John C. Fredriksen

In Fighting Elites independent historian Fredriksen offers a compact
reference volume on the US Special Forces' capabilities, training, selection
process, and contributions to securing the freedoms that Americans enjoy.
Divided into two parts, the volume provides a historical look at American
military organizations from 1676 to 1991 that includes descriptions of
the units in their historical context, and describes a defining moment in
the various units' existence. In part 2, Fredriksen delves into the world
of special operations since 1992. Chapters 4-16 highlight a specific US
Special Forces unit and provide the same detailed information as the
preceding chapters; each of theses chapters ends with "an extensive listing
of bibliographic citations, including the latest literature, to promote
further research." Any book that attempts to recount military history is
prone to some inaccuracies and omissions in its descriptions of specific
branches, units, and operations. Although this volume offers a wealth
of information, factual deficiencies are evident, e.g., regarding the 75th
Ranger Regiment, units are placed at the wrong locations, the regiment's
headquarters are omitted, and the description of the regiment's training
process is actually the one used in the US Army's Ranger School training.
Overall, however, Fighting Elites accomplishes its goal of being a "one-stop reference guide ... that affords extensive historical and bibliographic
coverage yet is easy for lay readers to access." It includes illustrations
and a chronology. Summing Up: Recommended. ** Lower-division
undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.-E. M
Tinoco, University of Southern California… (més)

The subtitle of this book provides a clear and concise statement of the author's agenda, as Fredriksen documents the operational service of what is usually seen as a marginal warplane in USAF service. Besides low numbers, the classified missions of the units using the Tornado (forward basing of nuclear weapons and strategic reconnnaissance) also served to keep the machine's career under wraps. That so many former crewmen were found to offer their impressions of service in units equipped with this type is the real virtue of this monograph. One might wish for better production values in the book, but it does not greatly undercut its worth.… (més)