- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Presidio Press (30 Aug 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0891418806
- ISBN-13: 978-0891418801
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.5 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,363,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
March 23, 2003: U.S. Marines from the Task Force Tarawa are caught up in one of the most unexpected battles of the Iraq War. What started off as a routine maneuver to secure two key bridges in the town of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq degenerated into a nightmarish twenty-four-hour urban clash in which eighteen young Marines lost their lives and more than thirty-five others were wounded. It was the single heaviest loss suffered by the U.S. military during the initial combat phase of the war.
On that fateful day, Marines came across the burned-out remains of a U.S. Army convoy that had been ambushed by Saddam Hussein’s forces outside Nasiriyah. In an attempt to rescue the missing soldiers and seize the bridges before the Iraqis could destroy them, the Marines decided to advance their attack on the city by twenty-four hours. What happened next is a gripping and gruesome tale of military blunders, tragedy, and heroism.
Huge M1 tanks leading the attack were rendered ineffective when they became mired in an open sewer. Then a company of Marines took a wrong turn and ended up on a deadly stretch of road where their armored personal carriers were hit by devastating rocket-propelled grenade fire. USAF planes called in for fire support play their own part in the unfolding cataclysm when they accidentally strafed the vehicles. The attempt to rescue the dead and dying stranded in “ambush alley” only drew more Marines into the slaughter.
This was not a battle of modern technology, but a brutal close-quarter urban knife fight that tested the Marines’ resolve and training to the limit. At the heart of the drama were the fifty or so young Marines, most of whom had never been to war, who were embroiled in a battle of epic proportions from which neither their commanders nor the technological might of the U.S. military could save them.
With a novelist’s gift for pace and tension, Tim Pritchard brilliantly captures the chaos, panic, and courage of the fight for Nasiriyah, bringing back in full force the day that a perfunctory task turned into a battle for survival.
"Ambush Alley" is a gut-wrenching account of unadulterated terror that's hard to read yet impossible to put down. London-based journalist and filmmaker Tim Pritchard, who was embedded with US troops during the initial stages of the American-led invasion of Iraq, paints a compelling picture of one of the costliest battles of the Iraq war that will at turns anger, horrify, and sadden, regardless of one's political views."
--The Boston Globe
On that fateful day, Marines came across the burned-out remains of a U.S. Army convoy that had been ambushed by Saddam Hussein’s forces outside Nasiriyah. In an attempt to rescue the missing soldiers and seize the bridges before the Iraqis could destroy them, the Marines decided to advance their attack on the city by twenty-four hours. What happened next is a gripping and gruesome tale of military blunders, tragedy, and heroism.
Huge M1 tanks leading the attack were rendered ineffective when they became mired in an open sewer. Then a company of Marines took a wrong turn and ended up on a deadly stretch of road where their armored personal carriers were hit by devastating rocket-propelled grenade fire. USAF planes called in for fire support play their own part in the unfolding cataclysm when they accidentally strafed the vehicles. The attempt to rescue the dead and dying stranded in “ambush alley” only drew more Marines into the slaughter.
This was not a battle of modern technology, but a brutal close-quarter urban knife fight that tested the Marines’ resolve and training to the limit. At the heart of the drama were the fifty or so young Marines, most of whom had never been to war, who were embroiled in a battle of epic proportions from which neither their commanders nor the technological might of the U.S. military could save them.
With a novelist’s gift for pace and tension, Tim Pritchard brilliantly captures the chaos, panic, and courage of the fight for Nasiriyah, bringing back in full force the day that a perfunctory task turned into a battle for survival.
"Ambush Alley" is a gut-wrenching account of unadulterated terror that's hard to read yet impossible to put down. London-based journalist and filmmaker Tim Pritchard, who was embedded with US troops during the initial stages of the American-led invasion of Iraq, paints a compelling picture of one of the costliest battles of the Iraq war that will at turns anger, horrify, and sadden, regardless of one's political views."
--The Boston Globe
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The story of a battalion of Marines in the push on Baghdad is well told by Tim Pritchard, even if a few more maps might have helped follow the narrative. I suppose it is only fair that the lack of maps confused this reader when the theme of the book is the confusion of warfare.
The Marines suffer what must have been a rather bad run of luck. They lose contact with each other at vital moments (as the air waves are filled with radio traffic). The tanks that are a vital part of their strength have to pull back to refuel only to find that they can only use one pump. American aircraft attack American units. Vehicles are lost in a mud bog. And (of course) all of this happens in a town where Iraqi resistance is strong and forceful.
The result is the sort of action that might remind one of Blackhawk Down, but in reality was much less of a disaster. Despite the bravery of the Iraqis the US troops had enough heavy support to hold their positions. But Pritchard is very good at representing the way extended combat eats even the most professional soldier's reserves of energy and enthusiasm.
Solid reportage.
The Marines suffer what must have been a rather bad run of luck. They lose contact with each other at vital moments (as the air waves are filled with radio traffic). The tanks that are a vital part of their strength have to pull back to refuel only to find that they can only use one pump. American aircraft attack American units. Vehicles are lost in a mud bog. And (of course) all of this happens in a town where Iraqi resistance is strong and forceful.
