Saddam Army and Republican Guard From Globalsecurity
th Mech Division (15th and 20th Mech, 26th Armd Bdes)
Download 0.72 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- 6th Armd Division (11 or 25 Mech, 30 th and 70 th Armd Bdes)
- 7th Infantry Division (38th, 39th and 116th Inf Bdes)
5th Mech Division (15th and 20th Mech, 26th Armd Bdes)During the night of 29 and 30 January 1991, Iraqi armored and mechanized infantry forces began several battalion-sized attacks against Coalition ground forces. The eastern most Iraqi force occupied the Saudi Arabian border town of Al-Khafji. The Iraqi forces were from the 5th Mechanized and the 3rd Armored divisions of the regular army, equipped with several hundred tanks and other armored vehicles, but they had no air support. The combination of dogged resistance by the ground forces and the constant pounding from Coalition air forces stopped the Iraqi advance. By 24 February 1991 Iraqi regular army units constituting the second echelon in Kuwait were directed to reposition themselves. Concealed by the dense smoke of the oil fires that were ignited beginning 21 February, parts of what was left of the second echelon of the Iraqi army -- 1st Mechanized Infantry Division, 3d Armored Division, 5th Mechanized Infantry Division, 6th Armored Division, the 10th Armored Division and the 12th Armored Division -- were in a movement toward Basrah. On 26 February 1991 the American 2nd MARDIV reached Al-Jahra, overcoming the Iraqi rear guard dug in south of the city in quarries and dumps. The 6th Marines advanced into the quarry area, encountering stiff resistance from elements of the Iraqi 3rd Armored and 5th Mechanized divisions, some equipped with T-72 tanks. Elaborate bunkers were uncovered that housed brigade CPs, complete with kitchens and classrooms. 1st Battalion, 6th Marines advanced to the outskirts of Al-Jahra, the first Marine unit to reach Kuwait City. Relatively few prisoners were taken since the Iraqi rearguard chose to fight rather than surrender. On 17 September 1997 it was reported by the Kurds in northern Iraq that Baghdad
By 24 February 1991 Iraqi regular army units constituting the second echelon in Kuwait were directed to reposition themselves. Concealed by the dense smoke of the oil fires that were ignited beginning 21 February, parts of what was left of the second echelon of the Iraqi army -- 1st Mechanized Infantry Division, 3d Armored Division, 5th Mechanized Infantry Division, 6th Armored Division, the 10th Armored Division and the 12th Armored Division -- were in a movement toward Basrah. As the ground offensive progressed, by 25 February 1991 Iraqi units' ineffectiveness became more clear. In the Iraqi IV Corps area of western Kuwait, the 6th Armored Division, west of 'Ali As-Salim Airfield, was heavily reduced. In September 1996 the 6th Armoured Division of the Iraqi army moved its tanks from the Amarah-Nasariyah axis to a position east of Basra. Iraqi forces resumed military operations in south on 08 April 2000. On 13 April, forces of the regime attacked the resistance headquarters in the areas of Northern Rumeila, Al-Abayyedh, west of Ghubeishiya by 13 Km, north of the main confluence by 5 Km. The regime's participating units were an infantry brigade from the 11th Division and an armored brigade from the 6th Armored Division. According to Orbat.Com
7th Infantry Division (38th, 39th and 116th Inf Bdes)The 7th Infantry Division is assigned to the Iraqi Army 5th Corps. When the ground offensive started on 24 February 1991, Iraqi ground forces remained in defensive positions in the KTO. There were no indications of any Iraqi troop withdrawal. Iraqi front line units, including the 7th, 14th and 29th Infantry divisions in the I MEF zone and the 19th Infantry Division in the Joint Forces Command - East [JFC-E] zone, offered sporadic, but sometimes stiff, resistance. These forces were bypassed, withdrew or surrendered. As the ground offensive progressed, by 25 February 1991 Iraqi units' ineffectiveness became more clear. The Iraqi III Corps units had suffered severe damage. CENTCOM assessed the Corps' 7th, 8th, 14th, 18th, and 29th Infantry divisions, in the I MEF and JFC-E zones, as combat ineffective. During the Gulf War, the US 2d Armored Division's Tiger Brigade advance split the seam between the Iraqi III and IV Corps, overrunning elements of the 14th, 7th, and 36th Infantry Divisions, as well as brigades of the 3d Armored, 1st Mechanized, and 2d Infantry Divisions. During four days of combat Tiger Brigade task forces destroyed or captured 181 tanks, 148 armored personnel carriers, 40 artillery pieces, and 27 antiaircraft systems while killing an estimated 263 enemy and capturing 4,051 prisoners of war, all at a cost of 2 killed and 5 wounded. The American I Marine Expeditionary Force began the assault at 0400 on 24 February 1991. The 2nd MARDIV, with the reinforced 6th Marine Regiment in the lead, blasted its way through the obstacle belts against moderate resistance. The leading regiment advanced in three battalion columns through mortar and artillery fire. Once through, the 6th Marine Regiment advanced to its objectives, overrunning elements of the Iraqi 7th and 14th Infantry divisions. The 2nd MARDIV noted in its after action report that the regiment captured more than 4,000 EPW including the Iraqi 9th Tank Battalion with 35 operational tanks. Beginning on 12 February 1997, the Iraqi army withdrew the 39th and 116th Brigades, both of the 7th Infantry Division, from the Bustaneh - Qushtapa area, on the road between Arbil and Sulaymaniyah. Saddam's forces had occupied this sector during the storming of the Kurdish safe haven in September 1996, and had remained there in numbers since. This constituted a significant reduction in the Iraqi army there. Other units of the 7th Infantry and the 1st Mechanised Division remained. By mid-February 1997 the 29th Brigade of the 7th Division of the Fifth Corps had pulled out of the Al-Guwair area, which lies about 25 km. southwest of Arbil, and moved towards the Southern Sector. Download 0.72 Mb. Share with your friends:
|
had cut down on troop reinforcement south of the city of Arbil. The Iraqi armoured troop concentration in the area had been reduced to 30 tanks and armoured vehicles. The Iraqi army sent in a reinforcement of 200 tanks and armoured vehicles as well as several battalions of its Fifth Division to the Ghous Tappeh and Altun Kupri on 1 September 1997.