Fallujah urban war
Opponents: US troops stationed in Iraq VS Iraqi resistance.
Time: 165438+200410.2-165438+200410.8, and it took only six days to capture the "capital of resistance".
Military confrontation: 6,543.8+0,000 people in the United States, plus the Iraqi National Guard, totaling about 6,543.8+0.5 million people; About 3,000 people (Iraq)
Casualties: (USA) * * * 38 Americans were killed and 425 were injured; More than 2,000 people were killed and thousands were captured.
Before the urban war in Fallujah, the US military had been worried about urban street fighting.
Seoul at 1950, Hue at 1968 and Somalia at 1993 are unforgettable memories of the US military. Just ten days before the Battle of Fallujah, public opinion was generally skeptical about the US ground forces storming Fallujah, and even the US military itself admitted that it was "facing the largest street fighting since the Battle of Hue in Vietnam". It can be said that the US military is ready to bear huge casualties.
The US military attaches great importance to urban street fighting, but it also has concerns. The U.S. military believes that "no matter how large the scale of offensive operations against urban residential areas is, what kind of troops and what level of troops are organized and implemented, they should be used as a last resort and only implemented as a last resort." Therefore, the US military, eager to "clear its name" with a classic victory, is also constantly conducting various trainings and exercises, waiting for this day to come.
Various tactics cooperated with the US military to win Fallujah.
● One of the tactics: take a dim view-comprehensive reconnaissance method.
Timely and accurate information is the key to the success or failure of street fighting. In the battle of Fallujah, the US military abandoned the practice of relying too much on reconnaissance satellites and reconnaissance planes in previous wars. In addition to using all kinds of technical reconnaissance equipment, we also pay special attention to the intelligence information provided by the Iraqi interim forces, and strive to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of anti-American armed forces through various means.
On the one hand, the U.S. military sent special operations teams into the city for reconnaissance and guided troops to surprise and surround them before the battle. On the other hand, the Iraqi special forces "Shahwani Army" was activated to act as a guide to help the US military identify "terrorists". It is by relying on the method of "combining soil with foreign countries" that the US military accurately grasped every move of Fallujah's anti-American armed forces.
● Tactic 2: Fighting without chaos-the method of "breaking the whole into parts"
Urban warfare is mostly hand-to-hand combat. The buildings in Fallujah are criss-crossed, and the chariots can only travel along the streets, so heavy equipment is not easy to play a role. In most cases, it is necessary to compete with anti-American armed forces one by one. In addition, urban warfare itself is not convenient for chariots to maneuver, and personnel must get off. Therefore, in a battle, the US military will generally concentrate 8 pairs of 12 absolute superior forces against 1 enemy forces.
In the combat formation, the US military emphasizes "breaking the whole into parts". While maintaining the overall absolute advantage, we can ensure the maximum effect of its military weapons by fighting in small teams. After the launch of the full-scale attack, the US military consisting of the Army and the Marine Corps attacked six battalions from six points in the north of Fallujah. This means of "multi-point attack" effectively combines all services and arms and gives full play to the comprehensive advantages of firepower, assault and protection.
● Tactic 3: Throwing stones to ask for directions-fire-dominated method
The so-called firepower-dominated method refers to the close cooperation between rapid ground assault and precision air strike, giving full play to the role of firepower and killing a large number of anti-American armed forces.
In street fighting, the US military has a strict distinction between firepower. These fires have a clear division of labor and high implementation density, which has maintained an effective fire deterrent to the enemy. In preparation and peripheral battles, American artillery destroyed peripheral targets in many urban areas by means of fire preparation and fire attack.
When American troops entered Fallujah, artillery firepower mainly supported the mobility and reinforcement of infantry. Air fire is mainly supported by tactical air force and army air force attack helicopters, which mainly destroy identified important targets and attack temporary targets. In addition to the air force, even the US Navy's "Kennedy" aircraft carrier battle group, which arrived in the Persian Gulf in July this year, provided fire support for the US troops attacking the city.
● Tactic 4: Step by step.
In the battle of Fallujah, the US military learned many lessons from the previous street fighting. In the process of fighting, we are not in a hurry to press the line, but attach great importance to isolating first and then taking it, and concentrate the elite on attacking the enemy's key points. That is to say, with strong military assault and firepower, the roads in and out of the city are blocked and controlled, the favorable terrain around the city is seized, the city is isolated, and the enemy is defended, and then the city is penetrated and the city is occupied.
At the beginning of the war, the main hospital in Fallujah and the two bridges on the Euphrates River captured by the US military reflected this tactical idea. By controlling these two important areas, the U.S. military divided Fallujah into two parts, making it impossible for the Iraqi resistance forces on the east and west sides to cooperate with each other. While cutting off the road for the resistance to escape, firmly control it in the urban area of Fallujah.
● Tactic 5: Suitable for individuals-the method of "abandoning the bright and casting the dark"
In order to fight this street battle well, the US military attaches great importance to fostering strengths and avoiding weaknesses, that is, using the cover of darkness, adjusting the deployment of troops in time and giving full play to the advantages of night fighting.
The large number, good performance and long observation distance of American night vision equipment not only changed the gap between day and night, but also realized the integration of observation, aiming and shooting, creating favorable conditions for carrying out night attacks. Judging from the whole battle process, many actions of the US military were carried out at night, and most of the attacks were launched in the early hours of the morning.
In the battle of Fallujah, the American army became the winner of street fighting for the first time.
Under such superior tactical conditions, Lu Jie's urban war ended with the U.S. troops wiping out the Iraqi troops guarding the city and winning a total victory. In the battle of Fallujah, the US military became the winner of street fighting for the first time, rewriting the history that the US military was not good at street fighting.
After the capture of Fallujah, the "capital of resistance", the US troops stationed in Iraq announced that 38 US troops were killed and 425 were injured. The death toll of anti-American militants exceeded 2,000, and thousands more were captured. From the figures alone, the ratio of the number of American soldiers killed to the number of anti-American armed men exceeds 1:30.
In the course of battle implementation, the US military successfully made pre-tactical arrangements, effectively controlled the offensive rhythm, and achieved ideal results. It can be said that the first world war in Fallujah completely reversed the previous view that the US military was not good at urban street fighting. The Battle of Fallujah became a classic of urban street fighting under the condition of informationization, and the US military stood on the "podium" of the winner.