The Boys from Baghdad: From the Foreign Legion to the Killing Fields of Iraq - Simon Low

Advantages: Great book.
Disadvantages: none.

..., dissolved in the first contact with the enemy. The "elite" republican Guards were not assignments to fight completely. Some of their units attacked the Americans from south of Baghdad and they were destroyed quickly. The determined resistance of which we hear in Nasiriya and Baghdad was, according to Keegan, offered by some fanatical Baathists and foreign volunteers, including Islamic rulers, who were more intent upon martyrdom than upon fighting. Still more, apparently Saddam did not trust them with heavy weapons, giving them only Kalashnikovs and Riffles, with which they attacked the US solders. Of course, Iraq had been weakened by the two previous wars and ten years of sanctions of UN. But, ultimately, an army cannot be better than the company that arises. The state of Saddam, a brutal autocracy, governing for the terror, could... Read review

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Advantages: Riveting.
Disadvantages: Makes you realise how evil mankind can be

...We were all aware of the role played by the British Army in the Gulf War but little was known of the exploits of the SAS at the time, this book seeks to redress that with a brutal account of an 8 man patrol detailed with severing the underground communication link between Baghdad and North West Iraq, oh yeah, and they also had the task of locating and taking out the threat of Iraq’s scud missiles !!! The story is written by the Sergeant of the mission Andy McNab and was to become one of the most critically acclaimed “war story” novels ever. It chronicles from start to finish the events surrounding the mission and how it went disastrously wrong. He goes into shocking detail of how he was captured and the subsequent nightmare he went through while help captive where he endured all sorts of torture, both physical... Read review

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Advantages: Interesting read
Disadvantages: some of the details are hard to read

...From Baghdad with love is a book which has been written by Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman. THE BOOK The book begins with Kopelman setting the scene of when he was serving in Iraq during the invasion to rid Sadam Hussain of his power. Kopelman is serving with the US Marines and his section has been given the name of the Lava Dogs. He tells about when they are out in the towns searching the houses for any 'enemies'. As he enters a building he and the other Marines here a taping noise coming from one of the rooms, they suddenly think that the noise might be grenade pins dropping on the floor so they are prepare to storm the room with their weapons at the ready. As they do enter the room Kopelman is set back when he finds a small puppy in the corner of the room and it was his claws on the floor which was making the tapping noise... Read review

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