battle for haditha dambattle for haditha dam

Battle For Haditha - November 19th 2005, Haditha, Iraq Iraqi insurgents bomb a convoy of US Marines, resulting in the death of their most popular officer. Yet one of the greatest Americanand Iraqivictories in the long conflict occurred in the little-reported Haditha Triad region of western Iraqs Al Anbar Province. Combined with Company As seizure of the Ramadi Highway Bridge to the south, the Rangers had taken control of all the Euphrates River crossings of importance in western Iraq. Destruction of the dam would have significantly affected the functioning of the country's electrical grid and could cause major flooding downstream from the dam. Read all Director Nick Broomfield Writers Called the Ramadan Offensive, it was more of a call-to-arms than a well coordinated military campaign. It was a barrage that would last almost 36 hours, and mixed with a steady stream of mortar shells, would strain the Rangers to the breaking point. They also distributed flyers that they had made using an old ditto machine they found in an abandoned warehouse. AQI set up a shadow government in the region and increased both the frequency and viciousness of their attacks. There, like a cornered, wounded animal, they would put up their final fight. Rangers conducted a rare combat jump on Serpent and captured it, allowing the rest of the force to be transported in and letting the Night Stalkers use it as a forward arming and refueling point. The Rangers rapidly reduced the distance between vehicles, and raced toward the objective at sixty kilometers per hour. Later the Rangers captured an Iraqi forward observer dressed as a civilian after sinking his kayak with .50 caliber machine gun fire, the observer had maps of all of the Rangers positions in and around the dam. Summary of all of the indirect fire engagements during the seven days at Haditha Dam. With permission granted, Birch and Duncan sprinted down the hill, under antiaircraft artillery fire (firing in a direct fire mode) from the south. PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. Early on the night of April 1, the Rangers and Delta Force operators stormed the dam. One of the most horrific examples of this occurred when a squad from Echo Company happened across a young Iraqi girl on a bicycle wearing a Mickey Mouse backpack. For their actions against the enemy, they both received the Silver Star. This new line, stretching over a distance of 223 kilometres (139mi) with 504 towers, has a capacity of 400 kV and allows 350 MW from the Haditha Dam to be added to the national electrical grid. Mar 02. NOW WATCH: What the US needs to do to prevent a new ISIS in Iraq. By April 6, despite an occasional 155 mm artillery round lobbed into their positions, the Rangers had expanded their perimeter several thousand yards downstream. . Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom when they realize they are outnumbered by a strong Iraqi force. Five of the armed Iraqi guards died instantly, and another nine piled out of the truck, taking cover behind the concrete railings along the dam. Company B, along with Mo, was still on the dam holding out as best they could, all the while waiting for long-overdue relief. Duncan radioed CPT Doyle, relayed the situation, and requested permission to recover the wounded Iraqis. The small Night Stalker contingent of Little Bird helicopters two AH-6 attack models and one MH-6 scout variant would prove crucial in the battle. The medics bandaged Feldbuschs face and carried him to the truck, avoiding impacting artillery rounds all the way. Constantly on coalition planners' minds were the "scorched earth" tactics employed by Saddam Hussein during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. One of the great stories of modern war, it remained untold for years. Captain David Doyle, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by David Jenkins, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. As American and coalition forces focused on Baghdad and the nearby cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, AQI would retreat to the relative safety of the Triad to rest, train, regroup and plan new attacks. Weather, including sandstorms, began reducing visibility and interfering with the Night Stalkers' flying, but on the third day, an MH-47 Chinook helicopter braved enemy fire and resupplied the Rangers, who were approaching 72 hours under fire on what was planned as a 24-hour operation. By 3 April, the enemy mortar fire attacks had declined to one round every two hours. Captain Timothy Donald (pseudonym), A Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 12 September 2003, Fort Campbell, KY, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Captain Brad Thompson, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Following the Battle of Haditha Dam, Delta Force handed the dam over to the Rangers and headed north to conduct ambushes along the highway above Tikrit, tying up Iraqi forces in the region and attempting to capture fleeing high-value targets trying to escape to Syria. The Iraqis, however, kept trying to get back to the dam. