McWilliams, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Timothy, with Schlosser, Nicholas, U.S. Marines in Battle, Fallujah, November-December 2004, Marine Corps University, 2014
U.S. Marines in Battle, Fallujah, November-December 2004 was part of a series of books released by the Marine Corps to document its involvement in the Iraq War. It is a detailed military history covering the fighting by Marines and soldiers during Operation Phantom Fury the 2nd Battle of Fallujah. That is also its drawback as there is nothing on the politics or impact of the battle.
Things begin with some background as to why Fallujah was targeted. By 2004 the city had become a major insurgent base in Iraq. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his Al Qaeda in Iraq group amongst others had a presence there. In March 2004 the U.S. attacked the city after a group of security contractors were killed but it was suddenly ended after protests by Iraqi politicians. In November 2004 the Marines and Army massed again to take the city. The book doesn’t explain that this decision was made because the U.S. and Iraqi governments wanted to clear out militants from Fallujah before the January elections. That’s because the authors focus solely upon the military operations. That’s the major flaw of the work.
The vast majority of the narrative focuses upon how the Marines and Army took Fallujah. It goes through all the units and commanders involved, the battle plan, and then how they carried it out. It goes into great detail about where each unit was deployed, how it moved through the city and what resistance they faced. Thankfully there are maps included to give context to all the text. There are also some firsthand accounts by Marines and soldiers who were involved in the fighting. Even so the writing can get dry at times as it goes over this company moving here and that battalion going there.
There are several highlights. First, the U.S. forces moved so quickly through the city the insurgents were never able to put up an organized defense. Second, the militants put their most skilled fighters in the center of Fallujah and had kill zones and fortified houses that proved very difficult for the Americans to clear. Halfway through the fight the U.S. switched from storming houses for example to simply blowing them up. Third, the speed of the American advance also meant there were many areas that were never thoroughly cleared meaning insurgents constantly showed up in the rear. Finally, there were still fighters in Fallujah even after Operation Phantom Fury was over which hindered the rebuilding of the city. Again because the book lacks the larger context it doesn’t mention that Fallujah remained largely destroyed for years after the battle and became a major insurgent center later on.
If one wants a detailed military history of Operation Phantom Fury than U.S. Marines in Battle, Fallujah would be a good starting point. It gives you all the ins and outs of the American operation to take the city. At the same time because it’s just about the fighting other books are needed to give the larger context of why the battle was launched and how it played out in the larger Iraq War.
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