U.S. Marines in Iraq, 2003: Basrah, Baghdad and Beyond
Colonel Nicholas E. Reynolds. Washington, D.C.: Marine Corps History Division, 2007. 191 pp. Illus. Notes. Append. Index. $30.
Reynolds emphasizes, in his preface to this volume, that he is presenting operational history from one field historian's point of view, a "framework for understanding" how Marines coped with the thorny problems they faced in 2002 and 2003. Some of the lessons may become universal; some may turn out to be irrelevant in other scenarios.
The book's 11 chapters begin with the prelude to war and early stages of I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) planning and preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Later chapters span combat operations from Nasiriyah to Baghdad and from Tikrit to "the other war" in Kurdistan and Mosul. Reynolds also describes I MEF-British cooperation and the Marines' initial roles in the occupation.
The chapter on the seizure of Baghdad has especially interesting side notes. One relates how the I MEF commander, Lieutenant General James Conway, and the 1st Marine Division commander, Major General James Mattis, habitually shunned administrative duties in favor of moving forward to keep in touch with troops at the front. Another note gives a battalion commander's account of occupation duties. After the frantic stage of employing aggressive small units against Iraqi forces and dealing with local leaders, "Markets were open again. . . . Lessons learned: Press flesh, kiss the babies, and kill the enemy."
U.S. Marines in Iraq, 2003 treats readers to rare close-up views of the early phases of a potential long-term U.S. commitment. It also presents excellent photos of Marines in action, detailed tactical maps, and the I MEF order of battle.
Marines of all generations will appreciate Reynolds' latest contribution to their battle history. It is superb in every respect.
Among the People: U.S. Marines in Iraq
Lieutenant Colonel David A. Benhoff. Quantico, VA: Marine Corps University, 2008. Illus. 108 pp. $35.
In his foreword to this volume, retired Marine General Anthony Zinni observes that success in our current conflicts requires more than victory in battle. Not only the firefights, but the hearts and minds of the people must be won. Ironically, he writes, the courage and tenacity of Marines on the battlefield "is equally matched by their compassion and engagement with the traumatized civilian population."
Benhoff, a reservist serving at the Marine Corps History Division, deployed to Iraq in 2005. He traveled throughout the area of operations in al Anbar province to conduct oral history interviews with Marines. Concurrently, he used his personal interest in photography to capture the experiences of Marines and Iraqis.
Among the People combines artful and intelligent color photos of Iraqis, accompanied by quotes from Marines involved in the many difficult tasks associated with operating among an unsettled, traumatized populace. It also includes sections that spell out the roles of Marine Civil Affairs Groups and Advisory Support Teams. His text includes quotes from conversations and e-mails that give a sense of these roles.
According to Benhoff, one e-mail to Advisory Support Team selectees reads, "Our job: we live, eat, sleep, fight, bleed, and die with our Iraqi counterparts." Benhoff includes other, similar comments from officers and Marines who understand that the mission is to help Iraqis help themselves. The author's concise reporting and photographic skills have produced an exceptionally fine pictorial book.
U.S. Marines in the Korean War
Charles R. Smith, Ed. Washington, DC: Marine Corps History Division, 2007. 741 pp. Illus. $69.
This anthology consists of ten chapters carefully edited by Marine Corps historians to commemorate the Korean War. As the Director of Marine Corps History, Dr. C. P. Neimeyer, notes, that conflict presented political "twists and turns that made the military's job immensely more difficult."
In the event, the Corps and its fellow services learned that fighting limited wars requires standing forces rather than skeleton units given time to prepare for action. Not least, the helicopter made its mark with Marines, along with personal body armor and cold-weather gear.
The book begins with two of my favorite stories of Marines in the Pusan Perimeter and at Inchon, "Fire Brigade" and "Over the Sea Wall," by Captain John Chapin and Brigadier General Edwin Simmons, respectively. The ensuing chapters cover the bitter conflict until the armistice. Other contributors include historians Colonel Joseph Alexander, Colonel Allan Millet, and Bernard Nalty, and writer Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Brown.
The final chapters, "Corsairs to Panthers," by Major General John Condon and "Whirlibirds," by Brown, focus on the professional skill of Marine fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft units. These chapters describe in detail the evolution of fighter and attack capabilities from prop to jet in Korea, as well as the employment of helicopters in combat roles, which was yet another first for the Corps.
Smith has also included informative material on weapons and aircraft, hospital corpsmen, and combat organizations. The book includes dozens of photos, ranging from stunning battlefield panoramas to images of combat officers and enlisted heroes. This is a remarkable volume on the "forgotten war" that will please Marines and be of lasting value to historians.
U.S. Marines in Battle: Al-Khafji, 28 January-1 February 1991
Paul W. Westermeyer. Washington, D.C.: Marine Corps History Division, 2008. 36 pp. Illus. Notes. $6.50.
Paul Westermeyer's meticulous battle study gives us a detailed and well-written account of the first major ground combat action of the first Gulf War.
Having spent its diplomatic chips and undergone devastating air attacks, Iraq launched an attack on the Saudi town of Ra's al-Khafji. In an exchange with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat the previous April, Saddam Hussein had remarked, "We will fight America, and, with God's will, we will defeat it and kick it out of the whole region." He believed U.S. forces would suffer such heavy casualties that our government would pull out, thereby leaving Iraq as "the undisputed regional power."
The Coalition's victory over Iraq's largely mechanized forces—some of which "put up a fierce fight"—had its butcher's bill. American losses were 11 Marines and 14 Airmen killed (many by friendly fire); three Marines wounded and two Soldiers captured; two Marine light armored vehicles and an Air Force AC-130 destroyed. Our Saudi and Qatari allies suffered 18 killed and 50 wounded, plus ten armored cars and two tanks destroyed.
The enemy listed their losses as 71 dead, 148 wounded, 702 missing, and 186 vehicles destroyed. But around al-Khafji alone, ANGLICO (Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company) Marines reported 300 Iraqi soldiers killed, 680 captured, and 90 vehicles destroyed.
In addition to a complete order of battle, tactical maps, and informational diagrams of Coalition and Iraqi armored vehicles, readers will appreciate the comments of Marine and Saudi combatants. The author has done thorough and perceptive work on a battle that served U.S. interests well by revealing the hollowness of Saddam Hussein's armed forces.