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Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > General
This monograph tells the story of more than 3,600 U.S. Marines who supported Operation Provide Comfort, an international relief effort in northern Iraq from 7 April to 15 July 1991. The author presents historical glimpses of the Kurds, modern Iraq, and non-marine activities in order to provide background information. This work is one of a series about U.S. Marine operations in the Persian Gulf.
To some people, the Korean War was just a "police action," preferring that euphemism to what it really was - a brutal and bloody war involving hundreds of thousands of air, ground, and naval forces from many nations. It was also termed a "limited war," in that it took place in a small region of the world versus the worldwide conflict that had ended less than five years earlier. But this "police action," this "limited war," cost an estimated 2.4 million military casualties on both sides, while at least another 2 million civilians were also casualties. The United States military alone suffered 33,742 killed and another 103,234 wound-ed. The war in the air was as bloody and violent as that on the ground. The United Nations air forces lost 1,986 aircraft, with the USAF sustaining 1,466 of these. Air Force personnel casualties totaled 1,841, including 1,180 dead. These losses were far greater than can be accounted for in the glib terms "police action" and "limited war." As the years passed following the end of the war, Korea receded in memory. Another war - in Southeast Asia - became lodged in the public's mind, and the Korean War became "forgotten." But to those veterans and historians alike participating in the proceedings recorded in this volume, their reminiscences and perspectives provide the reader with compelling arguments why the Korean War deserves to be remembered.
The war in the Persian Gulf in 1991 capped an era of USAF modernization and enhanced readiness begun in the late 1970s and that continued through the 1980s. The long lead-time weapons acquisition and training programs, begun a decade or more earlier, came to fruition against a far different opponent and in an unforeseen locale than that envisioned by their creators. The force designed to counter the superpower foe of the Cold War, the USSR, never fought a direct battle against that enemy during the existence of the Soviet Union. Instead, the USAF fought the first war of the so-called New World Order, a war that had as much in common with the colonial wars of the late nineteenth century as it had with the high-technology wars of the late twentieth century. The USAF shouldered the bulk of the fighting for the first thirty-nine of the conflict's forty-two days. This volume covers the air offensive against strategic military and economic targets within the pre-August 1990 borders of Iraq. The offensive air plan once again displayed the ability of the U.S. military to turn the necessity of improvisation into a virtue when, in mid-August 1990, an element of the Air Staff in the Pentagon wrote the basis of the offensive plan in ten days. The plan was founded upon the precepts of Col. John A. Warden III's air power theories-centers of gravity, shock effect, and the importance of leadership-related targets. Once the outline plan reached the arena of operations, the U.S. Central Air Forces (CENTAF), under the able leadership of Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner, adopted the targeting philosophy of the plan and, after many modifications owing to new targets and an increased force structure, employed it with devastating effect. The author describes not only the outstanding performance of USAF men and machines but also the difficulties and complexities of coordinating the many elements of air and staff operations. Among these were the complex coordination of the fighters with their tankers, the speedy transmission of data from the allseeing eyes of AWACS and JSTARS aircraft, the multiple bomb runs over chemical and biological warfare bunkers, and the shortcomings of certain types of intelligence. All these factors impacted on mission effectiveness. The author also diagrams how outside influences-political pressure from neutrals, such as the Israelis, and from public news media-can affect the direction of the bombing effort. Although this account of the air campaign in the Persian Gulf concentrates on the operational history of a six-week war, it also places that war into its larger political and military context, especially in its tale of the interplay between the U.S. military and civilian leadership. It illustrates, with reference to actual missions, the operational advantages of stealth fighter bombers as well as their vulnerabilities. Davis presents the reader with a detailed account of one of the USAF's most important air operations in the last half of the twentieth century. In the decade after the conclusion of the Gulf War, the pattern of strategic air operations against Iraq became the template for USAF operations over Bosnia and during the air war over Serbia and, most recently, in Afghanistan as well. In planning for air operations in the Balkans, USAF officers were strongly influenced by John A. Warden's methodology and ideology with its emphasis on centers of gravity and strikes on leadership targets. Stealth air combat operations, inaugurated en masse in the Gulf War, became even more prevalent with the introduction of the B-2 bomber. Likewise, the use of precision weapons grew. The aversion of western democracies to both military and civilian casualties and their effect on targeting, tactics, and strategy first encountered over Iraq became more pronounced in subsequent conflicts-as did the continuing challenge in matching accurate intelligence to precision weapons.
