Posted on 04/03/2005 10:33:36 PM PDT by quidnunc
It was all over by 5:30 a.m. April 3, 2003. Lt. Col. Ernest P. "Rock" Marcone's Task Force 3-69th Armor had defeated three Iraqi brigades and captured the key bridge over the Euphrates 20 miles south of Baghdad known as Objective Peach. At the tip of the 3rd Infantry Division's spear pointing towards victory, they had what its leader called "the best armor mission in the world — lead the attack, blow a big hole in the enemy's defenses, get the rest of the division and V Corps in position to finish off Baghdad."
Seizing that objective, the Al Kaed (Leader) Bridge, defined the decisive battle. Four hundred meters long with concrete columns that could easily support a 70-ton Abrams tank, it had to be captured. As Rock Marcone put it: "You never cross the river, you can't win." Because it was so vital, the Iraqis deployed the Medina Division's 10th Brigade, an armored brigade, and a Special Republican Guard commando brigade to defend it. In his book "American Soldier," Gen. Tommy Franks tells of an intercepted message from the Medina Division's general to his brigade commanders. "The message was simple — and frightening: 'Blood, blood, blood.'" And the general commanding all Republican Guard units in the area ordered the bridge demolished before American forces could cross it.
On April 1, nine days and 350 miles after Lt. Col. Marcone's task force had roared across the berm into Iraq, they were in position to assault the objective. A and C Companies, 3rd-69th Armor along with B and C Companies, 3rd and 2nd Battalions, 7th Infantry, and A Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, supported by artillery and attack aviation, had battled past a 250-foot escarpment, taken the Al Kifle bridge and fought through an apocalyptic two-day sandstorm. …
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Nam Vet
Me too. Great stuff.
On April 4, 2003, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, attacked to seize Objective Lions, the Baghdad International Airport. As part of the Brigade scheme of maneuver, Task Force 2-7 Infantry was tasked to establish a blocking position against a brigade-sized counterattack on the main entrance to the airfield. Task Force 2-7 had been fighting for three consecutive days and had moved through the night before reaching the blocking position. Morale was high, but Soldiers were experiencing fatigue. B Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment (Knight) was in the east-most position oriented along the main avenue of approach ready for the main enemy counterattack. A Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment (Rage) was attacking to the southeast of the Highway.
The part about the engineers clearing the bridge of demo really hits home. Pucker factor is very high when removing an enemy's demo/mines - especially if they can be command detonated (electrical) and you don't know if you've cut all the leads. Whew!
God bless these guys.
Or radio detonated! You guys get my respect. I heard the talking heads saying that the bridges weren't blown because the iraqis didn't want them destroyed. I talked to guys who were there who said Bull###! They said they weren't blown because the US military wouldn't allow them to be blown. It took a lot of hard work and courage.
Good article!
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