URGENT FURY - The Battle for Grenada by Adkin, Mark

New York, 1989, Lexington, 6th US printing, , hard bound in dust jacket, 6 1/2 x 9 1/2, VG/VG CONDITION , xxiii, 391 pages, illus, maps, notes, appendices, index........................................................ The 1983 American invasion of Grenada (code-named 'Urgent Fury') was the largest U.S. military operation since Vietnam. It took less than two weeks, and when it was over the American public felt a renewed sense of pride in its armed forces. And, despite all the controversy and outrage expressed by allies,adversaries, and the American press, there appeared to be real cause for celebration: for the first time in history, a Marxist regime suffered invasion and military defeat by the U.S. It was a jubilant President Reagan who announced, 'Our days of weakness are over. Our military forces are back on their feet and standing tall.'But how accurate a picture of events is this? According to Major Adkin, who participated in the invasion, not very................................................................................... Written with all the drama and suspense of a novel, Urgent Fury presents for the first time the true story of the invasion. Thanks to massive amounts of aid from the Soviet Union and Cuba, Grenada was the most heavily militarized island in the region. Its rulers were among the most brutal and corrupt in the hemisphere. Yet the U.S. had virtually no military intelligence on the island: no CIA presence, no up-to-date aerial photos, naval charts, or hard information on Grenadian troop strength or armaments. The planners of 'Urgent Fury' were working blind. In fact, the invading U.S. forces often had to rely on British tourist maps (some dating back to the 1930s)throughout the operation...................................................................................... Major Adkin draws a sobering picture of a U.S. military structure thoroughly at odds with itself. Although he saw individual acts of courage and resourcefulness on all sides, as a professional military man, he was appalled at the mismanagement, deceit, and lack of preparation evident at the highest levels of the U.S. military. Critical delays in flight missions and the evacuation of wounded soldiers occurred because of inadequate training of American crews; missions were canceled or delayed because of 'a lack of funds in the right budget'; communication breakdowns and equipment failure were rampant; there werecompletely preventable casualties from 'friendly fire'. Perhaps the most shocking revelation of all comes from watching nine of America's most elite battalions, backed by overwhelming firepower and sophisticated technology, take an unaccountably long time to defeat two battalions of half-trained Grenadians.