Early on the morning of January 17, 1991, the Persian Gulf War began. It consisted of massive allied air strikes on Iraq and Iraqi targets in Kuwait. The United States Air Force spearheaded the offensive and furnished the bulk of the attacking aircraft. During 43 days of fighting, the U.S. Air Force simultaneously conducted two closely coordinated air campaigns. This study develops background information to place the Persian Gulf War in its proper historical and cultural contexts, unfamiliar to and not easily understood by Americans.
This monograph is one in a series of five works dealing with various aspects of the Air Force's participation in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Historians of the Air Force History Program built a foundation for researching any topic related to the Gulf War air campaign. Before, during, and after Desert Storm, they collected thousands of feet of documents and conducted a number of valuable oral history interviews.
From June 25, 1950, to May 20, 1951, Lt. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, the Far East Air Forces commander, kept a diary of his activities during the Korean War. A number of general officers kept such diaries during World War II, although the practice was generally frowned upon by higher headquarters and, in the Navy at least, was against regulations. In the Korean War, the writing of such works became less wide-spread. Surprisingly, however, three diaries written by senior Air Force officers (Stratemeyer, Maj. Gen. Earle E. Partridge, Commander, Fifth Air Force, and Maj. Gen. Edward J. Timberlake, Vice Commander, Fifth Air Force) exist from the Korean War. These three diaries view the war from different perspectives: Stratemeyer's from a high-level planning, strategy, and political viewpoint; Partridge's from a mid-level planning and operational plane; Timberlake's from a slightly lower operational level. This book, however, deals only with General Stratemeyer's diary. It is a valuable document because his position as Far East Air Forces commander allowed him to observe the war and its personalities from a unique perspective. General Stratemeyer had his secretary type his diary entries onto 6 by 9 1/2-inch loose-leaf lined pages. Totalling some 750 pages, these were then placed into three large binders covering the periods June 25 - September 15, 1950, September 16 - December 16, 1950, and December 17, 1950 - May 20, 1951. The editor has changed this time division somewhat to conform to certain significant events and to make each section more or less equal in length. September 14 now ends the first section; the second section begins the following day with the Inch'on landings and concludes on November 25 with the opening of the massive Chinese Communist offensive; the final section covers the period November 26, 1950, to May 20, 1951, the date of Stratemeyer's heart attack. The reader should be aware that, although it was the intent of the editor to keep this diary as published as close as possible to the original, it is not the "raw" diary as Stratemeyer had it transcribed. By remaining close to the original, all messages have been retained even though some were word-for-word repeats of messages entered earlier, perhaps just a paragraph before. However, to prevent an overload of "sics," brackets or other such emendations, certain editorial changes have been made. This has been done primarily to make the text more readable. As General Stratemeyer wrote the diary and his secretary typed it, punctuation tended to wander or be non-existent at times. Commas and other such punctuation were often omitted, resulting in words which ran together or created occasional odd sentences. Also, Stratemeyer (or his secretary) often used quotation marks randomly for no particular reason. He (or they) also tended to capitalize everything that had an "official" ring to it, regardless of whether it was necessary or not (e.g., "Ground Force," "Border," etc.). In the case of place names, at times he capitalized the entire name but in the next sentence capitalized only the first letter of the name. Therefore, proper punctuation and capitalization has been inserted throughout the text. United State Air Force, Air Force History and Museums Program.
