Listen to the Podcast Series: Battlefield Fallujah

The Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004 was a major military operation conducted by the United States military and its allies during the Iraq War. Fallujah, a city located in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq, had become a stronghold for insurgent groups, including Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which posed a significant threat to the stability of the country.

The operation, code-named Operation Phantom Fury (also known as al-Fajr or "New Dawn"), aimed to regain control of Fallujah and eliminate the insurgent presence in the city. It involved a joint effort by the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and Iraqi Security Forces, supported by air and artillery strikes.

The battle began on November 7, 2004, with a massive assault on Fallujah. U.S. and Iraqi forces faced stiff resistance from well-entrenched insurgent fighters who had fortified the city with booby traps, tunnels, and other defensive measures. The fighting was intense and urban, with house-to-house and street-to-street combat, making it a challenging and deadly battle.

During the battle, U.S. and Iraqi forces employed a variety of tactics, including airstrikes, artillery barrages, and ground assaults, to root out the insurgents. After several weeks of intense fighting, American forces gradually gained control of the city. Many insurgents were killed or captured, while others fled. The battle officially ended on December 23, 2004, with the U.S. and Iraqi forces declaring victory.

Book List

Most books in this curated list are available from online bookstores or via your preferred bookseller.

Ghosts of Fallujah by Coley Tyler | Amazon

House to House: A Soldier's Memoir by Sgt David Bellavia with John Bruning | Amazon

My Men are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story by Nathaniel Helms | Amazon

No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah by Bing West | Amazon

Operation Phantom Fury: The Assault and Capture of Fallujah, Iraq by Colonel Dick Camp | Amazon

Fallujah Memoirs: A Grunt's Eye View of the Second Battle of Fallujah by Alexander Saxby | Amazon

RedCon 1: Memoirs of a Fallujah Marine by Michael Scot Smith | Amazon

We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah by Patrick O'Donnell | Amazon

New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah by Richard Lowery | Amazon

Fallujah, With Honor: 1st Battalion, 8th Marines' Role in Operation Phantom Fury by Gary Livingston | Amazon

Fighting for Fallujah: A New Dawn for Iraq by John Ballard | Amazon

Lava Dawgs: A Fight for Fallujah by Charlie Moose | Amazon

Eyewitness to War: The US Army in Operation Al Fajr (An Oral History) by Kendall Gott, J. McCool. M.M. Matthews, J. Vedder, C. Kiszka | Amazon

Operation Al Fajr: A Study in Army and Marine Corps Joint Operations by Matt Matthews | Amazon