Heavy Metal: a Tank Company's Battle to Baghdad
Encyclopedia
Heavy Metal: a Tank Company's Battle to Baghdad is a book by Captain Jason Conroy with Ron Martz published in 2005 by Potomac Books.
In Heavy Metal, Conroy and Martz provide an up-close and very personal view of the sometimes vicious fighting that took place almost from the time the unit crossed the border from Kuwait
until it got to Baghdad
.
The book chronicles the making of Charlie Company, following it from its home base at Fort Stewart
, Georgia
, to training in the deserts of California
and Kuwait. It provides details of fighting on the road to Baghdad, including a key battle at the holy city of Najaf
, where militias and Fedayeen Saddam
used suicide tactics in a fruitless effort to stop the 70-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks
.
Heavy Metal is Capt. Conroy's account of what went right and what went wrong in Iraq from the start of the war. It demonstrates how Conroy and his soldiers were able to overcome supply shortages, intelligence failures, and weather of Biblical ferocity in their battle for downtown Baghdad, a place they were originally told they would never take their tanks.
The book tells how young soldiers were able to overcome numerous obstacles and adversities and adapt to ever-changing conditions all the while under constant enemy fire for more than a month.
Just south of Baghdad, in the city of Mahmudiyah, Charlie Company engaged in a battle with Soviet-made T-72 tanks
at point-blank range, a tactic that is not part of Army doctrine and something for which the young soldiers had not trained.
Heavy Metal also for the first time reveals what really happed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad; how Iraqi Special Republican Guard
soldiers used the museum as a defensive position; how museum employees and others hid most of the artifact
s before the fighting began; and how the number of items stolen was exaggerated by a member of the museum staff in interviews with international media in an apparent effort to discredit the American military.
Through the personal accounts of the young troopers of Charlie Co., Heavy Metal tells much about the quality of today’s American soldier, about 21st-century desert
and urban warfare
and how the Army should prepare to fight future wars.
Ron Martz writes on defense issues for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was named writer of the year by the Atlanta Press Club and Cox Newspapers and finished second to the staff of Time Magazine in the National Headliner awards for his coverage of the war in Iraq. He is the co-author of three previous books on military history.
In Heavy Metal, Conroy and Martz provide an up-close and very personal view of the sometimes vicious fighting that took place almost from the time the unit crossed the border from Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
until it got to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
The book chronicles the making of Charlie Company, following it from its home base at Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County, but also extending into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties in Georgia, USA. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, to training in the deserts of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Kuwait. It provides details of fighting on the road to Baghdad, including a key battle at the holy city of Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
, where militias and Fedayeen Saddam
Fedayeen Saddam
Fedayeen Saddam was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000-40,000 members.-Irregular forces:...
used suicide tactics in a fruitless effort to stop the 70-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
.
Heavy Metal is Capt. Conroy's account of what went right and what went wrong in Iraq from the start of the war. It demonstrates how Conroy and his soldiers were able to overcome supply shortages, intelligence failures, and weather of Biblical ferocity in their battle for downtown Baghdad, a place they were originally told they would never take their tanks.
The book tells how young soldiers were able to overcome numerous obstacles and adversities and adapt to ever-changing conditions all the while under constant enemy fire for more than a month.
Just south of Baghdad, in the city of Mahmudiyah, Charlie Company engaged in a battle with Soviet-made T-72 tanks
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
at point-blank range, a tactic that is not part of Army doctrine and something for which the young soldiers had not trained.
Heavy Metal also for the first time reveals what really happed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad; how Iraqi Special Republican Guard
Iraqi Special Republican Guard
The Iraqi Special Republican Guard , also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace, Republican Guard Special Protection Forces, or the Golden Division, was an Iraqi praetorian guard founded in either early 1992 or March 1995 in Iraq...
soldiers used the museum as a defensive position; how museum employees and others hid most of the artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
s before the fighting began; and how the number of items stolen was exaggerated by a member of the museum staff in interviews with international media in an apparent effort to discredit the American military.
Through the personal accounts of the young troopers of Charlie Co., Heavy Metal tells much about the quality of today’s American soldier, about 21st-century desert
Desert warfare
Desert warfare is combat in deserts. In desert warfare the elements can sometimes be more dangerous than the actual enemy. The desert terrain is the second most inhospitable to troops following a cold environment...
and urban warfare
Urban warfare
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
and how the Army should prepare to fight future wars.
Authors
Captain Jason Conroy, a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Army, was the Charlie Company Commander, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment.Ron Martz writes on defense issues for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was named writer of the year by the Atlanta Press Club and Cox Newspapers and finished second to the staff of Time Magazine in the National Headliner awards for his coverage of the war in Iraq. He is the co-author of three previous books on military history.