete. We must all remember that 8 brave Americans lost their lives trying to release the illegally taken hostages held in Iran. This was one of the most complex events in military history and the men who were deployed to actually go into Iran must remain as our heroes of that time period.
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Top reviews from the United States

RescueMedics
5.0 out of 5 stars Operation Eagle Claw 1980
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
Short, concise timeline of the operation. A quick read - 75 pages or so. Interesting text and many pictures. Makes you scratch your head as to what you would have done...
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E.C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
I received this book in a prompt fashion from Amazon books.

This book is quite interesting as well as concise. It details the US attempt to free the hostages during the Carter administration (that were held by Islamic Republic of Iran). The taking of the embassy and hostages was an act of war, but then-president Carter, was not able to deal with it effectively. Operation Eagle Claw was a disaster, and contributed to the non-reelection of Carter. Also the lead organizer of it, Charles Beckwith saw his (nearly at end) military career permanently tarnished by it. The operation was too complex with too many variables; not the least of them being the issues with the USN and USMC helicopter pilots.
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Max Prendergast
4.0 out of 5 stars Good compilation, shallow analysis
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book serves as a compilation from numerous published sources (Bowden, Beckwith, et al), and as such provides a useful summary of the notoriously ill-fated attempt to extract American hostages being held in Tehran in 1980. There is an excellent two-page illustration of the U.S. Embassy compound and surrounding area which is used to clearly show how the actual assault and extraction was planned to take place. This diagram also makes it apparent just how sprawling the complex was, with how many buildings, and hence why such a relatively large commando force was needed, with the consequent need also for several heavy helicopters to provide transport.

Justin Williamson puts the failure of the mission down to three primary factors:
1. Lack of centralized command (a lesson learned leading to creation of the US Special Operations Command)
2. Failure to adequately take weather into consideration as part of planning
3. Inordinate concern with operational security which hindered team building and information exchange

Mr. Williamson's conclusions definitely appear valid, but remain fairly superficial. There is no real discussion about why the assault plan that was adopted, out of apparently many alternatives that were proposed, was seen as the best or most promising. There is also no discussion of the quality of training and tactical leadership. The panicky departure from the initial staging site and the presence of reams of classified information taken into the field (and subsequently recovered by the Iranians) certainly suggests that there were some fundamental flaws in doctrine.

Overall, a good summary of a famous raid that went bad.
11 people found this helpful
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Tom
5.0 out of 5 stars Operation Eagle Claw
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
A great book about brave men trying to save the hostages in Iran. The tragic ending still bothers me to this day. The way the Iranian’s showcased the burnt corpses of our people was despicable
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L. Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this one. It filled in a lot of questions I had, and corrected misconceptions. The author did a great job of taking a great deal of data and distilling it without losing too much. It flowed in a logical manner, supported by some great pics. Unlike some recent Ospreys, this was a page-turner, especially as the mission commenced.

It will always be too bad that the book is not about the rescue of our hostages, forever to be a debated "what if?"
3 people found this helpful
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Mark Ian Andrews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Objective View
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book goes into very deep detail of the failed hostage rescue attempt in 1980. People have their opinions of who was to blame. The Military, President Carter or a forward commander. This book ignores all that and just all the facts and planning that went into it. Great reference for model builders to assemble the machines that were used. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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john
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book filled with information!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is the best book out their own operation eagle claw. It has a lot of information along with some great pictures! The only flaw, if there is one, is that some of the pictures are very small. But they are unique pictures and they really tell story of what happened. One of the best books that I have ever purchased from Amazon.
2 people found this helpful
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Chris
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Wouldn’t pay this price for it, but good read.
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Top reviews from other countries

rüdiger hofrichter
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Germany on October 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Very well written and a good read. A must buy for understanding this operation and why it failed.
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Ricky
5.0 out of 5 stars Good references for hobby
Reviewed in Canada on June 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
Accurate information
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