Christopher (seadragontampa) -
The plain and simple version is this is a very in the moment book. There is not a long drawn out introduction of who the people are, that is done simply throughout the first portion of the book.
Straight to the point this book is about what happened on a single day in a single battle. It conveyed all the confusion of battle and how things like this were won or lost at the lowest level. Once the battle was engaged it was the company commander and below decision making that carried the day.
It even showed that with all of our technology and capability, war is still the individual and small teams carrying the battle. It also showed the old adage "no plan survives contact with the enemy". Literally, it the space of a few minutes, weeks of planning went to crap. After that it was decision-making decision making looking through a straw.
This book was not intended to be an analysis of the campaign overall or even this one battle. This book was intended to bring to the reader that horror that is war. Given that intent it succeeded.
This book should be mandatory reading for every officer in command of a combat unit from the battalion level up and then reread every few years to remind them that decisions made high on the mountain affect everyone in the valley.
Straight to the point this book is about what happened on a single day in a single battle. It conveyed all the confusion of battle and how things like this were won or lost at the lowest level. Once the battle was engaged it was the company commander and below decision making that carried the day.
It even showed that with all of our technology and capability, war is still the individual and small teams carrying the battle. It also showed the old adage "no plan survives contact with the enemy". Literally, it the space of a few minutes, weeks of planning went to crap. After that it was decision-making decision making looking through a straw.
This book was not intended to be an analysis of the campaign overall or even this one battle. This book was intended to bring to the reader that horror that is war. Given that intent it succeeded.
This book should be mandatory reading for every officer in command of a combat unit from the battalion level up and then reread every few years to remind them that decisions made high on the mountain affect everyone in the valley.
Dave F. (psychoticduality) reviewed Ambush Alley: The Most Extraordinary Battle of the Iraq War on + 6 more book reviews
After a bit of a slow start, it quickly turned into a book I couldn't put down! The author does a great job of putting you in the thick of the action, filling you with the anxiety and confusion of combat. A great read for anyone interested in understanding modern warfare and its impact on the people fighting it.