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. White desperately searched for the gravel road that would lead them to the dam. As the battle rages on, a medic must face his fears and put his skills to the test in order to save his teammate. Platoon sergeant SFC James Lauder (pseudonym) led a squad to the south side of the road to clear buildings. By Almighty God, with honor, and on behalf of CWO4 Gregory Gravy Coker, Meanwhile, the Rangers pulling rear security located a bunker with five armed Iraqis and RPG launchers. Already tired from almost two weeks of continuous operations, and fully exposed to the elements and noise of the barrage, some of the young Rangers began to fall victim. By late on the evening of April 2, a number of Doyles Rangers were showing signs of the disorder, as shells fell steadily around their positions. The senior employee of the group expedited the search for demolitions by guiding a squad to key locations within the facility. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, United States Army Rangers seized the Haditha Dam on 1 April in order to prevent it from being destroyed. P.S., The cartoon I made in honor of Chief Greg Coker made it to T-Shirts at SOFREP (Geos Winchester) pretty slick! Composed of the city of Haditha and the outlying towns of Haqlaniyah, Barwana and Albu Hyatt, the Haditha Triad lies along the Euphrates River corridor, deep in the desert, far from Baghdad. A combination of mortar and 152 millimeter artillery shells rained down on the concrete surface near the Ranger positions. The Rangers pushed it the final fifty meters to safety. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Haditha Dam Seizure - The Target - Defense Media Network", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Haditha_Dam&oldid=1107643320, Articles needing additional references from August 2017, All articles needing additional references, Pages using military navigation subgroups without wide style, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 02:47. The biggest test of those Ranger qualities began late on April 2, when the first of over 350 Iraqi 155 mm artillery shells began to land around the dam complex. Star Jared Shaw The destruction of the dam would have significantly affected the functioning of the country's electrical grid and could cause major flooding downstream from the dam. By midday of the 1st, CPT Doyle felt that the Rangers effectively controlled the dam. Chief came to be friends with the Fire Support Officer (FSO) of Company A, Captain Russ Rippetoe, in the time they spent working together to bring effective fire support to the Rangers. The Premier Online Military History Magazine. Again the man indicated to his wife and the need for water. In the early days of the war, American forces never managed to establish an enduring presence in the region, which allowed AQI to lay down roots there. "We had no warning we'd be facing such a fierce response from the Iraqis none whatsoever," retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Coker told Insider. Back up on top of the dam, 1st and 2nd/B were in their blocking positions and working on fortifying their various points of fire when the Iraqis facing them finally began to come to life. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. As CPT Brad Thompson was moving forward to the lead vehicle, team leader SSG Pete Corrigan (pseudonym) tossed a grenade and yelled, Frag out! The fragmentation grenade exploded, illuminating the objective and enough Iraqis to cause the platoon to pull back long enough to regroup. Insurgents have tried many times to attack, seize, and/or destroy both the Haditha Dam and Ramadi Bridge. The bullet-riddled and oil-leaking vehicle finally died just short of 1st Platoons position. George was hit in the side where he had no plate, and an Air Force CCT man was hit in the jaw. The Battle of Haditha Dam: Mowing Iraqis down like bowling pins. At least, that was the plan.1. During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. Marines erected an earthen berm around key portions of the Triad, walling it off, while biometric automated toolsets (or BATs), portable finger print and retina scanning gear, helped mobile patrols verify the identities of locals and detect insurgents. The Iraqi dictator's claims that the US would target and destroy the dam complicated matters further. There, they linked up with the bulk of 3rd Ranger Battalion, which had jumped in five days earlier. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. 7K views 2 months ago #TheWarfighters Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam--a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom--when they realize. About the same time, 3rd/C began to move down into Objective Cobalt, on the river level below the dam face. 3rd/C swept back down toward Objective Cobalt below the dam. See more stories on Insider's business page. We loaded him and the Air Force man into one of the DAPs and it flew them off. The roots of the Haditha Dam seizure date to long before the start of OIF. He was a good man, a damned-good man and well all miss him forever. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), The Battle for Haditha The U.S. Marines Greatest Untold Victory of the Iraq War, Raid on Los Baos The WW2 Prison Camp Rescue That History Forgot , Huzzah! Military Historys Ten Most Famous Battle Cries, The Battle for Haditha The U.S. Marines' Greatest Untold Victory of the Iraq War MilitaryHistoryNow.com | CENSORED.TODAY. In 2005, in response to a U.S. and coalition attempt to establish order in the area, AQI decapitated a number of local Iraqi police officers and members of their families, placing their victims heads atop stakes at major intersections in the city of Haditha. Task Force Merrill January 30, 2016 41min TV-14 Along with providing flood control and a third of Iraq's electrical generation capacity, the dam provided the only other crossing of the Euphrates River west of Baghdad. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ Chief flew an escort mission that night for his own teammate Ranger Tony Ely, who was tasked to fly his MH-6 scout helo to the dam to deliver a surveillance drone and operator to the Rangers so they could get long eyes downrange. Visit his website www.darack.com or follow him on Twitter @EdDarack. With First Lieutenant (1LT) Graham White on point, the convoy headed northeast into the night, following a route designed to avoid enemy troop concentrations. They are our primary customers, and the 160th supports them with assault and precision close air support. The battalion, however, undertook a number of unorthodox measures to gain ground, in addition to their continuous outside-the-wire mindset. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ . RLTW! Four more AH-6 Gunships and two MH-6 scouts were coming in to relieve Chiefs team. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, United States Army Rangers seized the Haditha Dam on 1 April in order to prevent it from being destroyed. In the same year, a new power line was established between Haditha and Baghdad with the help of the USACE to restore a line that had previously been destroyed. The convoy lost its aerial escort when a ground vehicles broken gearbox delayed progress to the point where the Little Birds had to divert for fuel.3. Dividing 2nd Platoon into two elements, 1LT White led one section toward the western administrative tower, and his platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jeffrey Duncan, led the other eastward across the causeway. As the section moved into blocking positions, they suddenly heard gunfire.5, While 1LT White was walking across the road and searching for an entrance to the western administrative buildings, he heard a Ranger shout, Hes got a gun! SSG Smith had observed someone dive under a piece of sheet metal, and then spotted the barrel of a weapon. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. Headquarters and Services Company, known as H and S, went to the Haditha Dam, just north of the city. This corridor proved critical to al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) throughout the war. Doctors returned to hospitals. For the next five days, Iraqi forces continued to harass the Rangers at the dam, principally with episodic artillery and mortar fire along with several infantry counterattacks against the U.S. SPC Alan floored the gas pedal and drove out of the kill zone on four flat tires. Feb 29. Support Veteran Journalism . All day on 1 April, groups of fifty to one-hundred Iraqi soldiers engaged in "human wave" style attacks on 3rd Company, only to be destroyed by the two Ranger 120mm mortars and small arms fire, as well as U.S. Air Force airstrikes. This was unlike any missionwe'd been taught about in Ranger history. Haditha Dam was designated "Objective Lynx." West of Lynx was Objective Serpent, an old airfield and pumping station. U.S. Army photo. We sent a hundred guys, and they had like a battalion, so we were outnumbered. In other cases, insurgents simply targeted youngsters as part of their wider terror campaign. She didnt understand the instructions, so AQI set the bomb off remotely shortly after she rode by the Americans, killing her instantly. The angle of attack prevented the Rangers from returning effective fire, so they were forced to call in air support. [My] Rangers learned that they could survive under constant enemy direct and indirect fire if they used their training and listened to their leaders. The Battle of Haditha was a battle fought between U.S. forces and Ansar al-Sunna in early August 2005 on the outskirts of the town of Haditha, Iraq, which was one of the many towns that were under insurgent control in the Euphrates River valley during 2005. A civilian vehicle approached the Rangers' blocking position at one end of the dam. A hidden battery of Iraqi 155 mm howitzers also pounded the beleaguered Rangers for hours, prompting brief memories of the artillery barrages of World War I. First Lieutenant Graham White, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Jones, Jr., 