This film is based on the novel Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden, which tells the true story of the Oct. 3, 1993, Battle of Mogadishu during the Somalian Civil War. This battle was the longest sustained ground attack involving American soldiers since the Vietnam War. The mission to abduct two of Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s lieutenants was designed to take 60 minutes but ended up lasting 15 hours. The attack resulted in two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters being shot down and the deaths of 18 Americans and hundreds of Somalians.