August 7, 2004
WALTZING THROUGH STALINGRAD:
Marines Pushing Deeper Into City Held by Shiites (ALEX BERENSON and JOHN F. BURNS, 8/07/04, NY Times)
Marine commanders battling Moktada al-Sadr's rebel militiamen in this Shiite holy city said Saturday that the fighting had cleared the rebels from the ancient cemetery in the heart of the old city, but that more fighting lay ahead in the streets and alleyways nearby as an American-led offensive moved to the end of its third day.American commanders, who said they were acting under orders from the new Iraqi government, gave little sign that they intended to heed appeals for a cease-fire from clerics and others claiming to represent Mr. Sadr. But their forces pulled back from the cemetery's edges overnight to take up more secure positions, and the city streets were mostly quiet.
The marines described engaging in hand-to-hand fighting in the vast cemetery, which lies adjacent to the ancient Imam Ali mosque, a golden-domed shrine that is one of the holiest in Shiite Islam. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which returned to Iraq recently after taking part in the American-led invasion last year, had endured the fiercest battle of all its engagements in Iraq, the commanders said.
"The engagements in the cemetery were done on foot, encountering numerous fighters at a range when you can smell a man, and it's hand-to-hand combat," said Col. John Mayer, who leads the battalion that took part in the fighting. He spoke at a forward Marine base on the outskirts of Najaf, about three miles from the fighting, as fresh Marine units prepared at dusk for nighttime deployment into the city.
American accounts of the fighting on Saturday said that there had been only sporadic exchanges of rifle, rocket and mortar fire after the intense battles of the previous 48 hours, in which the marines and an allied force of Iraqi police officers and national guardsmen claimed to have killed more than 300 fighters wearing the black outfits of the Mahdi Army, the militia force loyal to Mr. Sadr. Spokesmen for the militia have countered the claims, saying only 40 of their fighters had been killed.
The United States command said American losses in the fighting up to noon on Saturday amounted to two marines and one soldier killed, and about 20 American servicemen seriously wounded.
If there was one certainty in the mind of our enemies--foreign and domestic--it was that hand-to-hand urban warfare would be too much for Americans to stomach. Instead it would appear to be just another chance to whack Mookie. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 7, 2004 8:29 PM
Ir would be better if the Iraqis themselves were the ones to take out al Sadr for good, though we may just be clearing a path for them to handle the closing chapter.
Posted by: John at August 7, 2004 8:59 PMMarines are special. We have our own unique bayonet now, you know. While the Doggies are still using a plain-jane sticker more or less similar to the old M-1 Carbine bayo, the Marines now have a bayonet patterned on the Ka-Bar fighting knife, with Bowie blade and leather ring handle. You Hajjis like to cut throats? Yeah, we got that.
Posted by: Lou Gots at August 8, 2004 12:05 AMYou have your own copyrighted uniform camouflage pattern, too.
However, I'm not sure that having your own unique bayonet shape is something to brag about; in the Army, we like to kill the enemy before he gets within an arm's length.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at August 8, 2004 1:42 AMMichael,
The Marines used to teach knife fighting by keeping your opponent at arms length as in a duel. The Bowie method; with the Bowie knife the preferred blade. It was like a cut off sword with the top of the blade also sharpened partway back. That may be what the new bayonet looks like. First I've heard it. Fortunately, the bayonet and knife are weapons of last resort. I've noticed in photos the 11th M.E.I. Marines carry theirs on their chest in a sheath with the handle down. Makes all kinds of sense for quick access to a close quarters weapon.
3 miles?
Posted by: Harry Eagar at August 8, 2004 2:24 PMOoh rah Marines!! Normal Americans can't stomach it, but Marines can. Can stomach it and can win it.
The average American civilian has no clue how dedicated, capable, patriotic and courageous their armed forces are. They have no idea how well their freedoms are protected.
Posted by: Robert Duquette at August 8, 2004 2:38 PMRobert:
Having been honored with the opportunity to serve with Marines, I couldn't agree more.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at August 8, 2004 8:22 PMCaught that too Harry. Hand to hand is mostly hearsay among Colonels. But anything could have happened in the cemetary, the houses and the streets.
In Korea a Marine in my squad slipped out ahead of our perimeter at night with nothing but a knife, looking to exact revenge for an atrocity we had witnessed the result of that day. I know because I tried to talk him out of it, but couldn't. He wisely waited until daylight to come back in and then said nothing happened and probably hadn't. Hand to hand doesn't usually happen, but it does happen and when it does it's not usually planned for by rational people. In such circumstances rationality becomes scarce. Intersetingly to me, to this day he doesn't admit or even seem to believe he did that. I know he did.
Posted by: genecis at August 8, 2004 10:51 PMNow that you've opened it up, genecis, I can refer to Sledge's 'With the Old Breed.'
His reports of close combat don't feature knives very prominently. Thumbs and knees.
Hand-to-hand struggles are unstructured, from what I've heard.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at August 9, 2004 2:49 PM