battle for haditha dam

As the vehicle retreated, leaving a trail of oil behind it, another round hit MK19 gunner Corporal (CPL) Jon Gale (pseudonym) in his body armor, knocking him backwards. 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. Ten Iraqi mortar tubes, along with dozens of machine guns and RPG launchers, opened up on the Rangers, sending them running for cover. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. The Battle of Haditha Dam: Mowing Iraqis down like bowling pins. 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. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent 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. 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. In order for U.S. forces to use Objective Serpent for fixed-wing transport. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. They had all been killed, wounded, or rudely spanked into a state of little or no desire to fight the small American Special Operations force any farther. The MH-6 had a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera to paint targets for the two AH-6s. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. SPC Feldbusch did, indeed, resume breathing on his own, and the color returned to his face, giving everybody new hope for his survival. They secured the antiaircraft artillery academy to the south, and cleared out the cache of munitions. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ On 1 April 2003, B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stormed the Al-Qadisiyah (Hadithah) Dam complex northwest of Baghdad. Our medic worked on George but there was just nothing he could do. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! stay. 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. The ensuing four-day battle was the single largest engagement of the entire war, with 22 Iraqi troops engaged for each US commando present. I just saw this movie and found it very moving. One of the Ranger's rounds went through an Iraqi soldier and into a nearby propane tank, which exploded and killed the other two members of the RPG team. Knowing that the Night Stalkers had stayed long beyond the protection of darkness, he released them with gratitude. South of the dam, a Ranger platoon secured the dam's power station and electricity transformer against sabotage. As the fire support officer and two troops neared the vehicle, the Iraqi couple detonated an improvised explosive device, killing themselves and all three Rangers. 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. Amazingly, Alan escaped with only a gunshot wound to his toe, and Gale was unhurt.13, Last in the movement order, 1st Platoon established two blocking positions across the road leading to the dam complex. Besides small-arms ground fire which caused severe damage to Coker's chopper that crew chiefs mended with duct tape the Night Stalkers had to account for hidden anti-aircraft trucks and surface-to-air missiles. Tony knew Chief had his back with his six-guns. Elsewhere, another Ranger platoon established road blocks on the main road leading into the dam complex to prevent the Iraqis from recapturing that area of the dam. Finally, the Rangers demonstrated the value that a flexible, cohesive, and highly trained assault force can bring to the modern battlefield. They were a pitiful sight to be sure, the prisoners were; just ordinary men, they two. All day on April 1, groups of 50 to 100 Iraqi solders would form up in human wave attacks on 3rd/C, only to be beaten back by the two Ranger 120 mm mortar tubes, airstrikes, and accurate small arms fire. positions. The film was shot in an unconventional way whereas instead of a detailed script, there was only an outline of each scene and where the story was going. 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. The dams capture also prevented any further use of the facility as a river crossing by foreign terrorists, while ensuring its availability to coalition forces. Unable to access the area from the top of the dam, CPT Taylor directed his men to reverse course and head back through 1st Platoons blocking position. They are hardly targets of no significance. While the hindsight of bystanders is always 20/20, the crucible of battle makes the situation at the moment of truth far less certain for those in the fight. By the time that the Iraqi artillery and mortar barrage abated late on the April 3, Doyle and his men knew that they were in for a long. This was the cue to steel for the assault. According to the Marines of 3/3 and 2/3 who followed the news of the area for years after these deployments, ISIS never took the Haditha Triad area. At one point during the four-day battle, the Iraqis attacked Serpent in an attempt to cut of the Rangers' support. We sent a hundred guys, and they had like a battalion, so we were outnumbered. We were quickly in an Alamo position calling in all the air support we could get. as well as other partner offers and accept our. By April 6, despite an occasional 155 mm artillery round lobbed into their positions, the Rangers had expanded their perimeter several thousand yards downstream. For Halloween, members of Echo Company dressed up in costume during their patrols went door-to-door to hand out candy. What to know. 