Days of Fury

Ghost Troop and the Battle of 73 Easting

By: Mike Guardia

Narrated by: Damian Salandy

A riveting true story of tank warfare on the frontlines of Operation Desert Storm.

August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invade the tiny emirate of Kuwait. Within hours, the Kuwaiti defenses collapse under the onslaught of the Iraqi Army. In response, the US military leads a coalition of 34 nations in what becomes Operation Desert Storm—a violent campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear are the men of Ghost Troop in the US Army’s Second Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Commanded by Captain Joseph Sartiano, Ghost Troop was among the lead elements of the US VII Corps’ advance into Iraq. On February 26, 1991, Ghost Troop encountered a brigade-sized element of the Tawakalna Division—the elite frontline forces of Iraq’s Republican Guard. Although significantly outnumbered and outgunned, Ghost Troop won a decisive victory with minimal losses to their own ranks. History would call it the Battle of 73 Easting.

Based on hours of interviews and archival research by author Mike Guardia, this minute-by-minute rendition of the battle reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern warfare…as told by the men who lived it.

Days of Fury is their story.

©2021 Mike Guardia (P)2022 Mike Guardia

Good story slow start

The overall book was interesting but it was a grind to get by the description ok each player. I understand why it is in the book, just wished the section was smaller.

Great account of 73 Easting with significant depth

I'm always interested in the Battle of 73 Easting because my friend was there and even in Ghost Troop.

Mike Guardia gives significant depth to the people involved, and we get to know them a lot better than in most histories, so this account means a lot more to the listener. The extra detail also allows us armchair warriors to get some insights into what military life is really like, which is a bonus.

Mike covers much of the same ground as the Eagle Troop book (Fires of Babylon) but somehow manages to give the story a new spin, so it doesn't feel like a repeat of the prior book. Very well done!

Yes, most of the book is leading up to the 100 hours war and the battle itself, which is fair. Though I was disappointed that the battle description was a bit confusing and I was unclear on exactly who was where, etc.

One story not in the book came from my friend (Coyote of MechWarrior2, Eridani Light Horse). He said that their Abrams' turret had been hit by a 125mm shell from a T72 and bounced off with a really loud BONG! He said the crew were all temporarily deafened by it, so I asked what they did next and he said they turned their helmet radios up to max volume and made-do. It was always thought-provoking to be playing an online game in something like tanks with someone who had done it for real.

So anyway, there are many books about Vietnam now, but not many about Desert Storm. If you'd like to learn insights about what it was like to be there and what our army of 1991 was life, I highly recommend this history.

Telson

Childish

Childish, romanticized story of men in combat totally a waste of time and absolutely unrealistic