Red Storm Rising
by Tom Clancy
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tom ClancyEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1987-07-01
ISBN: 042510107X
Number of pages: 736
Publisher: Berkley
Book Reviews of Red Storm Rising
Book Review: A look back at my favorite book
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1996 I read this as a 7th grader, not really understanding what it meant, not really understanding the horror of war. I had to get books and read about all of the military policies and geopolitical intricacies of the USA-USSR and NATO-Warpac conflict (Commitment to Purpose by Kugler is a good companion book although nonfiction).
Like Elton John's masterpiece discovered at the same time, "Live in Australia," I turn to it again and again.
I have read this book about 20 times in the past 8 years.
Like the previous reviewers said, "It's almost like being there." Only Team Yankee, a more-in-depth look at the front lines, is an equivalent. The Third World War, August 1985, is more encompassing (A previous reviewer complained RSR didn't talk about the failed currencies and riots and hunger. TWW does that, and talks about the worldwide impact). Team Yankee is a microcosm of TWW. RSR seems more like a Larry Bond book, "Red Phoenix," a fictional tale of the 2nd Korean War (still likely today!)
Some of the fact changes in this book are marginal but not really crucial to the book's plot:
1) Aegis cruisers CG 47-51 carried 88 missiles in 2 racks of 44, not 96 as mentioned. VLS (122 missiles) came with CG 52 Bunker Hill and later. Remember, DDG 51 class hadn't been developed yet so Kidd DDG 996 was the most advanced destroyer at the time.
2) The M-1s mentioned had 105mm guns, although the A1 might not have been readied yet for CENTAG or NORTHAG by summer 1985.
3) MiG-29 Fulcrums died in mass amounts in the air battle over Iceland. Like a previous reviewer said, they were not easy kills like -21 Fishbeds.
4) Was the T-80 operational by summer 1985 anyway? I remember people telling me in ROTC (I am a college student) that the -64 was the main tank for a long time. -72s were acquired by Poland and Eastern Bloc countries and were made by a different manufacturer.
5) There is no definite statement that the 688 class subs were able to dive "only" to 950 feet. A submariner said the exact diving depth is classified. Although the Alfa did dive to 1900 ft or so...
6) The description of the FFG-7 class was very realistic, especially about the Mk 13 single-arm launcher. The book had a fictional "Seahawk-Foxtrot" model. Most of them were B models, and had 2 on board instead of one F, which was a prototype.
Interesting parts about the book. A lot of foreshadowing:
1) The activation of the Battleships to retake Iceland (BB-61, Iowa). This was repeated in the Persian Gulf War.
2) The launching of DOOLITTLE. Doolittle was the first operation that used Tomahawks to knock out airfields. Up until that point the Tom hadn't been used and the traditional way was to go in with a large strike force. The Soviets had obviously prepared for this, but not for cruise missiles. Again, this operation foreshadowed the Persian Gulf War. The loss of 7 airfields changed the whole war at that point.
3) The F-19 Dreamstar. I remember the glow-in-the-dark Testors frisbee-shaped aircraft with rounded ailerons at the leading and trailing edges. This was in reality, the F-117A stealth.
4) The use of mobility in FM-100.5 and AirLandBattle to beat the Sovs. Alekseyev talks about the mobility of the American forces, when he says, "...two men and a jeep (he used the American term for it) pop up fire and vanish...reappear again down the road and attack..."
5) The luck factor with NATO. Soviet insistence on using what they had, and not being adaptable. In the end of the book it mentions two Category-A units in South Ukraine. Luckily, for SACEUR, they aren't used and B-units are coming instead.
6) The goalkeeper (an Aegis cruiser). It would make more sense for the US to have TWO Aegis cruisers protecting Nimitz, not just one. Although at the time there were only 5 (Bunker Hill being commissioned 9-20-86).
7) The neat combat tactics. Blackout of EMCON and tricking the Bear into searching and having fighters knock him down before he alerted the Backfires. Also the hard astern, full steam splitting manuever by Battleaxe and Reuben James to draw missile bait away from the convoys.
8) The use of the VCR to track vehicle movement and positioning.
9) The final discovery from Toland from the downed MiG pilot. It's all about the oil.
The end of the book seemed forced. The Russians could have won had they used category-A units in Ukraine instead of CinC-West being stubborn and refusing to accede to Alekseyev and Sergetov's hints. That helped NATO immensely.
Betting Western Europe on a pair of fives was a risk, but somehow, SACEUR won yet again.
Summary of Red Storm Rising
Using the latest advancements in military technology, the world's superpowers battle it out on land, sea, and air for the ultimate global control.
A chillingly authentic vision of modern war, Red Storm Rising is as powerful as it is ambitious.
It's a story you will never forget.
Hard hitting. Suspenseful.
And frighteningly real.
A chillingly authentic vision of modern war, Red Storm Rising is as powerful as it is ambitious.
It's a story you will never forget.
Hard hitting. Suspenseful.
And frighteningly real.
Using the latest advancements in military technology, the world's superpowers battle it out on land, sea, and air for the ultimate global control. A chillingly authentic vision of modern war, Red Storm Rising is as powerful as it is ambitious. It's a story you will never forget.
Hard-hitting, suspenseful, and frighteningly real.
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