Merriam Press Military Monograph 127. Second Edition (2012). This book is about the experience of one soldier, Bill Cain, his family, and the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade. Bill and his wife, Renee, were among those affected greatly by this historic event. His book, Crossing the Line, is based on their experiences, fears, and concerns during that time. Renee was eight months pregnant when Bill deployed to Saudi Arabia as the Brigade Intelligence Officer for the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade (attached to Seventh Corps). Soldiers of the 42nd played a key role in winning the fight in Kuwait, giving the Corps Commander the flexibility to mass fires all across the fight. With the subsequent events of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, Desert Storm has dropped from view. In this book, Bill Cain resurrects the story of Desert Shield/Desert Storm and demonstrates the significance that it played in the changing and dangerous world in which we live and how it helped create the conditions that exist in the world today. This book will bring back memories, arouse emotions, and reinforce the patriotism and valor of our soldiers and their families. Contents: Dedication; Acknowledgments; Foreword; Prologue; D-Minus: The Road to "The Storm"; Chapter 1: The Clouds Gather; Chapter 2: Farewell to V Corps; Chapter 3: Welcome to Saudi Arabia; Chapter 4: Phase II - The Air War (18-25 February); Chapter 5: Phase III - The Deception Plan (26 January-15 February); Chapter 6: Phase IV - The Breach (16-24 February); Chapter 7: Phase V - The "End Around" and Exploitation (25-26 February); Chapter 8: Phase VI - Destruction of the Republican Guard (27-28 February); Chapter 9: Phase VII - Defense of Northern Kuwait (1-9 March); Chapter 10: The Waiting Game; Chapter 11: Coming Home; Chapter 12: Reunited at Last; Chapter 13: Gulf War Syndrome ... Saddam's Revenge?; Chapter 14: The World Has Changed; Chapter 15: Taps; Military Glossary; 57 photos; 2 maps specially commissioned for this book.
Remarkably ambitious in its audacity and scope, NATO's irregular warfare and nation-building mission in Afghanistan has struggled to meet its nonmilitary objectives by most tangible measures. This book explores shortfalls in the U.S. Government's strategic planning processes and the mechanisms for interagency coordination of effort that have contributed to this situation, as well as reforms needed to meet emerging 21st century national security challenges.
From mind numbing boredom one moment to being absolutely scared to death the next Life at sea is always interesting The men and women of the Navy's HC-5 "Providers," Detachment 4, while deployed on the T-AE-26 Kilauea, set records, got awards, and had some fun too Start with helicopters hovering with explosive cargo, mix in some truly lunatic fork lift drivers, maybe grab a couple hours of sleep, if you're lucky, have some great food and terrible coffee, grab your Walkman and your gas mask, we'll enjoy surreal sunsets, and oh yeah, don't forget we're in a War Zone Its an Adventure, just like the Navy promised Told from the perspective of an aircraft mechanic who was just doing his best to hold things together, you'll feel the salt spray on your face as the rotor wash threatens to blow you over the edge. This book is dedicated to all the people back home, who wrote the letters and let us know they hadn't forgotten us. Thanks for the mail
Full of energy and ambition, Anthony Mena, struggles with the
decision of which military branch he will join when he graduates
from high school. Towards the end of the school-year, he enlists in
the United States Air Force to serve in Security Forces. In spite
of his mother's protest, Anthony leaves to basic training a month
after graduation in hope of deploying to fight in the war-torn
country of Iraq.
Includes many full color illustrations and maps.
Three Block War is 21st Century warfare defined. A clash of highly-trained and motivated warriors equipped with modern weaponry, opposed by a brutal cornucopia of asymmetrical zealotry and international terrorism, thriving in a land saturated with Soviet munitions. Part I: Iraqi Freedom chronicles the war in 2003, from the fierce urban battles in southern Iraq at Nasiriyah and the Faw Peninsula, to the mechanized assault that captured Baghdad and toppled Saddam Hussein. Battle tactics and the strategies of highly-aggressive commanders such as 1st Marine Division's Maj. Gen. James Mattis and 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines' Lt. Col. B.P. McCoy are also chronicled. Part II: Iraqi Jihad recounts 2004, the intensity, danger, courage, sacrifice and esprit de corps that U.S. Marines experienced fighting jihad in western Iraq's Anbar Province. From the Syrian border to Ramadi, Najaf and particularly Fallujah, the Marines fought legendary battles on desert sands, city streets and even inside the world's largest graveyard from April-December. Three Block War is illustrated with combat imagery by Marine and Navy combat photographers.
