Ok I am going to the bookstore this afternoon and will be picking up both books, but what one should read first?

Thanks
[thinking]

Well, Bravo Two Zero happened first.  I happened to read B20 first then read BHD.  

I would read BlackHawk Down from the beginning to the end. I couldn't put it down.

Check out the Phil. News website, they have graphics and other stuff that was not in the book.
[url]http://www3.phillynews.com/packages/somalia/nov16/default16.asp [/url]

There is also the official BlackHawk movie website, includes synopsis, movie trailers, and screensavers:
[url]http://www.spe.sony.com/movies/blackhawkdown/[/url]

Blackhawk Down is a better read IMHO.

I agree about BHD being a better book, so maybe you'd want to save the best for last and go with Andy McNab's book (its a quick read anyway).

Regarding that, a friend of mine hated B20 due to the generous use of Limey colloquialisms.  

ie:
"We had a Leo Sayer", which is meant to say:
"We had an all day - er", which really means:
"We spent the whole day drinking."

or,

"We had a bit of Barney.", which is meant to say;
"We had a bit of trouble."  but since 'trouble' rhymes with 'Rubble', that makes it funny in the eyes of the same culture that brought us the Tele-tubbies..

Those were just examples.  However one of the odd sayings in Bravo 20 that still has me utterly baffled was one tha Andy used several times and that was: [b]"...and the next thing you know, Bob's your uncle."[/b]

Other than the fact I'm pretty sure it meant somebody was getting waxed, does anybody know what the hell he was talking about?

Whassamatter, ya don' like larnin' a furrin language?

re: Bob's your uncle.

[url]www.urbanlegends.com/language/etymology/bobs_your_uncle.html[/url]

Blackhawk Down even with the diagrams is a hard picture to imagine.  The movie will do a better job of showing this than the book.  I suppose if you could take a video tour of Mogadishu you would have a better feel for the terrain they fought in.

Bravo Two Zero is interesting for the ability of the men to focus on their mission and survival and avoid "flapping".  I guess getting the "piss" knocked out them regularly helped.

10Q for the 411 nightstalker.  

That "and the next thing you know, Bob's your uncle" thing has only been bothering me for the last couple of years.

How about "tabbing", and the references to The Jam and Joy Division. I enjoyed B20 and BHD, both. Just read 'em. Close your eyes and pick one up. Also, check out Hack worth's acconut of the Somalia incident in his second book.

Hackworthless is an idiot.  He is full of crap in his so called Somalia report.  He had his day and it's been over for quite some time.

Read BHD before the movie comes out.

-SARguy