John W. Burdan's Books

The Road to Safwan

The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War

By: Stephen Alan Bourque,John W. Burdan

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The Road to Safwan

The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War

By: Stephen Alan Bourque,John W. Burdan

The Road to Safwan is a complete history of the 1st Infantry Divisions cavalry unit fighting in Operation Desert Storm. Stephen A. Bourque and John W. Burdan III served in the 1st Infantry Bourque in Division Headquarters, Burdan as the Operations Officer of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry. Based on extensive interviews and primary sources, Bourque and Burdan provide the most in-depth coverage to date of a battalion-level unit in the 1991 war, showing how the unit deployed, went into combat, and adapted to changing circumstances. The authors describe how the officers and men moved from the routine of cold war training to leading the Big Red One in battle through the Iraqi defenses and against the Iraqi Republican Guard. The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry participated in the 1st Brigade attack on G-Day, the large tank battle for Objective Norfolk, the cutting of Basra Road, and the capture of Safwan Airfield, the site where General H. Norman Schwartzkopf conducted cease-fire negotiations with the Iraqis. The squadrons activities are placed squarely within the context of both division and corps activities, which illustrates the fog of war, the chain of command, and the uncertainty of information affecting command decisions. The Road to Safwan challenges the myth that technology won the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Contrary to popular view, it was a soldier's war not much different from previous conflicts in its general nature. What was different was the quality and intensity of the unit's training, which resulted, repeatedly, in successful engagements and objectives secured. It is the story of the people, not the machines, which ultimately led this squadron to the small town of Safwan.

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Page Count

338

Publisher

University of North Texas Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1574412329

ISBN 13

9781574412321

Scouts Out! The Development Of Reconnaissance Units In Modern Armies [Illustrated Edition]

By: John J. McGrath

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Scouts Out! The Development Of Reconnaissance Units In Modern Armies [Illustrated Edition]

By: John J. McGrath

Illustrated with 60 maps, plans and diagrams Reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance are battlefield missions as old as military history itself and missions for which many armies have created specialized units to perform. In most cases, these units were trained, equipped, and used differently from the majority of an army’s fighting units. Horse cavalry performed these missions for centuries, for it had speed and mobility far in excess of main battle units. Once the horse was replaced by mechanization, however, the mobility advantage once enjoyed by the horse cavalry disappeared. Since the early 20th century, the search for the proper mix of equipment, the proper organization, and the proper employment of reconnaissance units has bedeviled armies around the world. This survey uses a diverse variety of historical cases to illustrate the enduring issues that surround the equipping, organizing, and employment of reconnaissance units. It seems that these specialized units are either too heavily or too lightly equipped and too narrowly specialized or too conventionally organized. Pre-war reconnaissance doctrines tend to undergo significant change once fighting begins, leading to post-conflict analysis that reconnaissance units were “misused” in one way or another. McGrath ends his study with an intriguing conclusion about the role that specialized reconnaissance units should have in the future that may surprise many readers.

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Page Count

376

Publisher

Pickle Partners Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

178289912X

ISBN 13

9781782899129

Kevlar Legions: The Transformation of the United States Army 1989-2005

By: John Sloan Brown

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Kevlar Legions: The Transformation of the United States Army 1989-2005

By: John Sloan Brown

This is the story of how the United States Army responded to the challenges of the end of the Cold War by transforming itself into the most capable ground force in the world today. It argues that from 1989 through 2005 the U.S. Army attempted, and largely achieved, a centrally directed and institutionally driven transformation relevant to ground warfare that exploited Information Age technology, adapted to post?Cold War strategic circumstances, and integrated into parallel Department of Defense efforts. The process not only modernized equipment, it also substantially altered doctrine, organization, training, administrative and logistical practices, and the service culture. Kevlar Legions further contends that the digitized expeditionary Army has withstood the test of combat, performing superbly with respect to deployment and high-end conventional combat and capably with respect to low-intensity conflict and the counterinsurgency challenges of Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Page Count

562

Publisher

Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

1300079541

ISBN 13

9781300079545

The Road to Safwan

The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War

By: Stephen Alan Bourque,John W. Burdan

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The Road to Safwan

The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War

By: Stephen Alan Bourque,John W. Burdan

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

338

Publisher

University of North Texas Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1574412329

ISBN 13

9781574412321

Book's by John W. Burdan

The Road to Safwan

The Road to Safwan

Scouts Out! The Development Of Reconnaissance Units In Modern Armies [Illustrated Edition]

Scouts Out! The Development Of Reconnaissance Units In Modern Armies [Illustrated Edition]

Kevlar Legions: The Transformation of the United States Army 1989-2005

Kevlar Legions: The Transformation of the United States Army 1989-2005

The Road to Safwan

The Road to Safwan

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