The Marines fought back hard. As the GMV reversed direction, the gunner manning the Mk 19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher took a point-blank hit from an AK-47 as the vehicle escaped. 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. Anticipating two buildings, Lauder and his men soon discovered twelve more buildings not depicted on maps. The Battle of Haditha Dam took place in 2003. By April 6, 2003, reinforcements, including a brace of Abrams main battle tanks, began to arrive. Battle For Haditha - November 19th 2005, Haditha, Iraq Iraqi insurgents bomb a convoy of US Marines, resulting in the death of their most popular officer. By Fred Pearce August 25, 2014 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. 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Insurgents have tried many times to attack, seize, and/or destroy both the Haditha Dam and Ramadi Bridge. Eight US Marines faced charges in the deaths, but only one was convicted of a crime, that of negligent dereliction of duty.. The Haditha Dam also controlled the flow of the Euphrates into the lower Euphrates/Tigris River Valley. Seemingly resigned to their fate, the men simply sat there and looked at the their captors impassively. The pace of the combat was surprising. THROUGHOUT THE WAR in Iraq, the news media focused primarily on actions in the Baghdad region, and to a lesser extent on the outlying battles in the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. 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. Endurance: B Company Under Fire He was a good man, a damned-good man and well all miss him forever. Unfortunately, SPC Alan (pseudonym) made a wrong turn on the way down, and entered a developed area serving as an academy for antiaircraft artillery. One round even impacted the concrete rail only seventy-five meters from CPT Doyles command post; luckily, it never exploded. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. They kept up the fight, however, on all fronts. The battle started on 24 March 2003 when Rangers from 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, conducted a combat parachute drop onto H-1 Air Base, securing the site as a staging area for operations in the west. C-17s flew the tank company and Ranger battalion from Talil to H-1 and then to MSS (Mission Support Site) Grizzly, a desert strip runway established by Delta Force located between Haditha and Tikrit; C Squadron, Delta Force was flown directly to MSS Grizzly. The turning point came after a series of atrocities committed by AQI insurgents fighters used local children as unwitting suicide bombers. 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. This was the cue to steel for the assault. 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. Rangers were alert and kept the car at gunpoint, as no Iraqis were to be trusted at this point in the battle. Read Next: Battle of Haditha Dam: The saga comes to an end One man flew the gunship while the other leaned outside and gunned downed the Iraqis below. Already tired from almost two weeks of continuous operations, and fully exposed to the elements and noise of the barrage, some of the young Rangers began to fall victim. 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. As CPT Brad Thompson was moving forward to the lead vehicle, team leader SSG Pete Corrigan (pseudonym) tossed a grenade and yelled, Frag out! The fragmentation grenade exploded, illuminating the objective and enough Iraqis to cause the platoon to pull back long enough to regroup. Knowing that the Night Stalkers had stayed long beyond the protection of darkness, he released them with gratitude. Sniper attacks and ambushes by insurgent bands armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades erupted throughout region. He directed 1st Squad to suppress the guards, while 3rd Squad flanked from the left and entered near the gatehouse. 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. Led by Staff Sgt. Through the predawn darkness, the Rangers spotted three armed individuals standing in front of a small building, seemingly just looking around. If the dam was breached, the resulting flood would not only impede 3rd Infantry Divisions advance through the Karbala pass en route to Baghdad, but devastate the population and agricultural centers in the floodplain. Task Force Merrill January 30, 2016 41min TV-14 One of the most important, and enduring, victories of 3/3s time in the Haditha Triad was tracking down a former Iraqi army colonel from the region named Farouk and returning him to his home city of Haditha. Big-hearted Russ Rippetoe and two Rangers gathered some water bottles and brought them to the car. A Battle for Haditha Dam: With David Hartzell, Jonathan Wong. The road blocks came under sporadic mortar and rocket fire, resulting in the AH-6 helicopters flying multiple gun runs to silence the Iraqi mortar and rocket positions. Unfortunately, the mortars were replaced by 152 millimeter heavy artillery from the southwest. Cowed by beheadings, rapes, murder and general intimidation, the locals of the area remained rarely emerged from hiding. 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. Along with providing flood control and a third of Iraq's electrical generation capacity, the dam provided the only other crossing of the Euphrates River west of Baghdad. One of the largest dams in the world, the Haditha complex provided fully one-third of the Iraqi electrical grid load in 2003. Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of Water Conflicts over water have long haunted the Middle East. Local government began functioning again. Holding fire and calling out commands in Arabic, Staff Sergeant (SSG) James Narrow (pseudonym) and several other Rangers flex-cuffed the guards to a handrail along the road. "We had no warning we'd be facing such a fierce response from the Iraqis none whatsoever," retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Coker told Insider. A Battle For Haditha Dam Aired on Jan 24, 2016 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. As the force moved forward, one GMV took a wrong turn and wound up getting badly shot up, with the driver wounded but still in action. OBJ Lynx, Haditha. The Iraqis, however, kept trying to get back to the dam. 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. A combination of mortar and 152 millimeter artillery shells rained down on the concrete surface near the Ranger positions. 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. Finally, the Rangers demonstrated the value that a flexible, cohesive, and highly trained assault force can bring to the modern battlefield. