The Battle That Never Was

I think it is safe to say now that Fallujah was the Battle for Baghdad that never ocurred. Before Baghdad fell, we heard many different people and groups explain how it would become the next Stalingrad, or at least a a costly battle for the US. The fact that Iraq's capital fell easily took many by surprise, including US military and political leaders. The amount of Urban Warfare that occurred was negligible, and thus the Battle of Baghdad was The Battle That Never Was. However, in Fallujah we see what that battle could have looked like. While the US has done fairly well in Fallujah thus far, we see how urban warfare is both costly and time consuming. The first part is preparing the battlefield, the second is to enter the battlefield and engage the foe who actually fights you, and the third is the clean up, where you take care of those who hid in the 2nd phase, as well as repair and rebuild the damage caused by the battle. Wretchard, Chester and Dan have done an excellent job at analyzing the situation in Fallujah, and explaining it for those whose knowledge of military affairs is more limited. In Fallujah we see paths not taken, and paths that yet loom before us.