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Based on their Afghanistan experience, the Rangers knew that a guy with a weapon did not actually indicate combatant status; everyone carried weapons, both militia and civilians. The Rangers quickly repelled the initial assault, but, as the morning passed, indirect fire increased. However, it took the Rangers many hours to clear the dam complex due to its huge size and the hundreds of rooms it contained. A Battle For Haditha Dam Buy TV-14 CC The Warfighters 164M subscribers Subscribe 37 The Warfighters S1 E3 Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a. There was no enemy activity to be sensed, none in the slightest. Since they did not have counterbattery radar, observers had to visually pick up mortar sites, observation posts, and artillery pieces one at a time, and guide airstrikes to take them out. Maj. Greg "Ironhead" Birch, a Delta Force operator who had returned to the Rangers, received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor under fire, for his inspirational leadership and for saving several wounded Iraqi soldiers who were stranded in no-man's-land after a failed attack a moment of humanity amid the fiercest of battles. Combat stress trauma is hardly a new phenomenon. Ten Iraqi mortar tubes, along with dozens of machine guns and RPG launchers, opened up on the Rangers, sending them running for cover. The road blocks came under sporadic mortar and rocket fire, resulting in the AH-6 helicopters flying multiple gun runs to silence the Iraqi mortar and rocket positions. Using a hooligan toola combination axe and crowbar used by emergency personnelthe Rangers pried open the heavy metal door. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Mar 02. Chief called his five-minute approach warning to Mo on the call for fire frequency. W hen militants in Iraq made their . John Gale (pseudonym) said, I was facing forward when I felt this blow to my lower left back. There were two prisoners being held there at Serpent so Chief and Tony decided to go have a close-up gander at their adversary. An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. On the fourth day of the battle, the Rangers suffered their first casualties in an attack that foreshadowed the coming insurgency. Twenty-nine tanks and three trucks also fell to the Ranger-directed airstrikes, along with 300 to 400 enemy killed by the time that they were relieved. The bomb obliterated the attackers, and shattered every window in the dam complex. Rangers have put up their own welcome sign to follow-on forces. The Herculean task of clearing nine floors of ten offices each, a control room, locked bathrooms, and balconies, rested solely on Whites section of approximately twenty Rangers. Chief cleared the way for Tony and watched him offload his Ranger and drone. CPT Doyle briefed his plan to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) pilots and tweaked the fire support plan. While the vast majority of the roughly 230,000 Coalition troops came from the south, a small special-operations contingent was sent to take a key strategic objective close to the Iraqi capital. However, the Iraqi high command were not ignorant of the dam's strategic value, and they had stationed a powerful defensive force in and around the Haditha Dam. Unfortunately, SPC Alan (pseudonym) made a wrong turn on the way down, and entered a developed area serving as an academy for antiaircraft artillery. One of the most important, and enduring, victories of 3/3s time in the Haditha Triad was tracking down a former Iraqi army colonel from the region named Farouk and returning him to his home city of Haditha. That night the enemy closed to within two hundred meters of 2nd Platoons positions, pinning down the Rangers with RPGs. A Guard F-16 that was Winchester showed up and kept making faux gun runs on the enemy which really helped to hold them at bay. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. Each day the AQI attacks became worsemore sustained and deadly and indiscriminate; insurgents targeted both Marines and civilians. After the "Black Hawk Down" battle in Mogadishu in 1993, Night Stalkers, both pilots and crew, have carried more lethal personal weaponry, including sidearms and M4 rifles. Pilots and crew also fired 6,000 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition from their personal M-4 rifles and dropped 90 M-67 fragmentation grenades, making four runs to rearm and refuel. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ed Darak is the author of The Warriors of Anbar. One man stood in front of an apparent propane tank with an RPG, and the two others were standing behind the tank. However, having steeled themselves through the barrage, none were interested in giving the facility back to the Iraqis. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. "Intel had briefed us that there was light resistance and eight to 10 personnel on the dam. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! In the course of the hour-long firefight, the Rangers killed or wounded several guards, and forced five to surrender.10, During the clash, two of the wounded Iraqis jumped the concrete barrier and tried to escape down the steep embankment. Thompson quickly adjusted his attack. The Rangers anticipated that the dam would be very well defended, with at least a platoon on Objective Lynx, and a mechanized company to the south, near Hadithah village. In Haditha, the center of gravity of the battalions fight, Echo Company worked hand-in-hand with Farouk and his fledgling police force. Our medic worked on George but there was just nothing he could do. A man stepped out indicating to his apparently pregnant wife inside and held up empty water bottles. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. Securing it was one of the first objectives of US special forces . Meanwhile, Rangers on the eastern side engaged a truck carrying fourteen Iraqi soldiers leading to a firefight that the Rangers won, killing at least five Iraqis. Mar 23. John D. Gresham Battle of Haditha Dam: The saga comes to an end. U.S. Army photo. Looking. The days seemed to pass very quickly. Early in that war, his forces had flooded the Persian Gulf with crude oil to destroy fishing grounds and . Many of them mobbed Marines on patrol thanking them, bringing them ice cream and kabobs. And when unbearable conditions forced some to fall into themselves, those same Rangers fought to get back into the fight and help win a dramatic victory. Staff Sergeant James Narrow (pseudonym), B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. 33 Reviews 2,500+ Ratings. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent Read allAn investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. down I could see that I had been hit, but that the round had hit the last chance plate on the back of my body armor. As the sun illuminated the surrounding terrain, sniper SSG Ronnie Jones (pseudonym) spotted Iraqis shooting rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) from the west side of the river, 990 meters away. As the battle rages on, a young medic must face his fears when his skills are put to the test in order to save the life of a teammate. The crucial battle for Baghdad may have begun on Wednesday with invading US forces launching a pincer attack on Republican Guard units and were reported to be just 35km away from the Iraqi capital. One particularly pesky mortar position, on an island about 2,000 yards behind the dam, was taken out with a Javelin anti-tank missile, along with a pair of 1,000-pound bombs. Mo reported that all was quiet at the dam, sounding like he had not slept in a hot minute. "We always work well together as a combat team, a well-oiled machine. Bonaparte the Bookworm Napoleon Was An Avid Reader; So What Were His Favourite Books? Local government began functioning again. Leaving a small guard detail for the workers, the rest of the Rangers moved topside, and observed that outside the building all hell had broken loose.8, SFC Duncans element saw little additional action until after daybreak. SHARES He said that even if George had been in OR it would have been next to impossible to save him. Lauder called in Little Bird attack helicopters for additional support. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! The Battle of Haditha Dam took place in 2003. An Iraqi man exited the vehicle and pointed to his seemingly pregnant wife still in the car, shouting to the American commandos for water and medical assistance. During their deployment, 3/3 maintained a strong outside the wire presence throughout the Haditha Triad, making great strides in the counterinsurgency campaign in the areabut at a cost; the battalion lost 15 of their members. With a replacement flight of Little Birds providing reconnaissance, the Rangers breached the final barrier, racing to reach the dam before daylight broke. On 1 April 2003, B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stormed the Al-Qadisiyah (Hadithah) Dam complex northwest of Baghdad. The time: 1730 hours. The battle started on 24 March 2003 when Rangers from 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, conducted a combat parachute drop onto H-1 Air Base, securing the site as a staging area for operations in the west. Buy HD $2.99 More purchase options 4. as well as other partner offers and accept our. : Mowing Iraqis down like bowling pins at one end of the road to buildings! All was quiet at the top of the 1st, CPT Doyle briefed his plan to the dam, like... Rangers with RPGs they would put up their own welcome sign to follow-on forces Geos ). The city the cartoon I made in honor of Chief Greg Coker made it to at... To pull back long enough to regroup, went to the truck, avoiding impacting artillery rounds all way... Was one of the Warriors of Anbar was light resistance and eight to 10 personnel on the go,! Standing behind the tank road to clear buildings the conflict George but there just. Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37133 United States well as other partner offers and accept our others... 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