Most significant Special Operations

[Ravage]

Significant in a bad way - despite a good outcome - Nimrod - becuase it forever pulled UKSF from the shadows where they belong.

Don't You think it would have happened sooner or later ?

 

[KBar666]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned already.

The OSS's operations in prep for Normandy invaison in my opinion was pretty amazing considering for the most part they took civilians with no real experience and had them doing some interesting stuff in very short order.

 

[Echo]

I don't remember seeing it so far, but I'll toss out Operation Jedburgh, for multiple reaons;

1. The role it had in shaping early CIA and USSF and the leaders of those organizations to come.

2. It was a multi-national effort with teams comprising of different nationalities and genders IIRC at times.

3. The ability to encompass and show the possibilities of using this kind of template of "force multiplication."


Not sure if it meets the criteria or not, but a serious oldie and debatable actual operation since it was in a story....let's not forget the Trojan Horse by the Greeks to finally enter Troy. (and to a lesser known and less successful use of a rabbit to locate the Holy Grail by Monty Python)

Agree

 

[newbie]

My un-needed input: The current war on terror will probably go down as the most important and validating long term (socom) operation in history. I doubt, based off of what I have read/heard that there has existed a finer breed of special operator or a higher op-tempo than currently exists. I would also say that SOF operations in Iraq during the surge, as well as Jawbreaker in A-stan would go down as maybe the two greatest special operations in modern history. (personally, I cant think of a more successful or more perfectly executed mission by any country's SOF than what American SF did in A-stan). Maybe also to include the operations by American SF and CIA, who linked with the Kurds in northern Iraq in the run -up to the invasion. Just my opinion though.

 

[x SF med]

The really significant Special Operations Missions will never be known to the public, for the fact they are Special Operations and significant in more ways than winning a battle or a war.

 

[pardus]

Do some more reading outside of this current conflict. .02c

Your op tempo comment is... well, just read more.

My un-needed input: The current war on terror will probably go down as the most important and validating long term (socom) operation in history. I doubt, based off of what I have read/heard that there has existed a finer breed of special operator or a higher op-tempo than currently exists. I would also say that SOF operations in Iraq during the surge, as well as Jawbreaker in A-stan would go down as maybe the two greatest special operations in modern history. (personally, I cant think of a more successful or more perfectly executed mission by any country's SOF than what American SF did in A-stan). Maybe also to include the operations by American SF and CIA, who linked with the Kurds in northern Iraq in the run -up to the invasion. Just my opinion though.

 

[Centermass]

The 8240th Army (White Tigers) during the Korean conflict. Much of their existent wasn't known until declassified in the early 90's. and even with that, I only became aware of them just recently watching a History Channel documentation of the unit.

North Korea 1951: They were unknown soldiers fighting unknown battles in a forgotten war. Their covert missions annihilated communist forces. For the first time, the details of this top secret army code named "8240" have been declassified. Four Army Rangers and 20 South Koreans accept a classified mission to destroy rail lines far behind enemy lines. At the very start, the mission goes bad. Brutally cold temperatures and poor planning force them to scrap the mission but not without casualties and a daring helicopter rescue under heavy fire.

There are also victories by battalions called The White Tigers known for their ferocious fighting. Their intrepid raid demolished a top Communist fortress. History never fully honored the bravery of these soldiers who paved the way for US special forces today...that is until now.

As most of its missions were classified, its members (Many of them Rangers) had to request orders for a CIB.

In addition to Project Plough, another example that solidified USSF into what it is today.

 

[0699]

The 8240th Army (White Tigers) during the Korean conflict. Much of their existent wasn't known until declassified in the early 90's. and even with that, I only became aware of them just recently watching a History Channel documentation of the unit.



As most of its missions were classified, its members (Many of them Rangers) had to request orders for a CIB.

In addition to Project Plough, another example that solidified USSF into what it is today.

Sounds like a poser's wet dream. "I was with the 8240th; all my records were destroyed"...

 

[amlove21]

My un-needed input: The current war on terror will probably go down as the most important and validating long term (socom) operation in history. I doubt, based off of what I have read/heard that there has existed a finer breed of special operator or a higher op-tempo than currently exists. I would also say that SOF operations in Iraq during the surge, as well as Jawbreaker in A-stan would go down as maybe the two greatest special operations in modern history. (personally, I cant think of a more successful or more perfectly executed mission by any country's SOF than what American SF did in A-stan). Maybe also to include the operations by American SF and CIA, who linked with the Kurds in northern Iraq in the run -up to the invasion. Just my opinion though.

A shorter way to say this would be "Read Sean Naylor's book 'Not a good day to die' cause I think that too."

I think there are certainly some things to take away from our current ops, sure. But a lot of what we learned has come from our mistakes (like in Anaconda) and paid for in the blood of patriots. I understand that one could argue that point for nearly every special operation action, and it's a salient point. To be sure, this 10 years has taught us much- but at the same time simply re-enforced lessons we already knew from previous engagements.

And to say that "not a finer breed of operator or higher op tempo..." is a stretch borne of misunderstanding. the original operators in our military did a lot more with a lot less of everything- time, money, training, equipment, and most of all experience. Think about it this way- there are very few situations now where we go "holy crap, this is 100% new, i have never seen or trained for this, this is completely new." It simply doesn't happen. Well, at one time, that happened EVERY time those gentlemen broke the doorstep, my friend, and can be credited with the glut of knowledge and training systems we have today.