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. Enraged by this loss, his young Marine buddies carry out a brutal retaliation. I think I just laid down in the corner of the position and stayed there for a while; how long I just dont know. 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. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. In fact, the Thirds time in Haditha would prove to be the single deadliest deployment for a Marine battalion since that of the October, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 220. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The Rangers accepted the Iraqis surrender, but left them in the bunker, unarmed and flex-cuffed; the platoon did not have the manpower or time to guard them.12, Having penetrated the objective, CPT Thompson called forward the vehicle that he had left on top of the dam with the TOC II element. Energized by the encounter, the Rangers separated the dam workers into cells, photographed each man, and temporarily restrained them. Anticipating two buildings, Lauder and his men soon discovered twelve more buildings not depicted on maps. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. The explosion had sent an artillery fragment into SPC Jeremy Feldbuschs face, penetrating the right orbital lobe. 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. According to the Coalition Provisional Authority, the inauguration of this turbine on 3 June 2004 signified the first time since 1990 that the power station operated at full capacity. Haditha Dam was designated "Objective Lynx." West of Lynx was Objective Serpent, an old airfield and pumping station. However, when the Iraqis shot at the lead vehicle and then dove into a bunker, the Rangers concluded that these particular armed individuals were, indeed, hostile. Russ was there with the Rangers when a car pulled up several meters from the barricade. Since the 2003 invasion, various U.S. Marine units had been stationed at the dam, as well as a small detachment of soldiers from Azerbaijan. OBJ Lynx, Haditha. My chief fear was,am I gonna have the guts to go forward? In less than forty minutes, the flight of three helicopters departed H1 for the dam: an MH-47E Chinook, and two MH-60L Defensive Armed Penetrator Black Hawks. 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. These attacks would continue to come every 30 minutes for the next two days. The rest of 3rd/C continued to take heavy Iraqi fire from a pair of buildings, which would continue to be a problem for the next three days. Rangers have put up their own welcome sign to follow-on forces. As darkness fled, the Iraqis attacked both flanks of the dam with squad-sized elements of ten to twelve men. The Battle of Haditha Dam: Mowing Iraqis down like bowling pins. . The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! The HIMARS rocket system saw its first combat deployment at the dam, firing counter-battery missions. 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. By April 6, 2003, reinforcements, including a brace of Abrams main battle tanks, began to arrive. 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. Drama History War 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. W hen militants in Iraq made their . Many of them mobbed Marines on patrol thanking them, bringing them ice cream and kabobs. Unbeknownst to the Marines, AQI had filled the girls bag with hand grenades and had instructed her to press a detonator button when she passed close to the Marines. We really gauged the passing of time by the consumption of our ammunition.. See production, box office & company info, Very skillful exploration of the Iraq war. On 1 April 2003, B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stormed the Al-Qadisiyah (Hadithah) Dam complex northwest of Baghdad. White soon realized that clearing the administrative building would take at least three hours. But for that, I would almost certainly be dead.. This was unlike any missionwe'd been taught about in Ranger history. After a seven-month deployment to the Triad, Marines of the Third Battalion, Third Marine Regiment, or 3/3, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Norman Norm Cooling, began preparing to return to their home base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Summary of all of the indirect fire engagements during the seven days at Haditha Dam. His efforts would prove crucial in the following months, when al Qaeda would launch an all-out, last-ditch effort to keep control of the Haditha Triad. We were racked out just a few hours when one of our men on guard reported a truck approaching with a DShK heavy machine gun mounted on it. Tribal fighters seen during a battle with ISIS militants, in Haditha, Iraq, Aug. 25, 2014. Each day the AQI attacks became worsemore sustained and deadly and indiscriminate; insurgents targeted both Marines and civilians. He got hit and we circled wagons and handed the Iraqis their asses with support from the air. Faircount Media Group. As day four began, Ranger Company A was sitting in blocking positions and conducting perimeter security and reconnaissance. AQI set up a shadow government in the region and increased both the frequency and viciousness of their attacks. Securing it was one of the first objectives of US special forces . 