Operation Desert Storm Operation Desert Storm took place between January 16 and February 24, 1991. The operation had four phases: 1) attacks against logistics infrastructure, and military communications systems and government electricity in Iraq; 2) attacks against the Iraq air force in Kuwait territory; 3) attacks targeting the Republican Guard Saddam Hussein, and the rest of enemy weapons; 4) conduct a ground invasion with a Coalition force to expel the invaders from Kuwait (Zarpelão, 2010). During the first and the second phases, the coalition adopted a strategy used in the Second World War. It attacked Iraq’s infrastructure through use of superior air force power. The focus was the military communications systems and government electricity …show more content…
in Baghdad. The idea was to decrease the military capacity of Iraq by bombing their weapons industries, which include research centers for biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. In fact, that was an important strategy because the issue of weapons of mass destruction would resurface at the beginning of the first decade of this century as a reason for the illegal invasion of the United States and the United Kingdom into Iraq in 2003 (Zarpelão, 2010). During the second phase, the coalition targeted the Iraq force on Kuwait territory as well. Using its air force, the coalition attacked targets such as airports, ports, bridges and roads in Iraqi and Kuwait territories. During the third phase, the main targets were the Iraq Guard Republican of Saddam Hussein and the rest of enemy weapons. The Iraq Republican Guard units were the best prepared and had better salaries. Therefore, they were also the most loyal units to achieve Saddam Hussein’s desired end state. Until that phase, the coalition of countries had used only the air force to bomb Iraq and Kuwait. The Iraqi Air Force had approximately 700 aircraft, while the Coalition Air Force had 2,790 aircraft in its arsenal. For the majority of the 30-day air campaign, the United States Air Force alone accomplished more than 1000 attacks daily and approximately 18,000 attacks conducted by its navy (Zarpelão, 2010). The fourth and last phase of Operation Desert Storm was a ground invasion by the coalition forces against Iraqi forces.
The Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, believed that maintaining fixed positions against the coalition forces would be a great strategy. The ground invasion by the coalition was a conventional offensive to confront the resistance from Iraqi troops, mainly along borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Faced with imminent defeat, Saddam Hussein decided to burn approximately 640 Kuwait wells. The goal was to cause the most destruction possible and make the coalition mission more difficult. On 24 February, the Coalition Army infantry attack began with an invasion of soldiers backed by tanks (Zarpelão, 2010). The last phase of the ground offensive culminated with the beginning of the Battle of 73 Easting. The battle showed that even knowing the terrain, the weather, and the number of Iraqi forces, the coalition had equipment and technology superior to be successful in conventional …show more content…
combat. The Battle After the decision of the ground invasion, started the coalition movements to encounter and destroy the Iraqi Republican Guard (IRG). To achieve that goal, the coalition assigned VII Corps to that mission. The VII Corps travelled northward in a formation that the Corps Commander thought to be the best action considering the enemy’s situation (Christenson, & Zirkle, 1992). The VII Corps had four divisions, the 1st Armored Division (AD), from the U.S. Army on the left and the 3rd AD (US) on the right. The 1st Infantry Division, Mechanized, (US) next to the 1st AD on the left and the 1st AD (U.K.) next to the 3rd AD on the right. The unit responsible for conducting the reconnaissance for the VII Corps was the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR). Its mission was to localize the elements of the Iraqi Republican Guard divisions suspected to be in the area of operation and fix the enemy (Gresham, 2011). Furthermore, the 2nd ACR received the additional task of finding trafficable terrain for the VII Corps’ armored vehicles. The weather was unstable with sandstorms and strong winds. This caused issues for the aviation and did not allow suitable support to the troop on the ground at the beginning of the battle. The whole area of approximately 200 kilometers is a broad watershed with large areas of sand where the armored tanks can become immobile (Christenson, & Zirkle, 1992). Under those circumstances, the coalition forces encountered the Iraqi Republican Guard in the 73 UTM coordinate grid lines, provided by Global System Position (GPS). During the analysis of the troops, the weapons and the equipment of both sides reveal the advantages the coalition forces had during that battle. Iraqi Forces The Iraqi Republican Guard