Originally released in 2006. Contains papers from a symposium on the Korean War held at the U.S. Congress on June 7, 2000. Records the reminiscences and perspectives of veterans and historians participating in the symposium.
The city of an-Najaf, Iraq, is a provincial and market center located on the western branch of the Euphrates River approximately 100 miles south of Baghdad. Its population (prewar) of 563,000 expands at times with pilgrims to this important center of Islamic scholarship and theology. It is the location of several significant shrines for Shi'a Muslims and boasts one of the largest cemeteries in the world. Its more recent history has been marked by conflict of a political nature as the place of exile for Ayatollah Khomeini and site of the assassination of Ayatollah Mohammad Sadiq. It served as the location of Shi'a resistance to perceived political oppression and was a place of battle once more in 2004. This is a "battle study" written purposely from the perspective of the Marines, soldiers, and sailors who fought at an-Najaf in August 2004. Some context is needed to fit these events within the evolution of the campaigning in Iraq in 2004. The Americans deployed to al-Anbar and an-Najaf Provinces, faced a variety of threats as Iraq attempted to again govern itself. Threats were from disparate sources, including Sunni Fighters in Fallujah and Shi'a fighters in Najaf. Behind each was the possibility of al-Qaeda in Iraq or criminal exploitation of any disruption of Coalition efforts to establish responsible Iraqi Government. This complexity of threats did not lend itself to easy solutions. In March 2004, Lieutenant General James T. Conway's I Marine Expeditionary Force was faced with an outbreak of Sunni insurgency in Fallujah. At the same time, a Shi'a uprising took place across Iraq, including Baghdad, Najaf, an-Nasiriyah, al-Kut, al-Amarah, and Kirkuk. The fighting spread to Karbala, Hillah, and Basrah with attacks on Iraqi and Coalition outposts. The fighting dropped off in June with the establishment of the Iraqi Interim Government of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, but the menace of further violence remained. The Multi-National Force-Iraq, under General George W. Casey Jr., USA, felt that before the Iraqis could be responsible for security in each province, the centers of violence had to be dealt with by a "clear-hold-build" approach. Baghdad, Fallujah, and Najaf were thus targeted. When Muqtada al-Sadr fomented another uprising in August, the recently arrived 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit found itself assigned to quell the uprising in Najaf. It would be reinforced for this effort by two U.S. Army and four Iraqi Army battalions. This narrative documents this effort from the small-unit level. The importance of the close relationship between political and military force is emphasized. The intent is to provide a view of combat for the education and training of Marines who might face similar circumstances.
"On Point II" is the US Army's first historical study of Operation Iraqi Freedom between May 2003 and January 2005. The authors of this study, historians at the Army's Combat Studies Institute, have based their account on primary documents and hundreds of interviews with key participants in the campaign. On Point II tells the dramatic story of how, after May 2003, the US Army reinvented itself by transforming into an organization capable of conducting a broad array of diverse and complex full spectrum operations to create stability in Iraq. Critical chapters in this comprehensive book focus on detainee operations (including the Abu Ghraib incidents), reconstruction efforts, and the general response to the growing insurgency in Iraq. The study uses maps, charts, and photographs to help tell its story and includes appendices that document the units involved in the campaign and key events during this period of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Originally published by the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Combat Studies Institute in December 2008.
Since 2001, the US Army in Afghanistan has been conducting complex operations in a difficult, often dangerous environment. Living in isolated outposts and working under austere conditions, US Soldiers have carried out missions that require in equal parts a warrior's courage and a diplomat's restraint. In the larger discussions of the Afghanistan campaign, the experiences of these Soldiers-especially the young sergeants and lieutenants that lead small units-often go undocumented. But, as we all know, success in Afghanistan ultimately depends on these small units and their leaders, making their stories all the more important. In 2010, as the scale and tempo of Coalition operations in Afghanistan increased, so did the need for historical accounts of small-unit actions. As commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), I commissioned the Combat Studies Institute to research and write the cases collected in this volume and in those that will follow. By capturing key insights from both lethal and non-lethal operations, I hoped these accounts would be of immediate utility to sergeants and lieutenants at the center of future operations. The eight actions described in these pages take the reader through a wide range of platoon-level operations, from an intense firefight near Kandahar to an intricate civic action project in Kunar Province. Drawing from dozens of Soldier interviews, these accounts vividly depict the actions themselves and offer critical insights of greatest benefit to the small-unit leaders of today and tomorrow. The US Army always has prided itself as an institution of constant learning, strongly committed to drawing lessons from its past. This volume from the Combat Studies Institute is an excellent example of that long and honorable tradition.
