TangoTwoBravo
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 2,659
- Points
- 1,110
I've just been reading Thunder Run by David Zucchino. It is an account by am embedded journalist with the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division regarding the actions in Baghdad in April 2003. The book offers an up-front look at modern combat and the author appears to have had excellent access to all ranks within the Brigade.
The book covers two "actions" in early April. The first is a short "Thunder Run" or raid up Highway 1 through a sector of Baghdad by an M1 Battalion. Lots of close range fighting and RPGs flying everywhere. The Bde Comd rides along in his carrier and ends up shooting a bad guy with his pistol.
The second action is the drive by two tank battalions into the heart of Baghdad and the securing of three highway interchanges by a Mech Battalion. The second action results in extremely heavy action once the three mech company groups settle into the highway interchanges to secure the lines of communication. Another tricky part is the movement of soft-skinned supply convoys (several POL tankers and ammo trucks explode).
I enjoyed the book not only for its accounts of modern combat at the soldier's (especially the tanker's) level but for the glimpse it sheds on the contemporary operating environment. The mixing of combatants with non-combatants, the complexities of urban terrain and the importance of information operations/psy ops all come out. The virtually complete lack of intelligence on the enemy until contact is made by the tanks is also interesting (scouts couldn't go in first because they were too vulnerable and UAVs have a hard time looking into buildings). Friendly fire issues come out such as SF guys in Toyotas looking lot like "technicals." Relief columns coming up to friendlies engaged in a 360 fight are also a fratricide risk (due in part to the range of the weapons and the "template."
One interesting bit was the problem faced by a company commander defending a highway interchange (think of a 401 interchange) in a 360 environment. He had never faced anything like it and yet there he was trying to figure it out on the fly. They had trained for "urban ops" but not "highway" ops. Perhaps our training should include TEWTs to expose junior commanders to these situations.
They main enemy threats were RPGs and suicide cars although small arms and mortars also abounded. The Bde TOC (CP) gets hit by a surface to surface missile (they figure a FROG), showing that even relatively unsophisticated opponents can still have good days.
I recommend the book for its look at modern combat. Read in conjunction with The March Up it will give an excellent look at the US ground forces' experiences in OIF (before the insurgency).
Cheers,
2B
The book covers two "actions" in early April. The first is a short "Thunder Run" or raid up Highway 1 through a sector of Baghdad by an M1 Battalion. Lots of close range fighting and RPGs flying everywhere. The Bde Comd rides along in his carrier and ends up shooting a bad guy with his pistol.
The second action is the drive by two tank battalions into the heart of Baghdad and the securing of three highway interchanges by a Mech Battalion. The second action results in extremely heavy action once the three mech company groups settle into the highway interchanges to secure the lines of communication. Another tricky part is the movement of soft-skinned supply convoys (several POL tankers and ammo trucks explode).
I enjoyed the book not only for its accounts of modern combat at the soldier's (especially the tanker's) level but for the glimpse it sheds on the contemporary operating environment. The mixing of combatants with non-combatants, the complexities of urban terrain and the importance of information operations/psy ops all come out. The virtually complete lack of intelligence on the enemy until contact is made by the tanks is also interesting (scouts couldn't go in first because they were too vulnerable and UAVs have a hard time looking into buildings). Friendly fire issues come out such as SF guys in Toyotas looking lot like "technicals." Relief columns coming up to friendlies engaged in a 360 fight are also a fratricide risk (due in part to the range of the weapons and the "template."
One interesting bit was the problem faced by a company commander defending a highway interchange (think of a 401 interchange) in a 360 environment. He had never faced anything like it and yet there he was trying to figure it out on the fly. They had trained for "urban ops" but not "highway" ops. Perhaps our training should include TEWTs to expose junior commanders to these situations.
They main enemy threats were RPGs and suicide cars although small arms and mortars also abounded. The Bde TOC (CP) gets hit by a surface to surface missile (they figure a FROG), showing that even relatively unsophisticated opponents can still have good days.
I recommend the book for its look at modern combat. Read in conjunction with The March Up it will give an excellent look at the US ground forces' experiences in OIF (before the insurgency).
Cheers,
2B