2021 Spring Newsletter
The Society for Army Historical Research Serving scholars, enthusiasts and soldiers NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2021 RECENT EVENTS – on-line presentation WeD 10th Feb 2021: The Iraq War: Tactical Realities of the Campaign For our first event of 2021, we were force ratios in Belfast at the height of privileged to welcome Justin ‘The Troubles’, and in Basra went a Maciejewski DSO MBE, Director of the long way to explaining the challenges National Army Museum, to speak on- of policing there. He described line about The Iraq War: Tactical Operations SINBAD and CHARGE OF Realities of the Campaign. His talk THE KNIGHTS, this last being a ranged from his time as a Major (SO2 successful Iraqi initiative to strike at G3 Ops/O&D in Headquarters 1st (UK) and drive the militias from Basra’s Armoured Division), through streets. The development of Lieutenant Colonel (CO, 2nd Bn, The collective and individual kit, of Rifles), up to Colonel (Chief of Staff, intelligence, and of British doctrine 3rd (UK) Division). were covered, as were the practical challenges of multi-national Despite the focus of his talk being on operations. It was an eye-opening tactical realities, he provided talk, but which returned again to excellent strategic and operational those enduring truths, to the context, which was seldom grasped importance of low-level leadership nor explained in the popular media. and rituals, and to ordinary soldiers' Our speaker saw, at first hand, the resilience and ability to rise to the erosion of good will from his first days occasion. in Basra, and the malign influence of foreign-backed militias until, as a The talk was followed by a lively Q&A Battalion Commander, almost every session.
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