My chief lied and my shipmate died. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Do yourself a favor and read this war story before you enlist. Otherwise, you may be joining the enemy.
The Combat Studies Institute (CSI) is pleased to present its latest publication in the Occasional Paper Series, "We Have Not Learned How to Wage War There" The Soviet Approach in Afghanistan,1979-1989, by Mr. Matt Matthews. For this work, Mr. Matthews collected a wide variety of sources on the subject, many of them of primary accounts, and used these materials to provide an overview of the evolution of the Soviet operational approach in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. This Soviet experience offers a number of useful insights for American military professionals who are, as of this writing, conducting operations in Afghanistan. Mr. Matthews begins his study by examining the Soviets' planning for its invasion of Afghanistan and initial goals for that campaign. The author then looks closely at how the Soviets adapted their tactics and organization to meet the committed and resilient insurgent threat that emerged to do battle against Soviet forces. Despite conventional interpretations of this campaign in Afghanistan which emphasize the rigidity of Soviet methods, Matthews' study suggests that the Soviets were flexible in their overall approach. The Soviet government did, for example, launch nation-building initiatives that would look familiar to American military officers who served in Afghanistan in the first decade of the 21st century. These efforts, however, were seriously hindered by a Soviet military culture that opposed a more comprehensive campaign to foster a popular central Afghan government. Matthews concludes his study by examining Soviet operations to extract their forces from Afghanistan while nonetheless leaving a viable, if not popular, Afghan government in place.
At the time of this writing, the United States and the other members of the international security assistance forces are completing nearly a decade of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. What started as more conventional or tradition fights has degenerated over time into insurgency warfare, something U.S. forces have had to re-learn and re-build to fight.
Pulitzer Prize finalist David Philipps brings to life the chilling story of how today's American heroes are slipping through the fingers of society - with multiple tours of duty and inadequate mental-health support creating a crisis of PTSD and a large-scale failure of veterans to reintegrate into society. Following the frightening narrative of the 506th Infantry Regiment - who had rebranded themselves as the Lethal Warriors after decades as the Band of Brothers - he reveals how the painful realities of war have multiplied in recent years, with tragic outcomes for America's soldiers, compounded by an indifferent government and a shrinking societal safety net.
This monograph is more than the story of Marine expeditionary operations in Afghanistan. It describes who our nation's enemies are; how America became involved in the Global War on Terrorism; and how the Marine Corps struggled to acquire a major role in Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as the actions of Marines and sailors who helped prosecute the air and ground campaigns against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. In the latter regard, we see the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, already forward deployed on 11 September 2001, ready to conduct a noncombatant evacuation operation, secure a forward operating base, or provide a quick reaction force for joint special operating forces conducting the initial offensive action of the war. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit then combined with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and quickly maneuvered from the Mediterranean to form a provisional Marine expeditionary brigade known as Naval Expeditionary Task Force 58. Working simultaneously under the direction of U.S. Central Command's land and maritime component commanders and in association with joint special operations forces, Brigadier General James N. Mattis and his force embarked on a sequence of operations in southern Afghanistan. These included, but were not limited to, establishing Forward Operating Base Rhino, interdicting enemy lines of communications along Highway 1, occupying Kandahar International Airport, securing the American embassy in Kabul, detaining several hundred prisoners of war, and supporting special operations forces during numerous sensitive site exploitation and special reconnaissance missions. The monograph