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! While several of the four Ranger casualties had been serious, helicopters from the 160th SOAR (some flying in broad daylight) had successfully evacuated them back to safety. Energized by the encounter, the Rangers separated the dam workers into cells, photographed each man, and temporarily restrained them. She didnt understand the instructions, so AQI set the bomb off remotely shortly after she rode by the Americans, killing her instantly. Stay up to date with what you want to know. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent. Brad Thompson ordered the platoon to regroup before renewing the assault. My chief fear was,am I gonna have the guts to go forward? There, they linked up with the bulk of 3rd Ranger Battalion, which had jumped in five days earlier. US commanders chose the Rangers of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment to take the dam. Ten Iraqi mortar tubes, along with dozens of machine guns and RPG launchers, opened up on the Rangers, sending them running for cover. The next battalion to occupy the region, the First Battalion of the Third Marine Regiment, didnt suffer a single loss of life. Meanwhile, the Rangers pulling rear security located a bunker with five armed Iraqis and RPG launchers. Located in northwestern Iraq, Haditha Dam was a strategic target for both sides. A Battle For Haditha Dam January 23, 2016 42min TV-14 Subtitles Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages Audio languages English Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Bonaparte the Bookworm Napoleon Was An Avid Reader; So What Were His Favourite Books? 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. [1] White soon realized that clearing the administrative building would take at least three hours. Russ was out on one of A Companys roadblocks set up to keep civilians from wandering onto the dam. All of this was further augmented with personal ID badges for friendly civilians. One of the most horrific examples of this occurred when a squad from Echo Company happened across a young Iraqi girl on a bicycle wearing a Mickey Mouse backpack. By Almighty God, with honor, and on behalf of CWO4 Gregory Gravy Coker, For Halloween, members of Echo Company dressed up in costume during their patrols went door-to-door to hand out candy. The angle of attack prevented the Rangers from returning effective fire, so they were forced to call in air support. However, having steeled themselves through the barrage, none were interested in giving the facility back to the Iraqis. Amazingly, none of the Rangers was hit. The bullet-riddled and oil-leaking vehicle finally died just short of 1st Platoons position. CPT Doyle briefed his plan to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) pilots and tweaked the fire support plan. Chief cleared the way for Tony and watched him offload his Ranger and drone. 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. 75th Ranger Regiment photo. The numbers in that fight were calculated out to be 1:22. I think I just laid down in the corner of the position and stayed there for a while; how long I just dont know. Summary of all of the indirect fire engagements during the seven days at Haditha Dam. Jesse Ragan, 3rd/C moved down a steep access road into the objective area. 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. 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. Regrettably, another artillery round did explode, this time directly on a Ranger mortar position.17, SFC Lauder raced to the impact area with medics and his driver. In the same year, a new power line was established between Haditha and Baghdad with the help of the USACE to restore a line that had previously been destroyed. 1st Platoon continued working two buildings dubbed CAS 1 and CAS 2, from which the bulk of the enemy force had rallied and attacked. The biggest test of those Ranger qualities began late on April 2, when the first of over 350 Iraqi 155 mm artillery shells began to land around the dam complex. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. One of the most telling examples of their brutality occurred during the deployment of the Third Battalion of the 25th Marine Regiment in 2005, when AQI killed a total of 48 members of the battalion over the course of their time there. Stores were shuttered, schools closed and hospitals inoperable, all the while the enemy would attack and then slip away. The Battle of Haditha was a battle fought between U.S. forces and Ansar al-Sunna in early August 2005 on the outskirts of the town of Haditha, Iraq, which was one of the many towns that were under insurgent control in the Euphrates River valley during 2005. History of Army Corps of Engineers Projects: Missile and Space Programs to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, How 80 Coast Guardsmen Saved an Alaskan Town During Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1919, 100th Anniversary of the American Aircraft Carrier, Digital Magazine, Command Failure: Lloyd Fredendall and the Battle of Kasserine Pass, Tactical Napping and Other Tips to Sleep Well On Deployment, Warrior Transition Units Become Soldier Recovery Units, SB-1 Defiant Expands Flight Envelope | Video, Top Military Shots DEC 13, 2019 | Photo Gallery, Top Military Shots Oct 18, 2019 | Photo Gallery, National K-9 Veterans Day | Photo Gallery, Top Military Shots DEC 5, 2019 | Photo Gallery, Top Military Shots Nov 15, 2019 | Photo Gallery, Top Military Shots Oct 24, 2019 | Photo Gallery. At one point during the four-day battle, the Iraqis attacked Serpent in an attempt to cut of the Rangers' support. U.S. Army photo. It was a barrage that would last almost 36 hours, and mixed with a steady stream of mortar shells, would strain the Rangers to the breaking point. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. Ordering his 1st squad to lay down suppressive fire, the other two squads moved up and took a number of the guard force personnel prisoner. With 1st Squad leader SSG Jesse Ragan in the lead, three vehicles and twenty-seven Rangers maneuvered down the steep embankment into Objective Cobalt. 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. Chief called his five-minute approach warning to Mo on the call for fire frequency. The Marines convinced Farouk to establish a resurgent police force, with he as the chief. Despite grave threats to him, his family, and those serving under him, Farouk agreed. Thank you. 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. Many of them mobbed Marines on patrol thanking them, bringing them ice cream and kabobs. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Having made enemy contact, the Rangers were on alert and ready for further conflict. Their actions earned CSM Birch and SFC Duncan Silver Star commendations.11. 