Review Colonel Rod Andrew, U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriyah, 23 March-2 April 2003, Marine Corps University, 2012

Andrew, Colonel Rod, U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriyah, 23 March-2 April 2003, Marine Corps University, 2012

 

Colonel Rod Andrew’s U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriya is about the most intense fighting during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. That took place in the southern city of Nasiriya as Marines tried to rescue a lost army unit and seize two bridges that were needed so that other forces could move on Baghdad. It turned into an unexpected fight where it seemed like the whole city had taken up arms against the Americans.

 

Andrew starts off with the misperceptions the U.S. had about Nasiriya. They were informed that the Iraqi 11^th Infantry Division and Fedayeen and Baath militias were in the city but they were not expected to fight. The Iraqi military had put up little resistance so far during the invasion and it was believed the militiamen would flee. It turns out there were hundreds more Iraqi fighters in the city including elements of the 51^st Mechanized Division, Republican Guard and Al Quds Division another militia force. Not only that but an American supply unit had gotten lost in the city before the Marines arrived, been attacked, and had soldiers spread across the city with some being captured including Jessica Lynch who became a media star as a result. Iraqis later told the U.S. that their attacks upon the soldiers made it appear that the invasion force could be stopped and it emboldened them. The book points out the Marines were heading into a battle they did not prepare for.

 

The mission of the Marines was to rescue the stranded U.S. soldiers and seize two bridges that they needed to move north towards Baghdad. Problems started as soon as the Marines entered Nasiriya. First there were three companies attacking. The first took a wrong turn and got bogged down in mud, one took the wrong route but got all the way to the second bridge, while the third stopped at the first bridge. The Marines were therefore spread out and unable to support each other. This was made worse by the fact that the tall buildings and power lines disrupted the Maines’ communications so they couldn’t coordinate. The author doesn’t mention that the rush to save the soldiers meant the entire battle plan for taking the bridges was thrown out the window.

 

Andrew tries to capture the intensity of the fighting. The Marines were taking small arms, RPG, mortar and artillery fire from nearly every direction. The militias moved amongst civilians to hide their presence and then attacked the Americans. To make matters worse an airstrike was called in and ended up hitting the Marines at the second bridge. Some Marines got separated from their units and holed up in buildings between the two bridges. The narrative would’ve been better if it included firsthand accounts of the combat. It does blame the lack of intelligence for what happened.

 

U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriya is a very short read with only around 40 pages of actual text. It gives background on how the Americans fell into such a large fight that they were not expecting. The interviews with the Iraqis are welcomed since few of these histories include the other side. It’s a good overview of what happened. A better book on just the fight to capture the two bridges is Ambush Alley by Tim Pritchard.

 

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