Written by the chief military correspondent of the New York Times and a prominent retired Marine general, this is the definitive account of ...
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reviews
Mar 07, 2009
Steve
rated it: 
First and last several chapters cover politics and planning -- the latter mostly lacking unless supplied by Don Rumsfeld. In between is an extended account of the conflict and US forces moved north to Baghdad and beyond.
Pages 82-83 and 501: Had there been any WMD, Rumsfeld's plan to make war with a light mobile force would have resulted in the most feared counter-measure: the spread of WMD to terrorists before enough troops could find and control the WMD and prevent it falling into More...
Pages 82-83 and 501: Had there been any WMD, Rumsfeld's plan to make war with a light mobile force would have resulted in the most feared counter-measure: the spread of WMD to terrorists before enough troops could find and control the WMD and prevent it falling into More...
Feb 06, 2011
Steven
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This is a must read book on the military strategy and tactics in the invasion of Iraq. One can only be impressed with the swift victory and the valor of American troops. The use of information direct from the front gives this book a genuine sense of authenticity regarding the war. For details about the invasion of Iraq, this is a "must read."
Equally important, though, is the brief concluding analysis by the authors of what happened after the successful capture of Baghdad. More...
Equally important, though, is the brief concluding analysis by the authors of what happened after the successful capture of Baghdad. More...
Apr 12, 2009
Some interesting tidbits so far:
1. Both Saddam and the United States failed on intelligence. Saddam was not worried about the U.S., but he was terrified of a Shiite rebellion in the south, similar to the one he put down so brutally after the first Gulf War.
2. Saddam wanted to show the world that he did not have any WMD. He sent orders to his commanders to make sure that the sites had been cleaned up and no WMD were present in preparation for weapons inspectors. He did not More...
1. Both Saddam and the United States failed on intelligence. Saddam was not worried about the U.S., but he was terrified of a Shiite rebellion in the south, similar to the one he put down so brutally after the first Gulf War.
2. Saddam wanted to show the world that he did not have any WMD. He sent orders to his commanders to make sure that the sites had been cleaned up and no WMD were present in preparation for weapons inspectors. He did not More...
Dec 14, 2011
Chrissy
rated it: 
This book gave me a new perspective on the Iraq war, what led up to it and how it was initially fought. The first part of the book delves into why Iraq was chosen and all of the war planning that took place. The second part deals with the invasion itself, the battles and troop movements. The last part touches on the post regime collapse issues and the counterinsurgency that followed. One of the things about the book that I greatly appreciated was the maps. There were about 17 maps and one organi
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Nov 12, 2009
Zach
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As others have commented, an excellent campion book to Bob Woodward's State of Denial. Where Woodward provided insight into the personalities of the players, Gordon provides effective descriptions of on the ground combat during the initial stages of the conflict. He also shows how many seemingly small issues contributed to the difficulties during reconstruction (why can a nation that can put a man on the moon not provide electricity to Baghdad).
The Epilogue alone is worth reading. More...
The Epilogue alone is worth reading. More...
Dec 17, 2008
Kenny
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Cobra II illustrates the many failings of the military campaign in Iraq, and reveals that they could possibly have been avoided with just a little more planning. Who'd have thought? It's an excellent read though if you want all the specifics on just how things went wrong, and how badly.
Feb 09, 2012
Jerome
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This was a very interesting book. The authors certainly aren't experts on special operations, though...
Also, Douglas Feith, Rumsfeld's undersecretary for policy has authored a book entitled "War and Decision", which lays out a reasonable defense of the policies that the authors criticize. I personally agree with Gordon and Bernard, but definitely check out Feith's book as well.
The Iraqi Perspectives Report was the main source for their account of how Saddam planned and exec More...
Also, Douglas Feith, Rumsfeld's undersecretary for policy has authored a book entitled "War and Decision", which lays out a reasonable defense of the policies that the authors criticize. I personally agree with Gordon and Bernard, but definitely check out Feith's book as well.
The Iraqi Perspectives Report was the main source for their account of how Saddam planned and exec More...
Aug 12, 2008
Outoftunetoo
rated it:
Outdated now, but also very informative if you weren't paying attention the first time.
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May 18, 2008
Rob
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This book is one of the few analyses of the invasion of Iraq that does a neutral, qualified, military analysis of the invasion and the events leading up to it. This book is not necessarily about the politics of the invasion, it is about the war from the warfighters stand point. General Trainor and Mr Gordon do a fine job getting through all of the fluff and examining what happened, what the people that made it happen did, and what they were thinking when they did it. The final chapter is the
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Jul 15, 2009
Kristopher
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Written in the shortly after the capture of Hussein, there is alot that we know that did not make the book. From a military history standpoint a very concise in depth look at the years and years of planning that went into the invasion, and in hindsight hints toward the issues in the country that we have faced in the last five years since this publication. More for the history buff and not for the politico.
Nov 27, 2011
Taddow
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This book had a lot of great information on the prosecution and background of the Iraq war- I learned a lot of things that I did not know about the strategy and predictions (as well as the disagreement between the U.S. officials involved)that were made prior to going. I would have rated it higher for the information content alone but the book was a slow read.
