The Fires of Babylon: Eagle Troop and the Battle of 73 Easting

Mike Guardia

Jul 2017 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Johnny Heller

About this audiobook

On the morning of August 2, 1990, Iraqi armored divisions invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. The Iraqi Army, after its long war with Iran, had more combat experience than the US Army. The Kuwaitis had collapsed easily enough, but the invasion drew fierce condemnation from the United Nations, which demanded Hussein's withdrawal. Undeterred by the rhetoric, the Iraqi dictator massed his forces along the Saudi Arabian border and dared the world to stop him. In response, the United States led the world community in a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm. Leading this charge into Iraq were the men of Eagle Troop in the U.S. Army's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Commanded by then-Captain H. R. McMaster-who would go on to serve as National Security Advisor in the Trump administration-Eagle Troop was the lead element of the U.S. VII Corps' advance into Iraq. On February 26, 1991, Eagle Troop encountered the Tawakalna Brigade of Iraq's elite Republican Guard. By any calculation, the twelve American tanks didn't stand a chance. Yet within a mere twenty-three minutes, the M1A1 tanks of Eagle Troop destroyed more than fifty enemy vehicles and plowed a hole through the Iraqi front. History would call it the Battle of Seventy-Three Easting.

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About the author

Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served six years on active duty as an armor officer. He has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award and is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America.

Johnny Heller, a Golden Voice Lifetime Achievement Award winner, has recorded over 800 audiobooks spanning every genre. He is a four-time Audie Award winner, an AudioFile Best Voice, and the winner of over thirty Earphones Awards. AudioFile magazine named him one of the top fifty voices of the twentieth century.