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Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM |
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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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The March Up: Taking
Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division “While
we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat
all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for
people who have endured a lifetime under Saddam’s oppression.”—Major
General J.N. Mattis, 1st Marine Division, Commanding I remember, when I was
younger, reading a book of cartoons, one of which featured a writer rushing into
a publishers office and announcing “I’ve got something new:
A book on the war up to the first week of January 1943”.
That thought crossed my mind when I picked up this book in the library. West and Smith travelled
with a number of different US units in the recent war in Iraq.
They followed the war from the beginning – the seizing of the oil
refineries – to the end when Baghdad fell to the American assault.
The 1st Marine Division, comprised of three regimental combat teams (RCTs),
jumped off from Kuwait in March 2003 and ended up carrying out the longest land
advance in Marine Corps history for over 200 years.
The authors were able to take part in many battles, although the Iraqis
rarely fought and did so mainly as irregular suicide squads.
Many of the Iraqi regular forces deserted when the secret police were
killed. The book moves quite
swiftly from place to place. One
moment the writers discuss the battles, then the ridiculous Western media
defeatism that followed setbacks in Nasiriyah and Najaf by making the excellent
point that the Marines needed no pause, and unlike their Army brethren, were
used to operating with bare-bone logistics. There are many
interesting points. A foreign
officer (the country is not mentioned) on exchange to the Marine Corps opens
fire and cuts down two Iraqis who did not seem to be combatants, so far,
suffering no punishment for his actions. What
nation and who should be the source of some speculation.
The marines learned
swiftly to distrust most of the Iraqi people.
Many were lethargic – largely because Saddam had been allowed to crush
resistance after the Gulf War – and there were many suicide squads that cost
many lives in futile attacks. Saddam
spared no expense to turn the war as nasty as possible.
West does not likes the policy of shooting at civilian vehicles that do
not respect Marine challenges—but he admits that he didn’t have a better
policy for preventing suicide bombers.
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