during that battle consisted of the Tawakalna Republic Guard Division, the 12th Armored Division, and the 26th Infantry Division. Specifically, the battle of 73 Easting took place against the 18th Armored Brigade. It was one of three brigades assigned to the Tawakalna Division. Its mission in moving there was to protect the Division flank during its move. Thus, the 18th Armored Brigade’s plan was to move toward to the Iraqi Army's training areas near 73 Easting. The 18th Armored Brigade had the best-armored vehicles of the Iraqi Army, T-72 tanks, which were the front-line export version of modern Soviet tank technology. They were in static defensive positions with some alternative positions prepared. Iraq’s T-72 main battle tanks had a 125mm main gun able to engage targets up to 2,000m. They also carried 12.7 and 7.62 machine guns with the same effective ranges as the U.S .50cal and M240 machine guns. In addition, the Iraqi Republican Guard had Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (BMP) infantry-fighting vehicles from the Soviet Union; Armored Personnel Carriers (APC); SA- 13 Air Defense Missiles; 152mm Towed Artillery; and Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) for Command. They also had the engineering vehicle BAT-M Earth Mover; Utility Trucks; T-55 Tanks; BTR-70; MTLB Command Vehicles; ZSU-23-4 Air Defense Guns; 81mm dismounted mortars; Ambulance; POL Trucks; and Cargo Trucks. It is important to remember that none of the Iraq tanks, BMPs, or APCs had night vision equipment (Christenson, & Zirkle, 1992). Nevertheless, it is possible to see some equivalent or better equipment in the coalition forces. Coalition Forces The Coalition Forces had an extreme advantage in equipment and the Soldiers’ preparation for the Battle of 73 Easting. The main U.S. unit in that battle was the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR), which consisted of three ground squadrons 1st squadron (Ghost Troop); 2nd squadron (Eagle Troop); and 3rd squadron (Iron Troop). They also had the support of an aviation attack squadron and an aviation support squadron. In addition, each ground squadron had three cavalry troops, a tank company, a self-propelled howitzer battery, and a headquarters troop. Each troop comprised 120 soldiers, 12-13 M3 Bradley fighting vehicles, and 9 M1A1 Abrams battle tanks. The Regiment’s mission included destroying or repelling the Iraqi's reconnaissance elements and denying their commander observation of friendly forces (Christenson, & Zirkle, 1992). The main battle tanks, such as the U.S. M1 Abrams and the British Challenger 1, were significantly superior to the Iraqi equipment. The three U.S. ACR troops contained a total of 28 M-1A1 tanks and 37 Bradley fighting vehicles. In addition, each troop possessed a combat train, one FIST-V fire support vehicle, and two 4.2" mounted mortars. It is important to remember that all U.S. vehicles had optical sensors, as well as tanks equipped with thermal sights what gave a huge advantage to the coalition to find the enemy. Importantly, the coalition forces had the Global Positioning System (GPS). The GPS was then a modern device that used satellite signals to identify a specific position or target. At that time, the GPS was a crucial tool that enabled the troops to drive through the desert (Christenson, & Zirkle, 1992). Thus, the coalition forces presented a far superior array of equipment and weapons when compared with the Iraq forces. The Result of the Battle The result of the battle demonstrated the vast advantage of the coalition forces.
The intensity of the air support and the technologic equipment gave superiority to the 2nd ACR throughout the battle. Due to the intense use of air attacks by the coalition forces throughout the first three phases of the Gulf War, the Iraq Republican Guard was not able to maneuver. They built bunkers to house the armored vehicle positions. Initially, Ghost and Iron Troops made first contact with the Iraqi security elements. Eagle Troop also deployed to an area next to the training location of the Iraq force. The main part of this battle lasted only took about 90 minutes. In the beginning, weather hampered the Coalition’s air support. Seemingly, the Iraqi forces did not believe that the coalition could come from the west because of the bad weather situation. Using thermal sights and GPS, the 2nd ACR used the surprise to defeat the enemy. Technology helped the coalition forces drive its vehicles through the desert and localize the enemy with precision. Consequently, independent of the weather conditions and the terrain, the 2nd ACR had the advantage not only because the surprise and use of technological equipment, but because of the threat from above the IRG felt once the air support became effective during the first phases. As a result, the 2nd ACR lost two M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and no tanks. On the other hand, the Iraqi forces lost 57 Tanks, 28 BMPs, 11 MTLBs, 45 trucks, and
