By April 2003, U.S. forces had advanced hundreds of kilometers across Iraq. The drive north had brought the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division to the approaches of Baghdad.
Now came the fight for the capital.
OIF: The Fight for Baghdad picks up where OIF: The Drive to Baghdad ends, following coalition forces through the battles that carried them from the Euphrates River into Baghdad itself.
Produced by 29 Pixel Studios as part of our work supporting Army University Press, the documentary combines interviews with soldiers who participated in the campaign, historical footage and photographs, animated maps, virtual terrain, and U.S. Army doctrine.
▶️ Watch OIF: The Fight for Baghdad:
https://youtu.be/7kxNQPKbeZU
The Final Approach to Baghdad
During the first 11 days of the ground campaign, coalition forces advanced more than 350 kilometers into Iraq.
The 3rd Infantry Division approached Baghdad from the southwest, but several major objectives still stood between the division and the capital.
One of the most important was Objective PEACH, a bridge across the Euphrates River approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Baghdad.
Controlling the crossing would give the division a route toward Highway 8 and the objectives surrounding the city.
The Fight for Objective PEACH
On April 2, elements of the 3rd Infantry Division moved to seize Objective PEACH.
The bridge had been prepared for demolition, and Iraqi forces defended the area around the crossing.
Engineers and infantry crossed the river while other elements provided fires, electronic attack, and smoke. Despite damage to the bridge, lanes remained available for armored vehicles to cross.
Once across the Euphrates, U.S. forces established a bridgehead and prepared for Iraqi counterattacks.
Elements of the Medina Division attacked the position, leading to a major armored engagement as U.S. forces fought to maintain control of the crossing.
Securing Objective PEACH opened the next stage of the advance.
Baghdad was directly ahead.
Fighting Around the Capital
The 3rd Infantry Division continued attacking objectives around Baghdad to isolate the city and open routes for additional forces.
The fighting involved armor, mechanized infantry, artillery, engineers, aviation, and other capabilities operating together across an increasingly complex battlefield.
One of the division’s major objectives was Saddam International Airport, located west of the city.
Seizing the airport would place U.S. forces directly on Baghdad’s western edge.
The Battle for Saddam International Airport
Elements of the 3rd Infantry Division attacked the airport and fought to clear the enormous complex.
The battle continued over two days as U.S. forces secured the runways, terminals, surrounding terrain, and approaches to the facility.
After its capture, Saddam International Airport was renamed Baghdad International Airport.
But fighting around the airport was far from over.
SFC Paul R. Smith
One of the stories featured in The Fight for Baghdad is that of Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith.
During fighting near the airport, Smith and other soldiers came under attack from Iraqi forces.
Smith organized the defense and operated a .50-caliber machine gun while protecting wounded soldiers and other members of his unit.
He was killed during the battle.
For his actions, SFC Paul R. Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
His story became one of the most recognized individual accounts from the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Into Baghdad
The original operational concept anticipated surrounding Baghdad and conducting raids into the city.
Conditions on the ground continued to shape those plans.
After securing objectives around the capital, elements of the 3rd Infantry Division began pushing directly into Baghdad.
Armored formations moved along major highways and into the urban center while other coalition forces approached from different directions.
Eventually, U.S. Army soldiers and U.S. Marines linked up in downtown Baghdad.
The rapid ground campaign that had begun at the Iraq-Kuwait border had reached the Iraqi capital.
Two Films. One Story.
OIF: The Fight for Baghdad is the second half of a story that begins with OIF: The Drive to Baghdad.
The first film follows the 3rd Infantry Division from the border breach through Tallil, Nasiriyah, Samawah, Najaf, and the Karbala Gap.
The second continues from Objective PEACH through the battles surrounding Baghdad and into the city itself.
▶️ Start with OIF: The Drive to Baghdad:
https://youtu.be/7gGLusbyOfM
▶️ Then watch OIF: The Fight for Baghdad:
https://youtu.be/7kxNQPKbeZU
Together, the documentaries provide a detailed look at the opening ground campaign of Operation Iraqi Freedom through the experiences of the soldiers who participated in it.
Creating OIF: The Fight for Baghdad
29 Pixel Studios produced OIF: The Fight for Baghdad as part of our work supporting Army University Press.
Our relationship with Army University Press began in 2018, and since then our team has helped create more than 50 films exploring military history, leadership, doctrine, and the experiences of U.S. soldiers.
Productions like The Fight for Baghdad combine documentary interviews, archival footage and photography, animated maps, virtual terrain, motion graphics, military doctrine, and historical storytelling to help audiences understand complex military operations.
We’re proud to make this film available again through the 29 Pixel Studios YouTube channel.
▶️ WATCH THE FILM
OIF: The Fight for Baghdad
https://youtu.be/7kxNQPKbeZU
29 Pixel Studios is an independent production company. This website and our YouTube channel are not official U.S. Army or Department of War properties.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.
