On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

After a relatively quiet night, TFThe Power of Tanks3-15 IN fought hard the next day to defend its two remaining objectives along The decision to to leave leave an armored an armored brigade brigade in the in cen­theHighway 8. Although the Iraqis attacked center of Baghdad of Baghdad overnight overnight seemed seemed unthinkable unthinkable oneday one and day obvious and obvious the next. the next. We We must must never never underes-­with nearly the same ferocity as the day estimate the the psychological impact impact of an of American American arbefore,the task force had improved its armored force force holding holding the the ground ground it takes… it takes…defensive positions so the enemy achievedV Corps after-action review briefing,nothing. After the battle on the 8th, TF 15 July 20033-15 IN repositioned around a largeBa’ath Party complex near as the Objective MOE, known locally as the “Aflak Building.” TF2-7 IN assumed the mission of protecting the LOC and continued to defend against sporadicattacks for the next two days. 119With the LOC secured and the Spartans entrenched downtown, it remained for 3rd ID tolink up the three brigades and complete the seizure of west Baghdad. On 9 April, 3rd BCTattacked south on Highway 1 and linked up with 2nd BCT downtown. The next day, 1st BCTcompleted clearing Highway 8 east from the airport to downtown and linked up with 2nd BCT.The 3rd ID divided the city into zones for its subordinates to occupy and continued to destroysymbols of the regime’s power. 120 On the eastern side of the Tigris River, the marines of the1st Marine Division entered the city on 9 April and toppled the now famous statue of SaddamHussein. With the marines now entering the city in force, the enemy threat to the V Corps’ flankalong the Tigris River was effectively eliminated. Along with 3rd BCT’s attack south fromTITANS, these were the last major combat actions to secure Baghdad.Rather than the Grozny-like carnage and destruction predicted—and feared—Baghdad felland the regime evaporated after only three days of hard fighting. Colonel Perkins’ bold decisionto stay downtown clearly drove the final nail into the regime’s coffin. With soldiers and marinesable to move at will throughout the city, the regime evaporated.The Final Fighting in Baghdad—3rd BCT In TITANSWhile the media focused on Colonel Perkins’ Spartan Brigade as it conducted its thunderruns, Colonel Allyn’s Hammer Brigade fought perhaps the most intense urban battle in theentire campaign. Although the 3rd BCT’s area of operations on the northern outskirts of thecity seemed calm in the early evening of 7 April, the Iraqis mounted a major counterattack justafter dark. Colonel Allyn later thought the Iraqis were attempting to break out of Baghdad—orat least to open Highway 1 as an escape route for other forces still within the city. 121When the Iraqis began shelling soldiers on Objectives ROMMEL and MONTY, 1-10 FAlashed back with counterfires. The competing explosions reverberated back and forth acrossthe river. The objectives were close enough to each other that soldiers on one objective couldsee and hear the rounds landing on the other. 122 The Iraqis followed up their barrage with acombined-arms attack at Objective MONTY, using tanks, BMPs, and dismounted Infantry.Unfortunately for the Iraqis, C/1-15 IN, Hard Rock, at ROMMEL observed them as theymoved southeastward along the opposite riverbank. Hard Rock’s fire support team engagedwith indirect fires and sent reports that alerted the men of A/2-69 AR on the bridge at Objective374