The Atlantic

Urban Warfare, Then and Now

From Hue to Mosul, the mechanics of fighting in cities remain much the same.
Source: Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters

A few weeks ago, the Atlantic Monthly Pressreleased Mark Bowden’s excellent book, As he did previously in Bowden brings the reader down the deadly streets of a savage urban battle, meticulously describing the action from the points of view the participants. Currently, the roughly yearlong battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul is drawing to a close. Although a half century separates these two classic battles, the similarities in urban combat far outweigh differences.

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