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by Mark T. Gerges (Author)
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 was condemned by the United Nations and led to a military coalition of more than thirty countries, spearheaded by the United States and United Kingdom. Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division--better known as "Bandit"--was one of nearly two hundred American armor and infantry companies that were called to fight. Bandit: The Inside Story of an Abrams Tank Company during Desert Storm tells the tale of the sixty-three soldiers and officers in this army unit.
Author Mark T. Gerges, Bandit's former commander, recounts the company's pre-Gulf War stationing in Germany, the unit's unexpected deployment to Saudi Arabia, and subsequent combat in Iraq. Bandit features a firsthand account of the Battle of Medina Ridge, the largest US tank battle since World War II, and uses journals, letters, and military orders to present a full snapshot of one unit during Desert Storm. Through interviews with soldiers and spouses, Gerges provides an all-encompassing view of the operation, including the costs to those at home.
Bandit closely follows the experiences of those who served with Gerges, providing the human story of a tank company at the end of the Cold War.
Author Biography
Mark T. Gerges is a historian with the US Army Command and General Staff College and a former history professor at the US Military Academy. He served twenty years on active duty as an armor officer and commanded Bandit during Operation Desert Storm. His research areas include maneuver warfare in the Napoleonic era, the European theater in World War II, and Desert Storm.
