WATCH: Animated Map Takes Viewers Inside the Battle of Mogadishu
The Operations Room shows the Battle of Mogadishu from an all-new perspective. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.
The Battle of Mogadishu was 18 hours of the most intense urban combat experienced by US troops since the Vietnam War. Unorganized blocks of concrete buildings, sparse trees, and dilapidated shacks topped with corrugated metal made for a chaotic battlefield. The downing of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters on Oct. 3, 1993, launched what was supposed to be a fairly straightforward raid into a desperate rescue mission.
The book Black Hawk Down and its film adaptation both do a fantastic job of making the confusing firefight easy to digest for entertainment purposes. However, the real mission was too complex to accurately depict in a book or movie. With two separate crash sites, teams of Rangers running rampant across Mogadishu, and a convoy of vehicles forced to constantly reroute itself in a maze of unmarked buildings and roads, the Battle of Mogadishu can only be understood when seen from a bird’s-eye point of view.
The Operations Room, a YouTube channel, does exactly that. The channel re-creates famous engagements through animated maps overlaid with clear narration. Seeing the Battle of Mogadishu unfold on a map from above helps make sense of the different elements spread out and constantly on the move throughout the city. It also provides background information on the United States’ role in Somalia and explains why capturing Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid was the goal for Operation Gothic Serpent. The aerial map of Mogadishu reveals how enemy forces were able to converge from all sides on the members of Task Force Ranger and puts into perspective just how far soldiers on the ground had to travel under fire in order to reach each crash site.
Other worthy segments from The Operations Room include a look at the Battle of Britain, Easy Company’s assault on Brécourt Manor, and the Battle of Midway. The Mogadishu breakdown combines all the moving parts of the costly gunfight and organizes them into an entertaining, easy-to-follow design.
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Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.
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