3 ADAs.
(Stroilov)Now the Desert Storm was a go. American troops were now forced to get Saddam and his troops out of Kuwait’s Borders. (Stroilov)When this happened over 500,000 American troops were inside Kuwait’s border at the time. Also Iraq had about the same number of troops as the US did. (Stroilov)Although the first 37 days of the Desert storm was done by air bombings. (Stroilov)This meant that none of the American ground troops were in action for the first 37 days of the Storm.(Stroilov)
The battle began to go wrong from the start of the operation. While moving into position Razor 03 began to take fire from al Qaeda soldiers on the ground. Razor 03 was hit by an RPG which severely damaged the aircraft a...
Desert Storm was a part of the Gulf War, Desert Storm was a codenamed Operation to get Iraq soldiers out of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. This was the first foreign crisis that the U.S. got involved in since the Cold war. It was because of saddam Hussein. Saddam ordered his Iraqi army to cross the border to Kuwait. This wasn’t some random attack by Iraq. but instead Iraq had been preparing for this for years, they knew what they were doing and were heavily equipped with weapons.
1. What do you think of when you drive by that big B-52 at the museum? Being the history buff that I am, I think about Vietnam, where that old “Buff” was used the most. “Why should I care about Vietnam?” you ask yourself. Well, last time I checked there’s a history section in the PFE guide, so there might be a test later! The intent of this paper is to inform you about Operation Linebacker II. I’ll explain the events leading up to the operation, discuss the strategy, and finally I’ll sum up the results of a bombing campaign Sir Michael Knight characterized In the book Strategic Offensive Air Operation as “...may have played a role not unlike two B-29s over Japan 27 years earlier”. (Knight: 77) I’ll start by explaining why President Richard Nixon gave the order to begin this new bombing campaign.
Army. Unfortunately fratricide was a reoccurring issue during this battle as well. Due to the lack of training and knowledge of aircraft identification, American AAA gunners and infantryman shot down several friendly planes in the heat of this battle, including several easily identifiable P-38 fighter planes. Those mistakes could have easily been avoided had the soldiers of that time been instructed of proper identification of both friendly and enemy targets. The primary focus of the battle of Kasserine was that of a technical aspect, and in no form tactical. Aside from poor aircraft identification, there was also minimal training in combining air support with maneuvering ground troops on the battle field. This supreme poverty of training in turn led to yet more fratricide and loss of friendly life. A positive lesson learned was that the most effective means of Air Defense during the battle was the use of mounting two and four .50-caliber M2 machine guns on half-tracks. One aspect that proved to be ineffective was the 37mm guns, which failed to stop or destroy the German tanks. Aware of this fact, the U.S. Army began the development of armor piercing shells and anti-tank guns. The U.S. Army was mindful of the shortcomings during the battle of Kasserine Pass and only weeks after refined and revamped its tactics and strategies in air support, amour fighting, and artillery. Due to weapon
Introduction Operation Anaconda was the first major joint combat operation against the war on terror that the US was committed to winning. This operation would test our military’s readiness for joint operations against a hardened and willing adversary. The primary mission was to kill/capture Taliban/Al Qaeda forces occupying towns and villages in the vicinity of Shahi Khot in order to gain control of the valley.1 The US needed the towns, villages, mountains, and more importantly, the intricate and hard to access caves cleared of enemy fighters. Units participating in the operation included elements of the 101st Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, Special Operations Forces (SOF), and Coalition forces from seven nations including Afghanistan.2 With so many different nations fighting along with our own branches of military, it would test our ability to conduct joint operations on multiple levels. History On September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden decided to “wake the sleeping giant.”
In fact, Rob Hernandez explained that Desert Storm was a brief conflict. In the same manner, Operation Desert Storm was originally called “Desert Shield” when American Troops were originally migrating into Kuwait. Moreover, according to George Brown Tindall and David Emory Shi, authors of America: A Narrative History, this mission be...
