Product Description

On March 23, 2003, US Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were caught in the most extraordinary battle of Operation Iraqi Freedom. What started off as a routine manoeuvre to capture two bridges in the town of Nasiriyah turned into a 24-hour-long nightmare urban battle in which 18 young marines lost their lives and over 55 others were wounded. It was the single, heaviest loss suffered by the US military during the entire combat phase of the war. It all started going wrong when the marines came across a burnt out US Army convoy which had got lost and had been ambushed by Iraqi forces just outside of the city. This was the convoy from which Private Jessica Lynch was captured. In an attempt to rescue the unaccounted for Army personnel, the marines charged towards the city with a half baked plan, no knowledge of what lay ahead, but plenty of guts. What happened next is a gripping and gruesome tale of blunders, tragedy and heroism. Huge M1 tanks leading the attack on Nasiriyah became mired in quick sand, then a company of marines took a wrong turn and ended up on a deadly highway known as ambush alley where it's armored personal carriers succumbed to devastating RPG fire. USAF planes bombed and strafed marines who had called in the support. The dead and dying stranded on 'ambush alley' only brought more marines into the slaughter. This was not a battle of modern technology. It was a brutal, close quarter urban knife fight which tested the marines' resolve and training to the limit. At the heart of the drama were 50 or so young men, most of whom had never been to war, who found themselves in a battle from which neither their commanders or the technological might of the US military could save them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139578 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
Pritchard' s excellently reported narrative details the bloodiest American military operation of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the fight for Nasiriyah. Impossible to put down, it is a gripping account of SNAFUs, chaos, and heroism in a savage fight between U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces in the heart of a densely populated city, with several hundred thousand civilians caught in the crossfire. Ambush Alley offers a disturbing view into the down-and-dirty level of warfare which at the time was largely hidden from the American public. --Evan Wright, bestselling author of 'Generation Kill'

Tim Pritchard writes about men in war like very few dare to try. By the tenth or so page into his book you are no longer simply observing the action from your couch potato ass, you are with the young Marines, riding along with them in the back of an AMTRAK troop transport, sensing the ' feel' of combat, taking indiscriminate RPG rounds, and fired on by misdirected, fearsome A-10 ground attack jets. Ambush Alley truly takes you into the crucible of battle. It gives a new meaning to ' kicking ass' and true sensitivity to the term ' fear factor.' --Richard Marcinko, bestselling author of Rogue Warrior 'From the Hardcover edition.'

About the Author
Tim Pritchard is a London based journalist and filmmaker, and has made several award-winning documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, PBS and the Discovery Channel. This is his first book.

Customer Reviews

Gripping
For a first book, Pritchard has done very well at turning a very complex sequence of events into a well rounded, flowing narrative. It is the story of the US Marines attempt to secure two bridges in Nasiriyah in order to facilitate the progress of the main force during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. They were expecting a simple, straightforward mission, but it soon turned into a nightmare of epic proportions. The story is related in a series of interviews with the participants which are then assembled into this gripping account of chaotic urban warfare. My only minor niggle is that the author, a Brit, uses American English throughout, why? Great read though, recommended.

The Poor Bloody Infantry - You might not like what you read...
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

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. The battle could easily have been a disaster - and nearly was, as a typical American 'blue on blue' friendly fire air attack produced 75% of the fatal casualties.

What should have been an easy race to two vital bridges resulted in the main thrust being bogged down in close quarter fighting - literally in the case of the Abrams tanks, which sank into an area of sewerage.

What does come across is when communication is lost and a force split in an urban area, the training takes over and the troops are able to function independently. The opposition was fierce, yet these troops held their ground and won. Their casualties were the highest of any single day in the conflict. The writing is focussed and leaves the reader with a good overview of events - unlike the commanders at the time.

An excellent read and well worth considering buying. Along with "Shooter", "Thunder Run" and "Bullets and Copenhagen" (not yet released), this book shows how the modern day American grunt still has the stomach for a fight.