“The True History Never Ends” – Fighting is beyond playing a game!”

 A super-famous 61 Black Hawk down is one of popular tourist destinations in Mogadishu, Somalia today. A lot of tourists, especially American tourists visit this site every year to pay their respect and hear the story of the Black Hawk Down.

On Sunday – 3 October 1993, Task Force Ranger, U.S. special operations forces composed mainly of Bravo Company 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, 1st Special Forces Operational Delta Force, and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (“The Night Stalkers”), attempted to capture Aidid’s foreign minister Omar Salad Elmi and his top political advisor, Mohamed Hassan Awale in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The Operation

The plan was that Delta operators would assault the target building (using MH-6 Little Bird helicopters) and secure the targets inside the building while four Ranger chalks would fast rope down from hovering MH-60L Black Hawk helicopters.

The Rangers would then create a four-corner defensive boundary around the building while a column of nine HMMWVs and three M939 five-ton trucks would arrive at the building to take the entire assault team and their prisoners back to base. The entire operation was estimated to take no longer than 30 minutes.

However, it took 14 hours and 48 minutes (15:42-6:30). 

The ground-extraction convoy was supposed to reach the captive targets a few minutes after the operation’s beginning. However, it ran into delays. Somali citizens and local militia formed barricades along Mogadishu’s streets with rocks, wreckage, rubbish, and burning tires, blocking the convoy from reaching the Rangers and their captives.

Aidid’s militiamen with megaphones were shouting, “Kasoobaxa guryaha oo iska celsa cadowga!” (“Come out and defend your homes!”).

The Attack

At 13:50, the Task Force Ranger analysts received intelligence of Salad’s location. At 15:42, the MH-6 assault Little Birds carrying the Delta operators hit the target, the wave of dust becoming so bad that one was forced to go around again and land out of position.

Next, the two Black Hawks carrying the second Delta assault team came into position and dropped their teams as the four Ranger chalks prepared to rope onto the four corners surrounding the target building.

Chalk Four being carried by Black Hawk call sign Super 67, piloted by CW3 Jeff Niklaus, was accidentally put a block north of their intended point. Declining the pilot’s offer to move them back down due to the time it would take to do so, leaving the helicopter too exposed, Chalk Four intended to move down to the planned position, but intense ground fire prevented them from doing so.

The ground convoy arrives ten minutes later near the Olympic Hotel and waits for Delta and Rangers to complete their mission (target building).

During the operation’s first moments, Ranger PFC Todd Blackburn, from Chalk Four, fell while fast-roping from his Black Hawk Super 67 while it was hovering 70 feet (21 m) above the streets. He slipped when the helicopter was forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid an incoming RPG fired from a nearby rooftop, according to Bowden. Blackburn suffered an injury to his head and back of his neck.

While taking PFC Todd Blackburn back to base, SGT Dominick Pilla, assigned to SGT Struecker’s Humvee, was killed instantly by a bullet entering his head. When SGT Struecker’s Humvee column reached the base, all three vehicles were riddled with bullet holes and smoking.

The Zenith of Fighting

At about 16:20, one of the Black Hawk helicopters, call sign Super 61 piloted by CW3 Cliff “Elvis” Wolcott and CW3 Donovan Briley, was shot down by an RPG. Both pilots were killed in the resulting crash and two of the crew chiefs were severely wounded. SSG Daniel Busch and SGT Jim Smith, both Delta snipers, survived the crash and began defending the site.

An MH-6, call sign Star 41 and piloted by CW3 Karl Maier and CW5 Keith Jones, landed nearby and Jones left the helicopter and carried Busch to the safety of the Helo while Maier provided cover fire from the Little Bird’s cockpit, repeatedly denying order to lift off while his co-pilot was not in the Bird. He nearly hit Chalk One’s LT Di Tomosso arriving with Rangers and Delta operators to secure the site. Jones and Maier evacuated SSG Busch and SGT Smith, though SSG Busch later died of his injuries, being shot four times while defending the crash site.

A Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) team, led by Air Force Pararescue man TSgt Scott Fales, were able to fast rope down to Super 61‘s crash site despite an RPG hit that crippled their helicopter, Super 68, piloted by CW3 Dan Jollota. Despite the damage, Super 68 did make it back to base. The CSAR team found both the pilots dead and two wounded inside the crashed helicopter. Under intense fire, the team moved the wounded men to a nearby collection point, where they built a makeshift shelter using Kevlar armor plates salvaged from Super 61‘s wreckage.

The Confusion

There was confusion between the ground convoy and the assault team. The assault team and the ground convoy waited for 20 minutes to receive their orders to move out. Both units were under the mistaken impression that they were to be first contacted by the other. During the wait, a second Black Hawk helicopter, call sign Super 64 and piloted by CW3 Michael Durant, was shot down by an RPG at around 16:40.

The only picture taken on 3 October 1993; it shows Rangers near the Target Building.

Most of the assault team went to the first crash site for a rescue operation. Upon reaching the site, about 90 Rangers and Delta Force operators found themselves under a heavy fire. Despite air support, the assault team was effectively trapped for the night. With a growing number of wounded needing shelter, they occupied several nearby houses and confined the occupants for the battle’s duration.

The Second Crash Site

At the second crash site, two Delta snipers, MSGGary Gordon and SFCRandy Shughart, were inserted by Black Hawk Super 62 – piloted by CW3 Mike Goffena. Their first two requests to be inserted were denied, but they were finally granted permission upon their third request. They inflicted heavy casualties on the approaching Somali mob. Super 62 had kept up their fire support for MSG Gordon and SFC Shughart, but a RPG struck Super 62.

Despite the damage, Super 62 managed to go to the New Port and safety. When MSG Gordon was eventually killed, SFC Shughart picked up Gordon’s CAR-15 and gave it to Super 64 pilot CW3 Michael Durant.

SFC Shughart went back around the chopper’s nose and held off the mob for about 10 more minutes before he was killed. The Somalis then overran the crash site and killed all but Durant. He was nearly beaten to death, but was saved when members of Aidid’s militia came to take him prisoner.

Repeated attempts by the Somalis to overrun the American positions in a series of firefights near the first crash site were neutralized by aggressive small arms fire and by strafing runs and rocket attacks from AH-6J Little Bird helicopter gunships of the Night stalkers. A relief convoy with elements from the Task Force2–14 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, accompanied by Malaysian and Pakistani U.N. forces, arrived at the first crash site at around 02:00.

The Help Arrives

No contingency planning or coordination with U.N. forces had been arranged prior to the operation. Consequently, the recovery of the surrounded American troops was significantly complicated and delayed.

Determined to protect all of the rescue convoy’s members, General Garrison made sure that the convoy would roll out in force. When the convoy finally pushed into the city, it consisted of more than 100 U.N. vehicles including Malaysian forces’ German made Condor APCs, four Pakistani tanks (M48s), American Humvees and several M939 five-ton flatbed trucks.

This two-mile-long column was supported by several other Black Hawks and Cobra assault helicopters stationed with the 10th Mountain Division. Meanwhile, Task Force Ranger’s “Little Birds” continued their defense of Super 61‘s downed crew and rescuers. The American assault force sustained heavy casualties, including several killed, and a Malaysian soldier died when an RPG hit his Condor vehicle. Seven Malaysians and two Pakistanis were wounded.