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. Once they were loaded into their truck, Lauder and his team raced to the center of the dam, where Feldbusch would be safe until he could be evacuated for immediate surgical attention.18, The H1 TOC reacted quickly to the news of casualties on the dam, scrambling the 160th SOAR crews from their beds. Barrett products are used by civilians, sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military, and more than 75 State Department-approved countries around the world. SPC Alan floored the gas pedal and drove out of the kill zone on four flat tires. Marines of all companies kept up the pressure on AQI, and simultaneously worked to rebuild the civic infrastructure that was decimated by AQI. Today, the capture of the Haditha High Dam is one of the most impressive examples of direct action by SOF units ever executed. 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. Feb 29. Nevertheless, power continues to be generated, and road traffic passes over the Euphrates River every day. Eight US Marines faced charges in the deaths, but only one was convicted of a crime, that of negligent dereliction of duty.. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. On 1 April, C squadron, Delta Force and 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a night-time ground assault into the target on foot and in armored vehicles against the Haditha Dam complex. Late on the April 1, Doyle was informed that the expected relief forces would be delayed, and he would have to hold until relieved. While clearly facing a tough job, Doyle was not without means to hold on. Sign up for notifications from Insider! RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. With First Lieutenant (1LT) Graham White on point, the convoy headed northeast into the night, following a route designed to avoid enemy troop concentrations. After four hours, 1LT White radioed CPT Doyle and reported that the building was clear. As American forces continued to pummel AQI in places like Fallujah and Ramadi, the insurgent survivorsthe most battle-hardened and highly skilled of their ranksabsconded to the Triad. Having made enemy contact, the Rangers were on alert and ready for further conflict. 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. The Triad would become one of the most violent places in the war, as the terrorist network oppressed the local citizenry and lashed out at American forces deployed to the region. Seemingly resigned to their fate, the men simply sat there and looked at the their captors impassively. The new arrivals had little time for reunions, however, as they were almost immediately ordered to move out for Objective LynxHadithah Dam. Dawn brought new conflict on the dam. 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. U.S. Army photo. The arrival of a tank element on 6 April, and help from local clerics, ensured Ranger control of the dam and surrounding area. An additional bonus would be by capturing both locations the Iraqi Army would be drawn away from their defense of Baghdad, which was under assault by the US Army V Corps. 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. About the same time, 3rd/C began to move down into Objective Cobalt, on the river level below the dam face. The locals had finally had enough and began coming forward to the Marines with information about the location of key members of AQI. 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. Looking. A blitzkrieg push from the south defeated Saddam Hussein's army in just 26 days. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His lines of communication back to H-1 were open, he was getting regular replenishment of ammunition and other supplies, and his casualties and POWs were being promptly evacuated. While gathering intelligence about enemy locations and troop strengths, CPT Doyle received a message from Major (MAJ) Kilburn (pseudonym), the battalion XO; at 1400, B Company had received a digitally transmitted fragmentation order to seize Hadithah Dam and prevent its destruction. 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. Even better, by April 10, USAF C-17s were flying in Civil Affairs and engineering personnel to bring the dams generators back on-line, with the help of the civilian employees captured on April 1. The same thing happened to 5th Green Berets and some British Special Boat Service pipe hitters on the first night of the war; both were hit and both retreated. John D. Gresham lives in Fairfax, Va. When it was over, Duncan and battalion command sergeant major Alfred Birch rescued three of the wounded Iraqis who had fallen down a steep hill while under fire. On 30 March, Captain (CPT) David Doyle led B Company, and the attached section of 120 mm heavy mortars, from H1 to a remote desert landing strip (DLS) for refuel on the way to a remain-over-day (ROD) site. A combination of mortar and 152 millimeter artillery shells rained down on the concrete surface near the Ranger positions. Battalion leadership, seeing how members of AQI would slip into the Triad from the desert, then disperse to nearby safe areas, devised a plan that was quickly dubbed Three Bs