Dec 16, 2009
John
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You really don't deserve to have an opinion on the Iraq War unless you were a part of it or read this book. This is as unbiased as it gets until the authors' notes at the very end. This is the real, thoroughly documented history. It is studded with staggering anecdotes of ignorance and culture clash, but it never uses these to paint a picture of anything but history. If you don't care what actually happened, you don't deserve to hold an opinion. This is more important than a hundred Fahrenheit 9
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Mar 04, 2011
Vivian
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This is an excellent account of the military invasion of Iraq. The use of primary and secondary resources is superb and the logic is sound. Strategists and those interested in less polemic and didactic rantings will appreciate the attention to and clear recountings of the events preceding and during the action.
Dec 17, 2009
Sean
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This book is a rather frightening account of just how out of control our system of government is. While presented mainly from the perspective of the military infrastructure, you get a slight peek at the machinations behind the second Iraq war.
Ultimately, what I see in this book is how resilient human beings can be in the face of utter catastrophe. The US Military commanders have contributed to the mess without doubt, but they were operating from a deficit of knowledge, intelligence More...
Ultimately, what I see in this book is how resilient human beings can be in the face of utter catastrophe. The US Military commanders have contributed to the mess without doubt, but they were operating from a deficit of knowledge, intelligence More...
Dec 17, 2009
JK
rated it:
5 stars for the first 200 pages
2 stars for the rest
The first 200 pages of this book were a fascinating tale into the lead up to the Iraq war. The decisions that were made, the stories that led to those decisions, and the ultimate trials and tribulations that resulted will be studied for a very long time. After the start of the war, the book becomes very detailed into what military actions took place on the ground. Although interesting, I was more taken by the politics at the More...
2 stars for the rest
The first 200 pages of this book were a fascinating tale into the lead up to the Iraq war. The decisions that were made, the stories that led to those decisions, and the ultimate trials and tribulations that resulted will be studied for a very long time. After the start of the war, the book becomes very detailed into what military actions took place on the ground. Although interesting, I was more taken by the politics at the More...
Apr 01, 2010
Converse
rated it:
Account of early portion of :2nd U.S.-Iraq war. U.S. not expecting unconventional resitatance; U. S. forces enough to occupy Iraq but not to control it. Administration didn't think these problems would arise, but was advised of the probability of these problems.
Aug 01, 2011
Suzan
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Very slow to get going but gets moving once the offensive, tagged Cobra 2, gets underway. The revelations regarding the planning, execution and failure to accurately assess the post-invasion (ahem, "liberation") of Iraq is enthralling - and astounding.
Mar 28, 2007
laura
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Cobra II is the military operation name for the Iraq invasion. A journalist's meticulous documentation of the events leading up to and during the Iraq invasion. Paints an interesting picture of Rummy and the rest of the administration as they make the various decisions that got us here. It also provides a window into the deliberations and thought processes of Saddam and his regime leading up to the invasion. If you can stand all of the military acronyms and don't mind the very dry writing, it's
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May 18, 2010
Jimmy
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A necessary book for understanding what happened during the initial years of the war with Saddam Hussein. The blunders committed by the Bush administration were in my view the greatest ever by any wartime president.
Jul 10, 2009
Beth639
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Really good but I got lost in the battle descriptions. If you have a military background or strong interest you would probably appreciate the detail. I definitely learned more than I ever knew about how military planning, decision-making works. I'm glad I read it.
Oct 24, 2008
Will
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Cobra II is a major work. It is in this that it is made eminently clear that it is Rummy who was in charge of troop numbers. He pressured the generals, particularly Franks, to reduce the numbers over and over and over again until the General(s), knowing what was good for him/them, acceded.
The war itself was fraught with miscommunications, incompatibilities and wildly inaccurate assumptions. In one instance several Air Force bombers were unable to make it all the way back home from t More...
The war itself was fraught with miscommunications, incompatibilities and wildly inaccurate assumptions. In one instance several Air Force bombers were unable to make it all the way back home from t More...
Dec 19, 2010
Very good descriptions of combat in Iraq. US Tanks on the highway's looking for ambush from under overpasses, good stuff.
Oct 23, 2009
Tom
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From what I've seen, seems to be an accurate account. And if so, it will be an excellent source or 'lessons learned'
May 27, 2009
Chris
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great accounting of what kind of charlie/foxtrot results when the REMF's get to plan military operations.
Jun 23, 2009
David
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The big to read on the path to the war in Iraq in 2003. The authors did their homework. A lot of missed opportunities IMHO.
May 21, 2008
Brian
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I was given this by my military history professor to read for the course. We ended up not using it that much, but I decided to read it anyway. It was a really good book describing the planning of the second Iraq War and the goals of the people who masterminded the effort. It really enlightened me as to the current situation and why things are the way they are. The only problem I had with the book was that it was a slow read and at around 600 pages that took a while to get through. It was a
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Apr 01, 2008
Ian
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This really is the most thorough explanation of the events surrounding the Iraq war. The authors have done an incredible job compiling information from a seemingly endless list of sources. The attention to detail is unmatched. That being said, this book is very dense and full of acronyms and jargon that many readers may not be used to. For a brief description of the Iraq War this is not your place to start, however, if you are looking for high level information this book is the gold standard
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