The 507th Maintenance Company's convoy fell behind the Third Infantry Division's 600-vehicle column rumbling north through the harsh Iraqi desert.
The maintenance company fell behind and was trying to catch up. At an intersection south of the city, Captain King misunderstood the route, missed a turn and led the convoy straight into the city.
Communications immediately became a problem. Five vehicles in the convoy were equipped with radios but the soldiers in the other 13 had hand-held radios with batteries that had gone dead during the long ride.
The Soldiers saw armed civilians and what appeared to be armed Iraqi soldiers at two checkpoints, but none of those people fired at or threatened the troops. Indeed, some Iraqi soldiers waved at the convoy which, still unaware it was driving deeper into hostile territory, rumbled on.
Only a couple of miles later the commander realized his original mistake and ordered the vehicles, which included several heavy trucks and refuelers, to reverse course.
At that point, small-arms fire greeted the Americans at every turn. The First Sergeant worked frantically to organize a retreat. Although the Soldiers had completed basic training, they were mostly cooks, mechanics and other support personnel who had no combat experience. Many of their rifles jammed during the fight, apparently from the dusty conditions.
The convoy soon became dispersed, with vehicles trying to speed away from the increasingly ferocious enemy fire, doubling back, and missing yet more turns in the dust and confusion.
One Humvee carrying the First Sergeant and four other soldiers was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into a stationary tractor-trailer rig.
The First Sergeant died at the scene. His driver survived the crash, but was seriously injured and died later in Iraqi custody. Another Soldier also suffered major injuries in the crash, and was rescued 10 days later from an Iraqi hospital by American commandos.
Altogether, the incident lasted between 60 and 90 minutes. They fought the best they could until there was no longer a means to resist.
Reference:
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/10/world/after-the-war-inquiry-report-says-errors-and-fatigue-led-to-ambush-of-convoy.html
M422 Influencing 1
jlojunitopr1977
LearnerHandoutThe507thMaintenanceCompany.docx
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