Essay on The Battle of Takur Ghar

The Battle of Wanat is widely recognized as one of the most organized attacks against U.S forces in the Afghanistan war. This battle produced the most casualties on the American side since the start of the war in 2001. Nine United States soldiers were killed and 27 were wounded; however, between 21- 51 Taliban forces were claimed to have been killed. The Taliban forces knew where to attack the U.S. forces base and focus most of their fire power on the base weak spots. As for the United States, the biggest target was their most casualty producing weapons: a U.S. mortar tube and 50 Cal machine guns. The American forces also put the patrol base in an area that was hard to defend with many blind spots. The Taliban forces outnumbered U.S. forces vastly, attacking with about 300-400 Taliban soldiers to only 45

In the mountainous Shah-i-Khot region south of the city of Gardez in Eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda took place early March 2002. Operation Anaconda, to this day, stands as the largest reported ground action in the Afghan war. This 17-day battle led to eight U.S. casualties and over 50 wounded. Operation Anaconda is viewed as a success due to coalition forces being able to kill and root out several hundred Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, which left U.S. and coalition forces in control of the Shah-i-Khot Valley. Originally intended to be a three-day battle with light resistance, a seven-day battle ensued with intense fighting and was finally

Operation Anaconda was a subordinate joint combat operation, during Operation Enduring Freedom, (Lyle 2012) to be carried out in the Shahi Kot Valley located in southeastern Afghanistan. Operations planning took place in February of 2002 and was executed from 2-16 March. The operational purpose was to capture or kill, what was reported to be, “The largest concentration of al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan”. Operation Anaconda Case Study (2003) In order to undertake a mission of this magnitude and scope, unity of command would prove critical. The task organization of Operation Anaconda involved both joint and multinational assets. Operation Anaconda lacked unity

Operation Anaconda was the first major joint combat operation against the war on terror that the US was committed to winning. This operation would test our military’s readiness for joint operations against a hardened and willing adversary. The primary mission was to kill/capture Taliban/Al Qaeda forces occupying towns and villages in the vicinity of Shahi Khot in order to gain control of the valley.1 The US needed the towns, villages, mountains, and more importantly, the intricate and hard to access caves cleared of enemy fighters. Units participating in the operation included elements of the 101st Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, Special Operations Forces (SOF), and Coalition forces from seven nations

The beginning of the Second World War began on September 1st 1939 and ended on September the 2nd 1945. “All battles and all wars are won In the end by infantrymen.”1. The battle of Kokoda was a four month battle when the Japanese landed near Gona on the north coasts of Papua New Guinea on the 21st of July 1942. In the next two months Australian and New Guinea troops were pushed back past the mountains towards Port Moresby which was the Japanese objective so they could capture Port Moresby by a track over the Owen Stanley Ranges. (See appendix 1)

The battle took place in the western Pacific Ocean. On an island called “Umurbrogol Pocket.” There were thirty to sixty foot high cliffs and a death valley. There were three task forces eleven, fourteen, and seventeen.

First and foremost, the primary sources inform us on the different players involved in the ongoing conflict between Egypt and the Hittites, showing both empires with great armies, but more importantly, comprehensive awareness of the Hittite army of this time period is deeply indebted to Egyptian reliefs. Kadesh was a city located in Syria and was the site of the famous battle between Egypt’s King Rameses II and the Hittite Empire’s King Muwatalli II. This battle, known as the Battle of Kadesh, is thoroughly documented in primary sources like Rameses II’s texts, letters, Seti I’s reliefs, and Rameses II’s reliefs at Ramesseum and Luxor.

The Battle of Poltava was part of the Great Northern war. This battle was between the Russians and the Swedes. The Battle of Poltava happened in 1709-1729. So this war lasted about 20 years. The Russians were dragged into this battle because the Swedes wanted more territory. Also that King Charles wouldn't accept the peace offering from the Russians (Peter) to not come near their country, but Charles wanted to invade St. Petersburg which was Peter’s new capital. This battle was important because it marked the beginning of the end of Sweden as a major power in Europe and marked the rise of Russia as a major power.

The year of 1939 is considered the start of the Second World War with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. Following this event there were numerous battle encounters that played significant roles in the outcome of the war. These battles were not all one sided, both the Allies and the Axis Powers left their impression on history with their efforts. There is one battle towards the end of the war however, one that is renown and praised by many. The Invasion of Normandy, or better known as D-Day, is the largest sea, land, and air operation ever carried out.

The Battle of Verdun was the longest and bloodiest battle of WW1.The battle lasted from February 21, 1916, to December 19, 1916. In that period of time, an estimated 700,000 casualties occurred. The impact on this battle led to the British starting the battle of Somme.

They initially failed to identify what geographical areas they could affect to counter the Mujahedeen. The Soviets focused their efforts on a stronghold strategy. McMichael (1989) states the Soviets were unable to subdue the country as a whole; the Soviets concentrated their efforts on control of Afghanistan’s largest cities, key facilities, and main transportation networks. Outside the populated areas, the Soviet forces would patrol using armored formations having very little effect on the pockets of guerrillas. Most of the Soviets Army’s early offensives, where large armored movements into open valleys where they could maneuver armored vehicles lasting only a few days before the Soviet forces would return to their garrison areas leaving the terrain they just fought for open to their enemies. As the conflict progressed, the Soviet forces changed its current tactical philosophy to tactics that favored the use of lighter forces, leaving armored forces to defend the static garrison and urban areas they had already controlled. The Soviets used light forces consisting of airborne, air assault and Special Forces units that could maneuver within the mountainous terrain where the Mujahedeen sought refuge. This change of tactic was very successful in finding and killing Mujahedeen but proved fruitless because there were not enough Soviet or Afghan forces to hold the cleared areas. Any area

The utilization of airborne troops to seize major airports provided Soviet held locations for the influx of logistical support, combined with the simultaneous invasion of land forces (Prague Spring, 1968, p. 5). However, the similarities of the two invasions would eventually lead to the demise of Soviet forces in Afghanistan. The Soviet invasion force based on Soviet Airland battle doctrine was largely division-centric, designed to counter the conventional warfare threat that existed in central Europe against equivalent NATO forces. Predominantly mechanized and motorized, its composition was not conducive to fighting in the restricted terrain of Afghanistan. Consequently, given that the Red Army was very adept at seizing key infrastructure in urban areas, fused with the Kremlin’s plan of training and equipping the Afghan Army to control the rural areas, they expected to stabilize Afghanistan within two to three

Special Activities Staff (SAS) is one of the United States special operation forces that operate on behalf of the United States government. Its actual designation is Military Special Projects (MSP). The SAS has its Ground Branch, Air Branch, and Maritime Branch. Members of the Special Operations Group (SOG) are drawn from these branches (SpecialOperations.com, 2000). The tasks, conditions, and standards of this counterterrorism operational unit within the CIA include:

The Battle of Gaugamela took place on October 1st 331 BC. It is also known as the Battle of Arbela. This was a battle fought by Alexander the Great against King of Macedon named King Darius III of Persia. This battle was the final meeting of many meetings between these two powerful leaders. The name Gaugamela itself means “The Camel’s House” which was a village on the banks of the Bumodus River. The site of the battle itself was thought to be on a nearby hill called Tel Gomel in northern Iraq. After this battle, Alexander the Great was said to be the King of all Asia.

In 1362, Orhan Gazi died, and his son, Murad I, took the throne. Murad changed the capital of the Empire from Bursa to Edirne around 1363, after having conquered Adrianople.