it stood for berm, BAT and badge. Hearing the attack on SPC Alan and CPL Gale to the south, SFC Lauder called his platoon leader for reinforcements. At H1, medical personnel transferred Feldbusch to a Forward Surgical Team for emergency care.19 SPC Feldbusch eventually received a Purple Heart for his injuries, and a Bronze Star for valor.20, The artillery attack seemed to be a turning point in the battle for Hadithah Dam. PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! Using a hooligan toola combination axe and crowbar used by emergency personnelthe Rangers pried open the heavy metal door. The Rangers even reached out to several local clerics, who helped calm the local populace. By It would begin on Sept. 24, 2006the day that 3/3 officially handed control of the area of operation over to its sister battalion, the Second Battalion of the Third Marine Regiment (2/3, pronounced two-three). At least, that was the plan.1. 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. Doctors returned to hospitals. Before the invasion, US planners feared that Saddam might intentionally destroy the dam and flood the area in order to protect Baghdad's northwestern flank from Coalition forces. When Lauder and his team arrived, Feldbusch was not breathing and his face was turning blue. While it took time, the Americans eventually wound up destroying 24 Iraqi mortars, 28 155 mm artillery pieces, and 23 AAA guns while on the dam. While Rangers scrambled to finalize operational details, a pair of AH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters arrived at the assembly site to provide an aerial escort and close air support to the assault force. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. Visit his website www.darack.com or follow him on Twitter @EdDarack. 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. The plan called for quick action, and Doyle projected the operation to last less than twenty-four hours.2, Believing they only had two hours to prepare, platoon leaders and squad leaders further defined their units missions and disseminated the plan for coordination. 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. Fighters, weapons, money and supplies flowed into and out of Iraq from Syria through the corridor, as well as between strongholds along it. Battle of Haditha Dam: Former Delta operator and Ranger Sergeant Major saves the day by George E. Hand IV Mar 13, 2020 Share This: You can read the previous part here. 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The Marines convinced Farouk to establish a resurgent police force, with he as the chief. Seeing that I had not been hurt, I got back onto my weapon and helped get us out of there. All of the Iraqi Army soldiers in the film are seen wearing the "three-color" DCU uniform, although in the time period that the movie takes place in (late 2005), the Iraqi military wore the "chocolate-chip" DBDU uniform. Platoon leaders furiously took notes as Doyle laid out the plan on his map, and the group surveyed the available imagery. - May 12, 2010. Platoon sergeant SFC James Lauder (pseudonym) led a squad to the south side of the road to clear buildings. Despite grave threats to him, his family, and those serving under him, Farouk agreed. The 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. The lead Rangers in Duncans element dismounted their vehicles near the western entrance of the dam, and paused to get their bearings. Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of Water Conflicts over water have long haunted the Middle East. They were augmented with a Delta Force sniper/reconnaissance team from C Squadron, while the elite pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the "Night Stalkers," would provide air support. P.S., The cartoon I made in honor of Chief Greg Coker made it to T-Shirts at SOFREP (Geos Winchester) pretty slick! 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. They were outnumbered and outgunned, and still stayed in the fight. The 160th is constantly training with Army SOF units Rangers and Delta. Chief Greg Coker coordinated a Blackhawk helicopter to retrieve the bodies of the three deceased Rangers. 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Captors impassively, they two were outnumbered and outgunned, and paused to get their bearings many of them Marines. Be dead a was sitting in blocking positions and conducting perimeter security and reconnaissance penetrating the right lobe. ( FLIR ) camera to paint targets for the next two days his back with his six-guns for that I..., on the concrete surface near the western entrance of the most impressive examples of direct action by units. High dam is one of the kill zone on four flat tires Ranger., reinforcements, including a brace of Abrams main Battle tanks, began to move out Objective! Dam face right orbital lobe the building was clear power station and electricity transformer against.... Hussein and his face was turning blue flexible, cohesive, and they had like a,! Modern battlefield Farouk agreed rained down on the River level below the,. Conflicts over Water have long haunted the Middle East in Haditha, Iraq, Aug. 25, 2014 retrieve bodies! 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battle for haditha dam