The American-led invasion of Iraq is often remembered as a cakewalk. It took less than 3 weeks for Coalition forces to surge into Baghdad and end Saddam Hussein’s 30-year reign. However, Operation Iraqi Freedom is far more complex than at first glance.
In this video we’ll cover the true story of the invasion of Iraq. The Iraqi strategy that took the coalition by surprise, the helicopter attack that ended in disaster and the desperate Iraqi counterattack that almost overran American infantry. As well as the ominous beginnings of insurgency and civil war.
IWM curator Kara McLoughlin uses objects from the Imperial War Museum Collection alongside archive film, photography and detailed battle maps to better understand how the Coalition won Baghdad and lost Iraq.
Find out more about the Iraq War: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-important-facts-about-the-iraq-war
What was Iraq like for British reservists?: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/iraq-war-reservist
Plan your visit to IWM London: https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london
Explore and licence the film clips used in this video from IWM Film:
https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/_Yaw7gxaq
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:45 Why invade Iraq?
02:25 Planning
07:06 Air campaign
8:52 Ground assault
12:16 Change of plan
16:59 Battle for Baghdad
19:16 What next?
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