Osprey Men-at-Arms 159 : Grenada 1983

On 21 October 1983, following the death of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, the leaders of the six small nations forming the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States voted to intervene militarily to restore order in Grenada. As none possessed the forces necessary to carry out a successful operation, the United States, fearing for its citizens on the island, and wanting to curb Cuba's growing influence, decided to get involved.

This book provides a review of the U.S. lead invasion of Soviet communist-troubled Grenada in 1983. While the U.S. military likes to take its time going to war to set up neat set-piece battles - when Grenada began to collapse into anarchy, President Reagen decided to go as we are and 'jump and take our lumps'. This book depicts the hasty preparations needed to fight modern no-notice wars and the flexibility and resolve inherent in America's elite Airborne and Rangers to change from airlanding to parachute airdrop while in flight en route when the runway was discovered to be blocked. The 'center of gravity' was the 10,000 foot runway under construction at Point Salines which would be used to land Soviet transport planes loaded with armaments as a way station to Latin America to arm the 'revolution' there. The Cubans in charge of the defenses miscalculated and dug-in on the beaches awaiting a seaborne assault by marines which never came. American audacity carried the day, as the runway was cleared and began to accept C-141B Starlifter transports full of ragtop-helmet camouflaged Paratroopers of the 82d Airborne who together with the Rangers rescued the American medical students, captured the Soviet arms and ammunition and swept north to link up with the marines, securing the island. The victory on Grenada signalled that the 'Reagen doctrine' of rolling back communism had teeth and America had the will to put men on the ground to stop evil from over-running the planet.

The authors, L.E. Russell and M.A. Mendez, illustrate these events with numerous pictures and colour plates by Paul Hannon showing the equipment and uniforms of the combatants. What's good for the military professional is that each illustration is scrutinized for important details - from the beret-clad Paratrooper scout who used tape patterns to camouflage his M16 rifle to the STABO extraction harness worm as load bearing gear on the SFOD-Delta trooper. This is a must-have reference book for the student of modern warfare.

Contents

• The 'New Jewel' Movement
• The Decision for Intervention
• The First Day : 25 October
• The Second Day : 26 October
• The Third Day : 27 October
• Final Operations
• The Plates