Battle of Norfolk
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The Battle of Norfolk was a tank battle fought on February 27, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States and United Kingdom, and those of the Ba'athist Iraqi Republican Guard. It was the final battle of the war before the unilateral ceasefire took effect. The Battle of Norfolk has generally been overlooked especially when considering the sheer size of the battle. No fewer than 14 divisions participated in the Battle of Norfolk, making it perhaps the largest battle of the war, though the Battle of Medina Ridge involved the largest American and Iraqi divisions.[18][19] Over a decade passed after the conflict before quality references became available on most of the battles that took place during the 1st Gulf War. Many of the land battles during Operation Desert Storm were larger than the majority of the battles that took place in southern and western Europe during World War Two, at least as far as the quantity of equipment involved.
Overview
The battle took place about 60 miles (97 km) east of and 18 hours after the Battle of Al Busayyah, and several kilometers east of the Battle of 73 Easting, which had ended just two hours earlier. The Battle of Norfolk is named for Objective Norfolk, an area that encompassed the intersection of the IPSA Pipeline Road and several desert trails and a large Iraqi supply depot defended by Iraqi armor. Objective Norfolk was located west of Phase Line Kiwi, east of Phase Line Smash, and north of Phase Line Grape. Phase lines are map references occurring every few kilometers used to measure progress of an offensive operation.[20]
Participants
The forces involved in the battle were the American 1st Infantry Division, the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division (fwd) (Hell on Wheels) and the Iraqi 18th Mechanized and 9th Armored Brigades of the Republican Guard Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division along with elements from eleven other Iraqi divisions including the Iraqi 26th, 48th, 31st, and 25th Infantry Divisions.[21] The Iraqi 52nd Armored Division was also a participant.[22] The Iraqi 10th and 12th Armored Divisions were also present. The Iraqis also had approximately elements of two other independent armored brigades in theatre. Those being the 50th and 29th Armored Brigades.[23] The British fielded their 1st Armoured Division.[24]
Counter reconnaissance
Task Force 1-41 Infantry was a heavy battalion task force from the 2nd Armored Division(Forward). Shortly after arrival in theatre Task Force 1-41 Infantry received a counter reconnaissance mission.[25] Counter Reconnaissance generally includes destroying or repelling the enemy's reconnaissance elements and denying their commander any observation of friendly forces. On 15 February 1991 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment fired on a trailer and a few trucks in the Iraqi sector that was observing American forces.[26] On 16 February 1991 several groups of Iraqi vehicles appeared to be performing reconnaissance on the Task Force and were driven away by fire from 4-3 FA.[27] Another enemy platoon, including six vehicles, was reported as being to the northeast of the Task Force. They were engaged with artillery fire from 4-3 FA.[28] Later that evening another group of Iraqi vehicles were spotted moving towards the center of the Task Force. They appeared to be Iraqi Soviet made BTRs and tanks. For the next hour the Task Force fought several small battles with Iraqi reconnaissance units. TF 1-41 IN fired TOW missiles at the Iraqi formation destroying one tank. The rest of the formation was destroyed or driven away by artillery fire from 4-3 FA.[28] On 17 February 1991 the Task Force took enemy mortar fire, however, the enemy forces managed to escape.[29] Later that evening the Task Force received enemy artillery fire but suffered no casualties.[30]
Breach
The breach was preceded by a heavy artillery barrage, led by 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment and the 210th Field Artillery Brigade, to soften up Iraqi defenses. Around 300 guns from multiple nations participated in the barrage. Over 14,000 rounds of artillery and over 4,900 MLRS rockets were fired at Iraqi forces during these raids.[31] Iraq lost close to 22 artillery battalions during the initial stages of this barrage.[16] This would include the destruction of approximately 396 Iraqi artillery pieces.[16] By the end of these raids Iraqi artillery assets had all but ceased to exist. These raids were supplemented by air attacks by B-52 bombers and C-130 cargo aircraft.[32]