also describes the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit's rapid reinforcement of Coalition forces during Operation Anaconda, only days after Task Force 58's disbandment. Although events did not afford the Marines an opportunity to engage the enemy in heavy combat, their contribution in southern Afghanistan was nonetheless significant. From a strategic perspective, the arrival of a sizable conventional force demonstrated America's resolve to confront the sponsors of terrorism directly and signaled an end to Taliban rule. From an operational perspective, Task Force 58 successfully blocked the western escape route from Kandahar and threatened the enemy's last remaining urban stronghold. As Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold, former director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later observed: The insertion of Task Force 58 had a deep psychological impact on the Taliban and al-Qaeda-they were confronted with a military situation which now unhinged any hope they had for a gradual pullback from the north and a chance to hold from their area of greatest strength. . . . The insertion of Task Force 58 fundamentally changed the equation for the enemy from one of grim hope to hopelessness. The strategic agility and operational reach showcased by the Navy amphibious squadrons and Marine expeditionary units validated the utility of task-organized expeditionary forces, particularly in respect to the effectiveness of long-range, ship-to-objective maneuver. These combined achievements contributed directly to the subsequent deployment of expeditionary strike groups in 2003. As a result, today's naval services are now in a better position to address emerging crises around the globe, regardless of whether they occur in littoral or landlocked regions of the world. Colonel Nathan S. Lowrey began his military career as an infantry officer, serving first as a rifle platoon commander in Panama during Operation Just Cause and then as a recruiting officer in Portland, Oregon. After transferring to the Reserves to attend graduate school, he joined the History Division's Field Operations Branch in 1998 and subsequently deployed to document operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He joined the Histories Branch as a civilian writer in 2005 and later served as head of the Field and Oral History Branch from 2008 to 2010.
WT Naud's book is a humorous heart-felt M*A*S*H type account of the unconventional lives of CODEBREAKERS fighting the Korean War from the back lines in OJI-JAPAN. Using his NEW YORK STREET SMARTS, Naud managed to serve his country with the help of the SON OF A MAFIA DON, seventeen EX-KAMIKAZE WAITERS, Tokyo's infamous BLACK MARKET SAM, twenty stunning MISS TOKYO CONTESTANTS, rigged BINGO GAMES, a bag full of GOLF CLUBS and a breathtaking JAPANESE GIRL with COBALT-BLUE EYES. Underlying the M*A*S*H type antics that kept him from getting shipped to the FRONT LINES, is a compassionate story of the devastation the JAPANESE PEOPLE experienced during WWII and five years later we find a country still pockmarked with physical and emotional scars. "Though I was more akin to BUGS BUNNY than JAMES BOND, I had somehow managed to end up in the ASA, the ARMY SECURITY AGENCY, an organization so SECRET it denied it's own existence. "At OJI, the most SENSITIVE ASA BASE in the FAR-EAST, COMMUNIST SPY-GIRLS were luring GI'S into TRYSTS to get TOP-SECRET DECODED information about MACARTHUR'S WAR PLANS. I was CHARGED with STOPPING them. CODEBREAKERS were turning up DEAD... A beautiful ORIENTAL COMMUNIST RECRUITER wanted to seduce me.... My FIRST SERGEANT wanted to kill me... The JAPANESE BLACK MARKETEERS wanted me to stop screwing up their business... My best friend, the SON OF A MAFIA DON, kept trying to SHOOT himself so he wouldn't get SHOT fighting on the front lines..... All I wanted to do was PLAY GOLF and stay out of the TRENCHES in KOREA... AND IT'S ALL TRUE " "Treat yourself to a large dose of Entertainment, Humor and Human Drama. WT Naud's book is better than M*A*S*H because it all really happened I've known every character in the book." Peter Marshall/ MC Hollywood Squares "Oji is the culmination of a writing career in a styleof wit and wisdom that's well worth reading." Joel D. Swanson/ Writer for Network Series including the Dick Van Dyck Show and Mayberry Rfd.
This document is part of the United States Air Force's Korean War Fiftieth Anniversary Commemorative Series. "We now know, as we never knew it in the Air Force before, that we can fly anything, anywhere, any time. Climate, mountains, oceans-those can't stop us." |
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