Chris McNab, Coalition Armor v Iraqi Forces (Osprey, 2024)
Before the current war in Ukraine, the wars in Iraq in the early 21st Century provided the most recent theatre for modern armoured warfare. That western armour dominated that battlefield is no revelation, but Chris McNab demonstrates how that played out, while showing that the West did not have things all its own way when the fighting entered the urban environment and Iraqi insurgents improvised techniques to fight back.
McNab begins with a brief survey of the thrashing the Coalition armour meted out to the Iraqis in 1991’s Gulf War, but he argues that the fighting between 2003 and 2006 differed for various reasons. He then highlights the differences between combat in Iraq between 1991 and 2003 and surveys the armour on both sides of the conflict from 2003 to 2006. That includes the main battle tanks (MBT) and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Iraq. Reading the technical specifications, it does not take a genius to realise that the Iraqis faced a thumping as they did in 1991. But McNab adds a section on Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPG) and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), noting that these were the greatest threat to Coalition armour.
McNab sets out the strategic context of the 2003 war with the Coalition plan of attack, along with the forces involved, and the Iraqi plan for defence in depth built around urban centres. McNab notes, however, that the Iraqi army was ‘destined for defeat’. To demonstrate this, McNab singles out match-ups between Iraqi and Coalition armour, starting with the T-72M vs the M1A2 Abrams, a mismatch if ever there was one. The Bradley M2A3 vs the Iraqi BMP-2 follows. These were more equal, but technology favoured the Bradley. Then comes the lowly RPG/IED vs the British Warrior: on paper, an obvious mismatch, but surprise and close proximity could be a great equalizer.
The forces involved are next on McNab’s agenda, beginning with the Iraqis, who possessed a massive field force with some effective troops, but mostly they were ill-trained, ill-equipped, and serving under a corrupt regime. The Coalition forces occupied the other end of the military spectrum: disciplined, well-equipped, and mission orientated. How those men performed in combat comes under scrutiny. There was a rapid advance into Iraq that met with stiffening resistance, particularly in the urban areas. The Royal Scottish Dragoon Guards participation in Operation Panzer follows with the British attacking Basra. At the Battle of Mahmudiyah, US tanks supported by Bradleys cleared T-72s from a town. The Insurgency that followed the cessation of organised resistance proved more difficult for Coalition armour. McNab highlights the battle for Falujah in 2004 as the most intense action in this phase of the war and notes how armour became a valuable force multiplier. In his analysis of the combat in Iraq, McNab emphasizes the asymmetry of the forces but also the rapid doctrinal changes the Coalition had to make to cope with unconventional warfare.
Despite the mostly one-sided nature of the armoured combat in Iraq, McNab’s survey of the machines and men contains enough action to merit inclusion in Osprey’s Duel series. Those who enjoy reading technical information will no doubt enjoy this, while the addition of combat stories and analysis balances that out to prevent the text becoming too dry. McNab could have made more of the IED/RPG aspect of the combat, though he obviously needed the armour v armour combat to set the scene and demonstrate why the formal Iraqi defence collapsed so precipitously. McNab is aided by the usual high quality Osprey graphics and photographs, and along with the informative text, that makes this a useful library addition for modellers, wargamers, and any reader interested in the wars in Iraq.