Task Force 1-41 Infantry was given the task of breaching Iraq's initial defensive positions along the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border. Once into Iraqi territory the Task Force encountered multiple Iraqi defensive positions and bunkers. These defensive positions were occupied by a brigade sized element.[33] TF 1-41 IN elements dismounted and prepared to engage the enemy soldiers which occupied these well prepared and heavily fortified bunkers.[33] The Task Force found itself engaged in six hours of combat in order to clear the extensive bunker complex .[33] The Iraqis engaged the Task Force with small arms fire, RPGs, mortar fire, and what was left of Iraqi artillery assets. A series of battles unfolded which resulted in heavy Iraqi casualties and the Iraqis being removed from their defensive positions with many becoming prisoners of war. Some escaped to be killed or captured by other coalition forces.[34] In the process of clearing the bunkers Task Force 1-41 captured two brigade command posts and the command post of the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division.[35] The Task Force also captured a brigade commander, several battalion commanders, company commanders, and staff officers.[35] Task Force 1-41 earned a Valorous Unit Award for its efforts.[33]
Battle
The Battle of Norfolk was in a sense a continuation of the fighting that began with the Battle of 73 Easting the day before. It began at 12:30 am on 27 February. The two attacking brigades of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, including the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division (fwd), were positioned along the 75 Easting, 2,000 meters east of 73 Easting. The Brigades clashed with the Iraqi Tawakalna Division of the Republican Guard, including the 37th Brigade of the 12th Iraqi Armored Division.[20] The 12th Iraqi Armored Division was destroyed during this engagement. A total of 80 Iraqi armored vehicles were destroyed in the process.[36]
With air support from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation's attack helicopters[37] and fire support from both the 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment and the 210th Field Artillery Brigade preventing Iraqi artillery from interfering, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division conducted a passage of the 2nd ACR's lines.[38] In the following three hours the U.S. 1st Infantry Division methodically crossed the 6.2 miles (10.0 km) of Objective Norfolk, destroying Iraqi tanks, trucks, and infantry through thick fog. The 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division (fwd) destroyed 60 Iraqi tanks and 35 AFVs along the IPSA pipeline.[19] In the thick of the fog of war, U.S. units became mixed with Iraqi units dispersed throughout the desert. This confusion led to some friendly fire incidents.[39]
By dawn, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division controlled Objective Norfolk and the Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division had ceased to exist as a fighting force. A total of eleven Iraqi divisions were destroyed. American casualties were six soldiers killed (all but one by friendly fire) and 25 wounded.[40] Task Force 1-41 Infantry had around a dozen combat vehicles destroyed, including multiple M1A1 Abrams tanks, during combat operations.
British participation
The British 1st Armoured division was responsible for protecting the right flank of VII Corps. It was assumed by the corps' planners the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division would counterattack 7th Corps once their penetration into Iraqi defenses was discovered. The British 1st Armoured Division had two brigades (the 4th and 7th) which participated in Operation Desert Storm. The 1st Armoured was equipped with the Challenger 1 main battle tank. With a 120mm rifled main gun, thermal optics, and state of the art Chobham armor, its only rival in-theatre was the American M1A1 Abrams tank. British infantry rode into battle on the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. It had reasonable armor protection and a 30-mm gun. Modified versions of the vehicle included mortar carriers, Milan antitank systems, and command and control vehicles; and the British possessed a variety of excellent light armored vehicles built on their Scorpion chassis. British artillery was primarily American made M-109s (155mm), M110 howitzers (203mm), and MLRS which were compatible with American systems. Their air support consisted of Gazelle helicopters, used for reconnaissance, and the Lynx helicopter which was comparable to the American Cobra. The British had their full contingent of engineer, logistics, and medical units.[24]
