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Tip Of The Spear: U.S. Army Small Unit Action In Iraq, 2004-2007 [Illustrated Edition]
Richly illustrated with 12 maps and 46 photos.
The lightning campaign that toppled the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq in the spring of 2003 seemed to herald the arrival of a new way of war, as Germany’s blitzkrieg had done at the beginning of World War II. But the initial victory soon devolved into a persistent counterinsurgency conflict reminiscent of the long U.S. effort to pacify the Philippines after the rapid defeat of Spain in 1898. In Iraq, American soldiers and their Coalition partners had merely traded one fairly weak and generally conventional opponent for a more deadly, diverse, and determined foe relying on the tactics of the guerrilla and the terrorist.
This volume focuses on that second and longer campaign. But rather than a narrative of the overall course of the conflict, it provides a soldier’s-eye view of the war by focusing on detailed accounts of selected engagements. Each illustrates the everyday challenges that America’s soldiers faced in a difficult struggle against an inventive and often elusive enemy. Weapons, doctrine, and procedures developed to fight a conventional campaign against a similar opposing force had to be adapted to fit a different type of conflict. The U.S. Army’s combat and support forces brought both resourcefulness and resilience to this task while continuing to demonstrate the same courage shown by previous generations fighting the nation’s battles.
These stories not only symbolize the tip of the spear formed by units in contact, but they also represent the contributions of all American men and women who have served their country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Taken together, these accounts will provide our deploying leaders and soldiers a better understanding of the environment that they will encounter and prepare them for the work that must be done.
The lightning campaign that toppled the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq in the spring of 2003 seemed to herald the arrival of a new way of war, as Germany’s blitzkrieg had done at the beginning of World War II. But the initial victory soon devolved into a persistent counterinsurgency conflict reminiscent of the long U.S. effort to pacify the Philippines after the rapid defeat of Spain in 1898. In Iraq, American soldiers and their Coalition partners had merely traded one fairly weak and generally conventional opponent for a more deadly, diverse, and determined foe relying on the tactics of the guerrilla and the terrorist.
This volume focuses on that second and longer campaign. But rather than a narrative of the overall course of the conflict, it provides a soldier’s-eye view of the war by focusing on detailed accounts of selected engagements. Each illustrates the everyday challenges that America’s soldiers faced in a difficult struggle against an inventive and often elusive enemy. Weapons, doctrine, and procedures developed to fight a conventional campaign against a similar opposing force had to be adapted to fit a different type of conflict. The U.S. Army’s combat and support forces brought both resourcefulness and resilience to this task while continuing to demonstrate the same courage shown by previous generations fighting the nation’s battles.
These stories not only symbolize the tip of the spear formed by units in contact, but they also represent the contributions of all American men and women who have served their country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Taken together, these accounts will provide our deploying leaders and soldiers a better understanding of the environment that they will encounter and prepare them for the work that must be done.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 7, 2014
Hoffman assembled the stories of several units that were involved in battle in Iraq. Told in detail it explained the battles, movement to and from contact.
Why I started it: I've been reading a lot of histories of the Iraq war from the broad perspective. It was interesting to see the view from the soldier on the field.
Why I finished it: Very easy to read a chapter at a time. I really appreciated that the book was formatted correctly so that I could view the maps and photos without difficulty.
Why I started it: I've been reading a lot of histories of the Iraq war from the broad perspective. It was interesting to see the view from the soldier on the field.
Why I finished it: Very easy to read a chapter at a time. I really appreciated that the book was formatted correctly so that I could view the maps and photos without difficulty.
March 18, 2018
Interesting perspective of an ever evolving conflict
I gave this title 3 stars because I felt as though it was mostly a play by play of the battles described. It lacked context and substance, and read like a sports journalism article. The last two chapters improved greatly from the earlier chapters, though which was helpful. I would have enjoyed the book more if it explained more of the political undertones and environment. If you have no affiliation with the military, you will not enjoy or understand this book.
I gave this title 3 stars because I felt as though it was mostly a play by play of the battles described. It lacked context and substance, and read like a sports journalism article. The last two chapters improved greatly from the earlier chapters, though which was helpful. I would have enjoyed the book more if it explained more of the political undertones and environment. If you have no affiliation with the military, you will not enjoy or understand this book.
October 5, 2017
Very good book! Straight and to the point, the pictures from the battles assist in picturing the operations in your mind. Wish I could read more of these kinds of books! Helps to show you how it is 'downrange'...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews