Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq (Yale Library of Military History) - Softcover

"This is a moving, clear, lucid, and extrememly valuable account of midlevel operations in Iraq in the early, crucial stages of the insurgency, with many valuable lessons. . . . As a memoir, Col. Mansoor's book is honest, moving and exceptionally readable."-Martin Sieff, Washington Times -- Martin Sieff * Washington Times * "The poetically titled Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq takes discussion of foreign policy down to the nitty-gritty of operational reality."-Benjamin Lytal, New York Sun (Fall Books Preview) -- Benjamin Lytal * New York Sun * "Peter Mansoor's extraordinarily valuable Baghdad at Sunrise . . . . is a far better guide to counterinsurgency warfare than the official manual published by the Army and Marines. . . . This book has more intellectual integrity and utility."-Ralph Peters, New York Post -- Ralph Peters * New York Post *

This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after U.S. forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003. Army Colonel Peter R. Mansoor, the on-the-ground commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division-the "Ready First Combat Team"-describes his brigade's first year in Iraq, from the sweltering, chaotic summer after the Ba'athists' defeat to the transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government a year later. Uniquely positioned to observe, record, and assess the events of that fateful year, Mansoor now explains what went right and wrong as the U.S. military confronted an insurgency of unexpected strength and tenacity. Drawing not only on his own daily combat journal but also on observations by embedded reporters, news reports, combat logs, archived e-mails, and many other sources, Mansoor offers a contemporary record of the valor, motivations, and resolve of the 1st Brigade and its attachments during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Yet this book has a deeper significance than a personal memoir or unit history. Baghdad at Sunrise provides a detailed, nuanced analysis of U.S. counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, and along with it critically important lessons for America's military and political leaders of the twenty-first century.