Tigris Gunboats: The Forgotten War in Iraq, 1914-1917

Nearly ninety years before American-led forces entered Baghdad, the city fell to another army and navy during World War I. Poorly resourced but with overwhelming naval superiority, the British captured Baghdad in a campaign strikingly similar to the one the U.S. is executing today.

Originally published in 1932 and written by the commander of the British naval forces, Tigris Gunboats is a gripping account of the three-year British expedition in Iraq--and especially its naval operations. Launched as an attempt by the Indian Army to secure Western oil supplies, the British campaign yielded startling initial successes followed by now-familiar challenges, including intertribal rivalry. Written with insight and authority, Tigris Gunboats provides a fascinating insider s view of an operation that did not always run smoothly but whose results look all the more impressive when compared with the recent history of Iraq.