Customer Reviews

Heavy Metal: A Tank Company's Battle to Baghdad

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I remember that some of the most powerful pictures I have seen of the Iraq war in 2003 was an Ambrams tank riding along a road in Baghdad with a camera on top and in every street it crossed there was a T-72 destroyed, almost beyond recognition. I was very impressed by this scene and some days later I read that USAF strikes were responsible for that carnage. Although that news was an anticlimax as I had initially supposed that the US tanks had done the damage, I accepted that and felt impressed by the accuracy of modern aerial bombs and missiles. The enigma was revealed finally when I read Jason Conroy's excellent book "Heavy Metal" where I found out that a sole armored company of the 2nd BCT (3rd ID) did all that execution in Baghdad's streets, in an area called Mahmudiyah, within very few minutes and in a fight which resembled a gunfight in a telephone booth. The author has written a marvelous account of his company's war (14 Abrams tanks) from the months leading to the operation "Iraqi Freedom" to the actual battles with the enemy, and his writing style is very factual and right to the point. Conroy gives many details about the kind of personnel that crewed the Abrams tanks, their training and doctrine, the confusion of battles, the attrocious weather in western Iraqi desert, the plight of the Iraqi civilians, the two daring "Thunder Runs" inside Baghdad on April 5 and 7 and the controversial matter of the looting of the Iraqi National Museum. I found extremely interesting the efforts that Conroy's men did in order to save the badly hit tank "Cojone, Eh?" during the first Thunder Run (that particular vehicle was seen destroyed in Iraqi TV with Iraqis triumphantly dancing on it) as well as the description of the first two months after the end of the campaign in Baghdad and Fallujah. This is a highly recommended book for everyone who wants to see how reality does not follow any script and how real battles are full of surprises even in an era of satellite communications and super-accurate weapons.

My company commander, CPT Jason Conroy, and our embedded reporter Ron Martz have put together an outstanding narrative of the Iraq War from the point of view of the soldier. This is so much more interesting to me than another book written by some general. If you want to know what it was really like serving as a tanker in combat, read this book. I was one of the Cobras during the war and this book really tells it like it happened. A great read!

Button-up and go cross-border into Iraq with Charlie Company. Martz and Conroy take you on one hell of an emotional ride. Simply put, this is a writing collaboration by two pro's - Martz, the embedded reporter and former Marine, with 20 plus years reporting from the world's hot spots and shooting wars for the AJC and Capt. Conroy, a 21st century Army Company Commander and the quintessential modern tank unit leader.

From Invasion to culmination of "Thunder Run's" 1 and 2 and the occupation of Baghdad, it's a true page turner. You will experience how the personnel of Charlie Company overcome re-supply of beans and bullets, relentless close quarter enemy engagements, equipment failures, bad Intel, weather of near biblical proportions and the taking of their first casualties. They deal with the stark reality of 21st century mechanized warfare where the main objective remains to kill people and break things, but they now do it with far greater velocity and precision. On the other hand you are reminded that modern armor tactics in open country or urban street to street has changed very little since Generals Guderian, Rommel, and Patton first employed them 60 plus years ago.

Heavy Metal should be required study in all our service academies, military war colleges and civilian think tanks - it's that damn good!

Once I began reading, I couldn't put this book down. Ron Martz has written a gripping account of Charlie Company's drive from Kuwait through the battlefield to be the first armored company in the Heart of Baghdad. A story of professional and heroic warriors who overcame a determined enemy, mechanical malfunctions, supply shortages, environmental nightmares and fear to become the "Tip of the Spear" and etch their place in history. A must read for anyone who wants to know what 21st century armored warfare is really like.

Jason was a fellow company commander in 3ID. He does a great job of describing today's battlefield at company level and below. This is a must read for any soldier, NCO, or junior officer preparing to deploy to Iraq and fight.

As a vet of Desert Storm and a retired tanker i must say this book was fantastic, riviting, loving and very exciting. My girlfriend loved it to. I found myself right there with Charlie Company on every page. I served with Charlie co. 3/8 Cav, 3rd AD in the gulf. Thanks for the memories Capt Conroy and great job.

In the Iraq war the Army tried to do better than they had done in Viet Nam by imbedding reporters with the troops to live with the, see the fighting directly and perhaps present a more balanced view than can be seen from the bar back at the hotel.

Still, the stories that make it to television are a long way from the stories you get when the books finally become available. This is the first book that I've found that come from the pointy end of the stick. Charlie Company was there where the action was from beginning to after the end of the war.