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. Tony knew Chief had his back with his six-guns. Coker, a Night Stalker pilot and author of "Death Waits in the Dark," spent 30 years in uniform and completed 11 combat tours. Russ was there with the Rangers when a car pulled up several meters from the barricade. RLTW! In other cases, insurgents simply targeted youngsters as part of their wider terror campaign. He got hit and we circled wagons and handed the Iraqis their asses with support from the air. Despite their gains, tragedy would continue to befall the battalion, including the loss of their operations officer, who was key to the Three Bs plan in a helicopter accident. 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. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. 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. Soon after the sniper had been taken care of, two more Rangers discovered three armed and dazed guards in an apparently unmanned shack. 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). Doyle pulled 3rd Platoon back to the dam and positioned it between 2nd and 1st Platoons. 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. Platoon leaders furiously took notes as Doyle laid out the plan on his map, and the group surveyed the available imagery. We sent a hundred guys, and they had like a battalion, so we were outnumbered. This corridor proved critical to al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) throughout the war. The area exploded in violence as members of each respective company moved into their home forward operating bases throughout the Triad: Echo Company went to the city of Haditha; Fox Company went to Barwana. 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. 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. [My] Rangers learned that they could survive under constant enemy direct and indirect fire if they used their training and listened to their leaders. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. With permission granted, Birch and Duncan sprinted down the hill, under antiaircraft artillery fire (firing in a direct fire mode) from the south. With the top of the dam now clear, 2nd/B moved to their blocking positions at the northeast end. 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. 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. Spotting two armed Iraqi guards with his night vision devices (Nods), lead vehicle gunner Specialist (SPC) Watson aimed his M2 .50 caliber machine gun at them. Platoon sergeant SFC James Lauder (pseudonym) led a squad to the south side of the road to clear buildings. Read all Director Nick Broomfield Writers Again the man indicated to his wife and the need for water. 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. The Marines fought an army of phantoms on a battlefield of shadows. The choppers carried so much ammunition that they could barely hover and had to be constantly moving to keep from crashing. 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. 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. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. 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. Thats the way I remember it there may be some detail off here or there, but thats just how I remember it.. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Seeing that I had not been hurt, I got back onto my weapon and helped get us out of there. Fighters, weapons, money and supplies flowed into and out of Iraq from Syria through the corridor, as well as between strongholds along it. 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. I just saw this movie and found it very moving. We really gauged the passing of time by the consumption of our ammunition.. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. Like the seizure of Point du Hoc and Pegasus Bridge on D-Day, Haditha Dam was executed with thunderclap surprise and audacity worthy of those who came before and wore the title of Ranger. And like the Mogadishu firefight in 1993, Haditha Dam tested the best in the 154 men who rushed Objectives Lynx and Cobalt. Strikes within 200 meters of a friendly position are considered danger close. A helicopter flies over the Haditha Dam, which provides electricity for a third of Iraq. A Battle for Haditha Dam Episode aired Jan 24, 2016 YOUR RATING Rate Drama Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to take control of Haditha Dam when they realize they are outnumbered. The company arrived at the ROD site just as the sun welcomed a new day. Chief Greg Coker coordinated a Blackhawk helicopter to retrieve the bodies of the three deceased Rangers. Fortunately, the Rangers had ample close air support, and passed the fire mission to the A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) pilots. Destruction of the dam would have significantly affected the functioning of the country's electrical grid and could cause major flooding downstream from the dam. Company B, along with Mo, was still on the dam holding out as best they could, all the while waiting for long-overdue relief. During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A Guard F-16 that was Winchester showed up and kept making faux gun runs on the enemy which really helped to hold them at bay. Later I found that the round had hit the plate around an inch up and in from the lower left corner, which was right over my left kidney. 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. The dam after the battle. 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. John D. Gresham lives in Fairfax, Va. Feb 29. s01e03 - A Battle for Haditha Dam Transcript detail There is no going back to the person that I was before Haditha Dam. Meanwhile, Rangers on the eastern side engaged a truck carrying fourteen Iraqi soldiers leading to a firefight that the Rangers won, killing at least five Iraqis. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ Delta Force recce operators drove through Iraqi lines around the Haditha Dam on customised ATVs, marking targets for Coalition airstrikes resulting in the eventual destruction of a large number of Iraqi armored vehicles and antiaircraft systems. 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. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Three Rangers were killed on 3 April by a VBIED at the blocking positions as they were searching a car;[2] the car was driven by a young pregnant Iraqi woman who seemed distressed and asking for 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. 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. 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