The result is the sort of action that might remind one of Blackhawk Down, but in reality was much less of a disaster. Despite the bravery of the Iraqis the US troops had enough heavy support to hold their positions. But Pritchard is very good at representing the way extended combat eats even the most professional soldier's reserves of energy and enthusiasm.
Solid reportage.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Expecting to roll through Al Nasiriyah on the way to Baghdad, being welcomed by open armed Iraqis, the US Marines' plans went awry before they had reached the first bridge to the South of the city.
The night before the planned manouver, an army convoy had made a wrong turn and stirred up a hornet's nest in the town. An oft used maxim is that "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" and this book demonstrates this perfectly.
Lack of communication, military intelligence and proper planning all contributed to a disaster that unfolds with horrifying predictability when read from afar.
The author strings together a confusing and disorganised picture to give a more vivid experience than a movie.
"Black Hawk Down", the debacle in Somalia involving US Army Rangers, is often referenced in the book; principally because the similarities are startling. Clearly, the lessons of that day in 1993 were not learned.
Pulling no punches, the author has clearly spent a great deal of time and careful interviewing to bring the details together. Highly recommended, although beware as once you begin reading it is very difficult to stop.
The night before the planned manouver, an army convoy had made a wrong turn and stirred up a hornet's nest in the town. An oft used maxim is that "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" and this book demonstrates this perfectly.
Lack of communication, military intelligence and proper planning all contributed to a disaster that unfolds with horrifying predictability when read from afar.
The author strings together a confusing and disorganised picture to give a more vivid experience than a movie.
"Black Hawk Down", the debacle in Somalia involving US Army Rangers, is often referenced in the book; principally because the similarities are startling. Clearly, the lessons of that day in 1993 were not learned.
Pulling no punches, the author has clearly spent a great deal of time and careful interviewing to bring the details together. Highly recommended, although beware as once you begin reading it is very difficult to stop.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I became tired of the gung-ho macho bs surrounding the majority of the arms of the illustrious American War Machine and its capabilities. Thats why this particular book is so crystal clear on the humanitarian side of combat. Its not all 'we can do this cos we are the best' as you usually encounter with most American Forces personnel. It actually tells a very descriptive story of what the British Army colourfully term a 'clusterf**k'. The best laid plans always go to pieces as soon as the first rounds go downrange. Task Force Tarawa's (TFT) plans were no different. Ambush Alley highlights the divide between narrow minded elitist higher ranks, the knock on effect of which brings unnecessary and unhealthy rivalry,friction and disregard of other rank's indepth experience within their chosen field and in the long run the problems that come from it. Sometimes the US Marine Corps aren't all they brag about. No communication between Army elements and TFT led to 507th Maintenance Company getting hammered, yet no-one knew about it. TFT then unknowingly stumbled into the kill zone. Extremely poor radio discipline from the Marines' own elements causes communications problems. That then in turn caused the battleplan to fall apart straight away. The rifle companies ended up spread out in different locations to what they had rehearsed, they couldn't contact each other as comms was impossible and the poor young Marines at the sharp end started taking casualties from a very dominate Iraqi force from an area the Marines' own Intelligence said wouldn't put up a fight. The area was in fact so hostile, even women and children were at the forefront of the urban battle. Then as if that wasn't bad enough, poor organisation and comms again led to the Marines' own Forward Air Controller clearing two US Air Force A-10 Warthog Tankbusters for gun runs against their own guys, claiming 75% of their inflicted casualties. The victims of this US military debacle is as always the young scared grunts on the ground.
Ambush Alley is a truly excellent read - very well written, fast paced, expertly detailed and most of all honest to the guys who experienced/suffered the failings of their own moronic chest beating higher ranks and ended up paying for their incompetence with a lot of unnecessary blood. This is the true description of war and what happens when its dogs are released. Very insightful although at times harrowing, if you enjoyed Black Hawk Down, this should be in your book case
Ambush Alley is a truly excellent read - very well written, fast paced, expertly detailed and most of all honest to the guys who experienced/suffered the failings of their own moronic chest beating higher ranks and ended up paying for their incompetence with a lot of unnecessary blood. This is the true description of war and what happens when its dogs are released. Very insightful although at times harrowing, if you enjoyed Black Hawk Down, this should be in your book case
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Ambush Alley
A brilliant account of battles in Nasiriyah, Iraq. Includes the sights and smells of the battlefield as well as graphic accounts of the battle.
Published 14 months ago by pabest34
Stirring and brutal!
I cannot recommend this book highly.Told from the viewpoint of the soldiers on the ground from grunts to generals.Combat descriptions are
visceral and gruesome. Read more
visceral and gruesome. Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2007 by Colm White
Gripping
For a first book, Pritchard has done very well at turning a very complex sequence of events into a well rounded, flowing narrative. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2006 by John Richard
Finally a book that shows the Yanks can fight
This book was almost written by accident, as the author didn't experience the events. Don't let that put you off. The action is non-stop and you feel like you are there. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2006 by Mr. R. Pursehouse
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