Thunder Run: Three Days in the Battle for Baghdad
David Zucchino
Atlantic Books. 368 pages. $19.95.

HAVE you ever wondered what would have happened in Black Hawk Down had the US Forces gotten the Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles they so desperately wanted? If yes, read Thunder Run by David Zucchino.

Zucchino tells the story of the Spartan Brigade – 2nd Brigade 3rd Infantry Division – on the outskirts of Baghdad in April 2003. At the beginning of the war, the US plan to take Baghdad was for the heavy divisions to surround Baghdad and let the light divisions clear it block by block. Instead, on April 3, the Spartan Brigade launched the first of two Thunder Runs – armoured columns designed to drive into the very heart of Baghdad and show the Iraqi people and government that they were powerless to stop American forces.

The story is stunning, the ability of the Spartan Brigade to weather the sheer volume of fire showered on them on the first thunder run is something to be envied. Their ability to back up two days later and do it again, driving into the heart of Iraqi power and this time staying there, is one of the most amazing tales you will hear from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

If you wonder why the Australian Army is spending millions of dollars buying M1A1 tanks and upgrading M113 vehicles, then read this book. The book shows that well protected combined arms teams comprising armour, infantry and engineers, supported by offensive fires from a variety of platforms can dominate the urban battlefield.

The book exposes the frailties of existing logistic resupply. The vast amount of ammunition and fuel required to keep the Spartan Brigade in the fight required a logistic column to move forward and resupply them during battle. The story of the fight to keep three highway overpasses, Larry, Curly and Moe, open for this column is a serious wake up call for anyone who thinks that logistic vehicles and personnel don’t need crew-served weapons or ballistic protection from small arms.

This is essential reading for understanding how a hardened army can take the fight to the enemy in urban terrain. It’s a difficult book to put down once you begin.

– Maj Tony Duus