'Too-slow' Marine Commander Relieved

News Max ^ | 4-5-03

[hope]

Reprinted from NewsMax.com

'Too-slow' Marine Commander Relieved

NewsMax.com
Sunday, April 6, 2003

"I'm afraid this could mean more casualties," one enlisted man told the L.A. Times embedded reporter, after hearing that Maj. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Division had relieved and replaced his regimental commander for reportedly being too slow in his drive on Baghdad.

Col. Joe W. Dowdy, who had been commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, was reassigned Friday to another position, being replaced by Col. John Toolan, the 1st Marine Division's operations officer.

Toolan hurried to the front and immediately took charge of a speeded-up drive to Baghdad, quickly ordering more troops and more air power to the front lines. By Saturday morning, the Marine forces were racing north on Highway 6 and had begun to enter the capital.

According to the Times report, enlisted men with the 1st Marines were less than happy with the timing of Dowdy’s ouster. Dowdy, a popular commander was cautious with his troops -- reportedly at the expense of speed.

The Marines had come under heavy fire at the town of Al Kut, where they had run into stiff resistance from the Republican Guard's Baghdad Division. Previously, fighting at several cities along the way, including Umm al Qasr and Nasiriyah, had slowed the Leathernecks.

After the fight at Al Kut, with Dowdy still in command, the Marines drove all night with their headlights on to make better time. The tactic, usually considered an unsafe move, came on the heels of Mattis’s demand for greater speed at a meeting of officers.

Toolan is considered a “close-with-and engage-the-enemy" type of commander who had helped draft the division's battle plan and is a Mattis confidante.

The Marines have been driving toward Baghdad on a parallel course with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which reached the outskirts of Baghdad late Wednesday -- ahead of the Marines.

In the 1991 Gulf War, the Marines trumped the main Army forces and entered Kuwait City first.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Saddam Hussein/Iraq

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[laz17]

"I'm afraid this could mean more casualties,"

Any article that starts like this, drawing the reader's attention to the subject of casualties and putting emphasis on it, is immediately suspect.

[MindBender26]

In the 1991 Gulf War, the Marines trumped the main Army forces and entered Kuwait City first.

Actually not.

USA SF troops, three A teams worth, along with their Kuwaiti indig were there hours before anyone else. They even raised a small US flag over the US embassy. They later removed it and let the Arab Corps have the (false) honor of being first into Kuwait City.

Even before the air war started other SF operators were in Kuwait City, setting up intel and E&E nets for the pilots... but that is another story...

[cpl. jones Eco 2-8]

The advance may have been too slow, but you have to consider that they had been fighting up a dirt road for two weeks. I can say this because I personally know "Rowdy Dowdy." He was my company commander. He took care of all of us. And if he called me today and asked me to come and work for him, in any capacity, I would'nt need to think about it I'd just go. He was an excellent commander and a good man. He believed in training hard in order to live longer and fight longer.

[Dead Dog]

The History Channel had a bit covered on their Year After Doc. Seems like the Army did have a bit of good fortune in that none of their bridges were completely blown, the Marines weren't as fortunate. However, Mathis relieved this Marine for not being aggressive enough. At the time the Marines were desperately needed in Baghdad as the Army was just starting it's "Thunder Runs". The Marines had been planned to be advancing on the right "flank" (if flank is even relevant in maneuver warfare?) to keep the Iraqis from concentrating on either force. As it turned out the Army took the blunt of Resistance at that time.

Seems like the Marines had to advance through Salman pak which burned a bit of time also.

[Dead Dog]

Not to mention avoiding pockets of Resistance and attacking/advancing through the paths of least Resistance until they are at the heart of the beast.(insert German words for "Finger tip/touch" and "Main/Tough/Difficult Problem" here respectively.

This war seems to be both a text book and laboratory for Maneuver Warfare. Von Clauswitz is dead.