Another Map Lesson

Al Fallujah. Al Musayyib. No, aren’t the sounds I’m making, still coughing from the walking pnuemonia I suffered a couple weeks ago. Those are two towns in Iraq, and it’s likely we’ll be hearing more about at least one of them shortly.

Each commands a river crossing we’ll need on the Road to Baghdad (visions of Hope and Crosby spring to mind).

Al Fallujah is further north, but seems to offer a better approach to the west side of Baghdad, assuming General Franks doesn’t mind a 90 degree wheeling movement. But maneuver isn’t exactly something new to the US Army.

Al Al Musayyib is more direct, and doesn’t require a 15,000-man divsion to make a big right hand turn. But if I’m reading the map correctly, the terrain and urban areas are more constrained.

But we’ll probably need at least one of those towns in safe possession in order to move men and material where we need them — especially material. Modern armies require an unbeleiveable amount of stuff to stay in the field, and even more if you expect them to, you know, actually fight.

We need bridges. Those two cities have important ones.