The tasks that they performed illustrate how varied training is useful. What you really find in combat is not what you expected, and the ability to be flexible to handle any situation is of paramount importance.

The second point of this book is the pride we should all feel in how our young men handled themselves in a very nasty situation. Regardless of our feelings towards the war, our young men did good.

Finally the actions of Charlie Company and the rest of the after action reports need to be carefully examined. It's sad, but this is almost certainly not the last time that we will put such young men in harms way. What did we do right, what went wrong, how can intelligence be improved, and what really killed Red Two?

If you have not read 'Thunder Run' read that book first. It gives you a more complete picture of events and will help you glean more from 'Heavy Metal'. If you are new to armor operations this is a very good book. I am writing this review assuming you are looking for the more detailed information you would expect from someone who was an armor company commander.

Coming out months after 'Thunder Run' it is hard not to compare 'Heavy Metal' to that work. 'Heavy Metal' is well written and details CPT Conroy's and Charlie Company's viewpoints during the war. I had high hopes for this book but I think it falls short of its potential. CPT Conroy does a good job of covering the highlights of his year in Iraq as well as going over some lessons learned. He does shed some light on a number of particular events but overall the actions are not given enough detail considering what was already covered in 'Thunder Run'. I wish the book had been about twice as long. I was particularly disappointed that CPT Conroy did not include more of the direct experiences of the men under his command beyond what he observed. Obviously this is his story not a unit history but as someone who was in the perfect position to get his fellow tankers' thoughts on the particular actions he could have related far more about armor combat at the platoon and company levels.

Even the lessons learned are a bit general. Armor is useful in urban warfare is one lesson he relates but that is certainly nothing new. He obviously is aware of WW2 armor operations. The M1 Abrams has shifted the old armor vs. anti-armor equation but is that a lesson? What if a defender is prepared or better armed? He touches on this but again does not offer much analysis or insight. He mentions the Abrams he lost on road during the thunder run was probably not hit by an RPG. There is a considerable amount of public information now on armor vehicle damage from hostile fire in Iraq. He does not seem to take any of this into account and analyze it against his own experiences and observations.

CPT Conroy also gives almost no information about the actual responsibilities of a tank company commander. How was resupply handled? How often was he in communication with higher HQ and how? How did he communicate his orders with his platoon leaders? How much sleep did he get? How much did he fight his tank vs. leading the company? He only gives occasional glimpses at these questions. It is hard to believe but even after finishing the book you will be hard pressed to describe what an average day was like for him commanding a tank company in battle.

As a result, while it makes for an interesting read and does add a bit to the history of the events it is not detailed enough to serve as a learning tool for the combat leaders of today, or tomorrow, nor particularly useful for the military historian. This is particularly disappointing considering the experiences and lessons he obviously has to share. More frustrating is that you can tell he was thinking along these lines as he wrote the book but he did not quite follow through. Perhaps his editors thought it would not sell.

If you are interested in modern armor operations, the war in Iraq, or the Thunder Run in particular 'Heavy Metal' is a good read. Just don't expect too much.

Kudos and thanks to Captain Jason Conroy and veteran journalist Ron Martz for a compelling, inspiring and instructive combat story about Charlie Company's battle to Baghdad. The book provides a clearer vision of war for those of us who have never been in combat and presents some awesome personal stories in that "up close & personal" way. This is an amazing story of survival - all came home - from Charlie Company. The story is told in an "unspun" version which is very refreshing. Telling us what went right and what went horribly wrong shows that Capt Conroy and Ron Martz took off any "armor" that some may use to hide the truth. The portrayal of courage and the commitment of the young soldiers was very poignant. The book should be read and viewed as one of those rare accounts you can read and truly look at the "lessons learned" and carry them as vital tools for the future. One cannot be the same person after reading this gripping story of what these men went through on their way to Baghdad. I highly recommend this book to any person who wants to learn more about the reality of war and a profound example of the human spirit at work under adverse and life threatening conditions.
Review by: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive, J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group (TM), and author of "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Coach" Newsletter.

If you read "Thunder Run" and felt it was informative than you must read "Heavy Metal". I read all of Ron Martz's articles before, during and after the invasion of 2003. This book puts his articles into a new context. It paints the big picture for those of us who waited on the home front for our loved ones to return from the front lines. Martz has an incredible ability to put the reader right there where the action is.

"Heavy Metal" has a special place on my book shelf right alongside "Thunder Run". They tell the story of the courage and bravery of my very own son.

Mary Ward
"Letters Home"