In this paper, I will provide a Battle Analysis and outline the events leading up to and surrounding the Battle of 73 Eastings (refers to a north-south grid line). In addition, I will describe how the United States Army’s (USA) 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment (ACR) defeated forces from the Iraqi Republican Guard (IRG) using speed, technology and superior combat power. Although some consider the Battle of 73 Eastings extremely successful, some consider it a failure due to the large amount of Iraqi forces that retreated towards Bagdad. Lastly, I will analyze how each side used their intelligence assets and what they could have used to change the outcome.
The United States launched an operation known as Operation Desert Shield, also known as the Persian Gulf War, in August of 1990 in response to Saddam Hussein’s order to the Iraqi forces to take over Kuwait. President George Herbert Walker Bush made the decision to send American troops to Saudi Arabia to form an international coalition that would eventually turn into an operation known as Operation Desert Storm. The United States Army had not witnessed an event of such international and Homefront importation since the Cold War.
... Kuwait to get to the southern part of Iraq. In this situation, Iraq was left cornered. Also the movement of some of Osama Bin Laden's beliefs had greatly affected the war. This brought forth many opposing forces against the United States.
U.S. Military Commanders promised an overwhelming response. On the morning of Sunday, the 4th of April, 2004, platoons of Marines began to position themselves around the city. The following day, the fighting began and quickly intensified. This day was the start of what is known as Operation Vigilant Resolve. It was an operation set to take back control of Fallujah from the insurgents (McCarthy, 2004).
On March 18, 2003, Coalition forces would launch the initial attacks on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. A full invasion of the country followed, and Hussein was overthrown from power. While the end of Hussein’s oppressive reign was considered a victory for many of the Iraqi people, the Sunnis of the Ba’ath Party refused to accept his demise. Although the Sunnis were in the minority, the city of Fallujah would remain home to many of the Ba’ath Party supporters. On March 31, 2004, almost a year to date from the end of Hussein’s reign, four American Blackwater contactors working in Fallujah were attacked, brutally beaten, burned and dismembered by a group of Iraqi insurgents. Two of the bodies were hung from a bridge for all of the citizens of Fallujah to see, and a mob style celebration took place in the city. The highly publicized incident would be the igniter for the First Battle of Fallujah, known as Operation Vigilant Resolve. On May 1, 2004, the battle would end with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the city and control being turned over to the newly formed Fallujah Brigade. The mission as a whole was a failure, and the shortcomings of Operation Vigilant Resolve were ultimately a demonstration of the underestimation of the power, size, efficiency, organization and control that the Insurgent Forces had in Iraq as well as the lack of a consistent strategic plan from the American forces.
The first battle in Fallujah during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) is known as Operation Vigilant Resolve. This battle is regarded as one of the biggest single defeats that the United States Military has suffered throughout all its campaigns during OIF. The United States and international media outlets exploited this defeat, which in turn, bolstered Al Qaeda recruiting in Fallujah. This offensive failure and retreat was backed by a huge public outcry for troop withdrawal and successful exploitation of recruiting propaganda by the insurgents.
a comprehensive research service. Retrieved May 2, 2004, from Terrorist Attack by Al Qaeda: http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/033104.pdf. Gunaratna, R. (2005, September). Retrieved September 2005, from http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/articles/05spring/henzel.pdf. Gunaratna, R. (n.d.).
According to the Iraqis, the conflict started on the 4th of September when Iranian troops shelled Iraqi towns and villages along the middle border region that separated the two countries. According to Iran and most observers, on the 22nd of September, Iraq launched a full scale invasion of Iran along three fronts; the central, northern and southern border regions (Swearingen, 1988). In the preceding year, deteriorating conditions between the countries lead to numerous small border violations with Iran claimed from March 1979 to September 1980, 363 airspace violations and 434 attacks by Iraqi artillery, infantry and armored forces whilst Iraq claimed 544 similar violations during this time. At outbreak, Iran held the lead in terms of people fit for military service (6.2 million against 2.03 million) but sorely lacked in terms of operational military equipment such as tanks (1,040 to 4,000), armoured fighting vehicles (750 to 3,000), and combat aircraft (70 to 632) (Segal, 1988, pp. 950-951).