A Chance in Hell: The Men Who Triumphed Over Iraq's Deadliest City and Turned the Tide of War

About this book

The riveting account of how one brigade turned Iraqs most violent city into a model of stability Colonel Sean MacFarland arrived in Iraqs deadliest city with simple instructions: pacify Ramadi without destroying it. The odds were against him from the start. By 2006 insurgents roamed freely in many parts of the city in open defiance of Iraqs U.S.-backed government. Al-Qaeda had boldly declared Ramadi its capital. Even the U.S. military acknowledged that the province would be the last to be pacified. MacFarland laid out a bold plan. His soldiers would take on the insurgents in their own backyard. He set up combat outposts in the citys most dangerous neighborhoods. Snipers roamed the back alleys killing al-Qaeda leaders and terrorist cells. U.S. tanks rumbled down the streets firing point-blank into buildings occupied by insurgents. MacFarlands brigade engaged in some of the bloodiest street fighting of the war. Casualties on both sides mounted. Al-Qaeda wasnt going to give up easily--Ramadi was too important. MacFarland wasnt going to back down either. A Chance in Hell tells how a handful of men turned the tide of war at a time when it appeared all hope was lost.