Battle of Ramadi (2004)

Part of the Iraq War
| Date| April 6–10, 2004
(4 days)

|

Location|

Ramadi, Iraq

33°21′N 43°47′E﻿ / ﻿33.350°N 43.783°E﻿ / 33.350; 43.783
Result|  U.S. victory
Belligerents
United States|  Ba'ath Party loyalists[1]
Islamic Army in Iraq
Other insurgents
Commanders and leaders

* Paul Kennedy
* Robert Weiler
* Christopher J. Bronzi
* John S. Anthony

|  unknown
Units involved
2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, NMCB 14, Navy Seabees.[2]|  unknown
Strength
1,500 troops|  2,000 insurgents
Casualties and losses
14 killed[3]
40 wounded|  300–450 killed

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Iraq War (Outline)

Timeline

* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011

Invasion (2003)

* Umm Qasr
* Al Faw
* 1st Basra
* Nasiriyah
* Raid on Karbala
* Haditha Dam
* 1st Najaf
* Northern Delay
* Viking Hammer
* Samawah
* 1st Karbala
* Al Kut
* Hillah
* Green Line
* Karbala Gap
* Debecka Pass
* Kani Domlan Ridge
* Baghdad

Post-invasion insurgency (2003–2006)

* Al Anbar
* Killing of Qusay & Uday Hussein
* 1st Ramadan
* Latifiya
* Capture of Saddam Hussein
* Spring 2004
* City Hall
* Al Kut
* 1st Fallujah
* Sadr City
* 1st Ramadi
* Good Friday
* Husaybah
* Danny Boy
* 2nd Najaf
* CIMIC-House
* Samarra
* 2nd Fallujah
* Mosul
* Lake Tharthar
* Al Qa'im
* Hit
* Haditha
* Steel Curtain
* Tal Afar
* 2nd Ramadi
* Together Forward
* Diwaniya

Civil war (2006–2008)

* 2nd Ramadan
* Sinbad
* Amarah
* Turki
* Diyala
* Haifa Street
* Karbala Raid
* 3rd Najaf
* Imposing Law
* U.K. bases
* Black Eagle
* Baghdad belts
* Baqubah
* Donkey Island
* Shurta Nasir
* Phantom Strike
* 2nd Karbala
* Phantom Phoenix

Insurgency (2008–2011)

* 2008 Day of Ashura
* Nineveh
* Spring 2008
* 2nd Basra
* 2008 al-Qaeda Offensive
* Augurs of Prosperity
* Abu Kamal
* Palm Grove
* Camp Ashraf
* US withdrawal violence

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List of bombings during the Iraq War

‡ indicates attacks resulting in over 100 deaths
§ indicates the deadliest attack in the Iraq War
This list only includes major attacks.

2003
1st Baghdad
2nd Baghdad
Najaf
3rd Baghdad
1st Nasiriyah
1st Karbala

2004
‡ 1st Erbil
‡ Ashoura
1st Basra
1st Mosul
4th Baghdad
5th Baghdad
Karbala & Najaf
1st Baqubah
Kufa
Marez

2005
Suwaira bombing
‡ 1st Al Hillah
2nd Erbil
‡ Musayyib
6th Baghdad
‡ 7th Baghdad
1st Balad
Khanaqin

2006
‡ Karbala-Ramadi
1st Samarra
8th Baghdad
9th Baghdad
‡ 10th Baghdad

2007
11th Baghdad
12th Baghdad
‡ 13th Baghdad
14th Baghdad
15th Baghdad
‡ 2nd Al Hillah
‡ 1st Tal Afar
16th Baghdad
17th Baghdad
2nd & 3rd Karbala
2nd Mosul
‡ 18th Baghdad
Makhmour
Abu Sayda
2nd Samarra
19th Baghdad
‡ Amirli
1st Kirkuk
20th Baghdad
21st Baghdad
§ Qahtaniya
Amarah

2008
22nd Baghdad
2nd Balad
23rd Baghdad
4th Karbala
24th Baghdad
Karmah
2nd Baqubah
Dujail
Balad Ruz

2009
25th Baghdad
26th Baghdad
Baghdad-Muqdadiyah
Taza
27th Baghdad
2nd Kirkuk
2nd Tal Afar
‡ 28th Baghdad
‡ 29th Baghdad
‡ 30th Baghdad

2010
31st Baghdad
32nd Baghdad
3rd Baqubah
33rd Baghdad
34th Baghdad
35th Baghdad
‡ 1st Pan-Iraq
36th Baghdad
37th Baghdad
2nd Pan-Iraq
38th Baghdad
39th Baghdad
‡ 40th Baghdad

2011
41st Baghdad
‡ 3rd Pan-Iraq
Karbala-Baghdad
42nd Baghdad
Tikrit
3rd Al Hillah
3rd Samarra
Al Diwaniyah
Taji
4th Pan-Iraq
43rd Baghdad
4th Karbala
44th Baghdad
2nd Basra
45th Baghdad

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Battles and operations of the Iraq War in Anbar Province

* Fallujah killings
* Desert Scorpion
* Ramadan 2003
* Spring 2004
* Blackwater Ambush
* 1st Fallujah
* 1st Ramadi
* Husaybah
* 2nd Fallujah
* Abu Ghraib
* Matador
* Sayeed
* Hit
* Quick Strike
* Steel Curtain
* Haditha killings
* Desert Shield
* Ramadi Bombing
* 2nd Ramadi
* Ramadan 2006
* Al Majid
* Alljah
* Donkey Island
* 2008 AQI Offensive
* Karmah Bombing
* Abu Kamal
* 2009 AQI Offensive

The Battle of Ramadi was fought in the spring of 2004, during the same time as the First Battle of Fallujah, for control of the capital of the Al Anbar Governorate in western Iraq.[4] A coalition military force consisting of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines were stationed to defend the city from an insurgent assault.[5]

In April 2004, Fallujah was under siege by Coalition Forces and insurgents were looking to relieve pressure on the city by attempting an offensive of their own. Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar Province, was seen as a center of gravity to coalition forces, and thus a critical city in western Iraq.

Before the battle started, insurgents cut off the highway out of Al Anbar to Baghdad.

On April 6, 2004, Marines fought with insurgents throughout the city in running gun battles that day. At the end of the first day of fighting 12 Marines had been killed in action.[5][6] The following day fighting continued.[7] Over the course of a four-day period it was reported that 250 insurgents had been killed.

After 6 months of fighting in Ramadi, 34 Marines and a Navy corpsman had been KIA, and 269 Marines had been wounded.[8][9] The city remained an unstable environment throughout the course of the 2000s which lead to the subsequent battle in 2006. Five NMCB Seabees were killed in action and 31 were wounded.[5]

## April 6, 2004[edit]

Beginning at 1048, Company G received small arms and RPG fire in the al-Maab District. The insurgents were pursued to a nearby building where two squads and a quick reaction force continued fighting from 1145 to 1205. From there the squads were pinned down and the quick reaction force move to a support position where they were engaged one block east of Company G's position. Captain Christopher J. Bronzi, commander of the company, led his Marines in 24 hours of action. At one point he led a team onto the street to recover the body of a fallen Marine.[10]

At approximately 1330 an explosives device was reported in Company E’s sector, on the eastern outskirts of the city, and while cordoning off the area the company received small arms fire. At approximately the same time just to the east, one of the battalion’s sniper teams set up near the Euphrates River was attacked by 12 to 15 men. At approximately 1400, a Company E patrol was ambushed. A quick reaction force was dispatched to reinforce the patrol when it engaged with the enemy still further to the east of the city. Two Humvees were hit, and its platoon commander was critically wounded.[10]

Known Fatalities

April 6th, 2004

USMC:

* Second Lieutenant John T. Wroblewski
* SSgt Allan K. Walker
* LCpl Benjamin R. Carman
* LCpl Marcus M. Cherry
* LCpl Kyle D. Crowley
* LCpl Travis J. Layfield
* LCpl Anthony P. Roberts
* PFC Christopher R. Cobb
* PFC Ryan M. Jerabek
* PFC Christopher R. Cobb
* PFC Deryk L. Hallal
* PFC Ryan M. Jerabek

USN:

* Petty Officer Third Class Fernando A. Mendez-Aceves

## See also[edit]

* Battle of Ramadi (2006)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "At Least 12 Marines Killed as Iraq Fighting Rages". Fox News. 6 April 2004.
2. ^ "NMCB 14 Honors Seabees Killed in Action". dvidshub.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
3. ^ "ICasualties | OIF | Iraq | Fatalities Details". Archived from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
4. ^ "CNN.com - Coalition forces under fire in Ramadi - Apr 6, 2004". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
5. ^ a b c Michaels, Jim. "The Magnificent Bastards look back on a key Iraq battle". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
6. ^ Perry, Tony (2014-04-07). "Marines and family members mark 10th anniversary of Iraq war battle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
7. ^ Dao, James (2012-05-28). "Learning to Heal, One Memorial Day at a Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
8. ^ "After ISIS: Inside the Iraqi City Left in Ruins". ABC News. May 13, 2016. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
9. ^ Kovach, Gretel C. (2014-04-02). "Ramadi remembered". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
10. ^ a b Estes, Kenneth W.; Division, US Marine Corps History (2011). U.S. Marines in Iraq 2004-2005: Into the Fray. www.MilitaryBookshop.Companyuk. ISBN 978-1-78039-386-5.

## External links[edit]

* Zoroya, Gregg. "Fight for Ramadi exacts heavy toll on Marines." USA Today. 12 July 2004. Accessed: 2009-10-09 (archived by WebCite at Archived 2009-02-25 at the Wayback Machine).

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