This small but powerful division was commanded by forty-seven-year-old Maj. General Rupert Smith. He was a member of the British Parachute Regiment and an expert on Soviet armor and tank tactics. His division had two brigades at its disposal. The 4th Brigade which was reinforced with extra engineers and artillery. The 4th Brigade was used for breakout operations and to clear the ground at the breach. The armor heavy 7th Brigade was used for tank on tank engagements.[41]
On 25 February 1991 the 1st Armoured Division broke into the western flank of the Iraqi 48th Infantry Division which was commanded by Brig. General Saheb Mohammed Alaw. That night the 48th Infantry Division was destroyed and General Alaw was captured by the British. That same night the British cleared two lines of enemy positions during close combat engagements. The British also destroyed several Iraqi companies of T-55 tanks.[42] That same night other elements of the division were engaging the Iraqi 31st Infantry Division.[42]
On 26 February 1991 British artillery units unleashed an hour long artillery strike on Iraqi positions. It was the greatest British artillery display since World War Two. That same night the British 7th Brigade fought a night tank battle against an Iraqi tank battalion from the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division. After ninety minutes of battle over 50 Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers were destroyed.[42] That same night the British 4th Brigade destroyed a headquarters and artillery site belonging to the 807th Brigade of the Iraqi 48th Infantry Division. British infantry units cleared Iraqi defensive positions which were occupied by the Iraqi 803rd Infantry Brigade.[43] After 48 hours of combat the British 1st Armoured Division destroyed or isolated four Iraqi infantry divisions (the 26th, 48th, 31st, and 25th) and overran the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division in several sharp engagements. By midnight there was no more organized Iraqi resistance between the 1st Armoured Division and the Persian Gulf.[22]
On 27 February 1991 the British 1st Armoured Division secured the final objectives on the Basra Highway north of Multa Ridge.[22] The British 1st Armoured Division had traveled 217 miles in 97 hours. The 1st Armored Division had captured or destroyed about 200 tanks and a very large number of armoured personnel carriers, trucks, reconnaissance vehicles, etc.[17]
See also
Citations
- ↑ Bourque, p.14
- ↑ Bourque, p.43
- ↑ Bourque P.247
- ↑ Bourque P.164
- ↑ Bourque P.252
- ↑ Bourque pp.331,335
- ↑ Bourque, p.333
- ↑ Bourque pp.134,144,377
- ↑ Bourque P.337
- ↑ Bourque P.333
- 1 2 Bourque, p.336
- ↑ Bourque, p.460
- ↑ Zaloga (2009), p.64
- ↑ Westwell, p.88
- ↑ Westfall P.89
- 1 2 3 Bourque P.161
- 1 2 Conduct of the Persian Gulf War: final report to Congress. United States. Dept. of Defense. 1992.
- ↑ Bourque, pp.144, 260, 275, 377
- 1 2 Zaloga (2009), p. 64
- 1 2 Bourque, p.134
- ↑ Bourque, p.144
- 1 2 3 Bourque, p.377
- ↑ Bourque P.333, P.337
- 1 2 Bourque, p.260
- ↑ Hillman, p.6
- ↑ Bourque, p.96
- ↑ Bourque, p.98
- 1 2 Bourque, p.99
- ↑ Bourque, p. 102
- ↑ Bourque, p.103
- ↑ Bourque, p.164
- ↑ Bourque pp.163
- 1 2 3 4 Desert Storm/Shield Valorous Unit Award Citations
- ↑ Bourque, pp.113-133
- 1 2 Bourque P.259
- ↑ Westwell, p. 88
- ↑ Bourque, p.330
- ↑ Bourque, p.331
- ↑ Bourque, p.100
- ↑ TAB H -- Friendly-fire Incidents
- ↑ Bourque, p.261
- 1 2 3 Bourque, p.275
- ↑ Bourque, p.276
Works consulted
- Conduct of the Persian Gulf War: final report to Congress (PDF), United States. Dept. of Defense, 1992
- "Desert Storm/Shield Valorous Unit Award Citations". US Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Bourque, Stephen A. (2001). Jayhawk! The 7th Corps in the Persian Gulf War. Center of Military History, United States Army. LCCN 2001028533. OCLC 51313637.
- Bourque, Stephen A.; Burdan, John (2007). The road to Safwan the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Denton, Tex: University of North Texas Press. ISBN 9781574412321.
- Westwell, Ian (2001). 1st Infantry Division 'Big Red One'. Spearhead #6. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allen. ISBN 9780711029231.
- Zaloga, Steven J. (2009). M1 Abrams vs T-72 Ural:Operation Desert Storm 1991. Osprey. ISBN 9781846034077. OCLC 277201894.
Bibliography
- Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War, by Rick Atkinson, Houghton Mifflin, 1993. ISBN 0395710839 OCLC 28378277