The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The Battle of 73 EASTING - 1991 -Jan. 22, 2005

see educational sources | 1997 | Stephen A. Bourque

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits

THE BATTLE OF 73 EASTING
(SOUTH) LEFT FLANK

The Tawakalna Mechanized Division of the Republican Guard Forces Command was positioned about 25 miles west of the Kuwait border, located exactly in the center of the US 7th Corps' sector, The Tawakalna was probably the best division in the Iraqi Army. It had fought with distinction during the war with Iran and was one of the lead divisions in Saddam Husayn's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Its two mechanized brigades and one armored brigade were equipped with the most advanced equipment available in the Iraqi Army, including 220 T-72 tanks and 278 infantry fighting vehicles. On 25 February it had moved into a blocking position west of the Iraq Petroleum Saudi Arabia (IPSA) pipeline about 80 miles from Kuwait city. In spite of the air campaign, most of this division was in position and ready to fight when the US 7th Corps arrived on 26 February 1991.

The main battle began on the Tawakalna's (18th Mechanized Brigade's sector) left flank. At 3:30 pm on 26 February 1991, the US 2nd Squadron of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrived at the edge of the Tawakalna's operation zone and destroyed three T-72 tanks. A few moments later it ran right into a battalion strong point of the 18th Iraqi Mechanized Brigade. Strong points consisted of dug in vehicle and soldier fighting positions, wire, mines and prepared fields of fire. In most cases the Iraqi units were in the right place, but had not developed their positions as well as they should have. In what was later known as the Battle of 73 Easting, the 2nd Squadron attacked. It was a short, but violent battle. Iraqi vehicles exploded as 120mm rounds found their marks. US scout platoons followed the M1 tanks providing "scratching fires" to protect the US tanks from the Iraqi infantry. Just as the 2nd Squadron arrived at the rear of the battalion strong point the Iraqis launched a counterattack. While brave, it was ineffective. In 23 minutes one troop from the US squadron destroyed over half of the Iraqi battalion.

The 3rd Squadron moved just to the south of the 2nd Squadron and attacked the southern portion of the same Iraqi strong point at about 3:30 pm. At 4:45 pm, the Iraqis launched a counter-attack against the US 3rd Squadron with a T-72 tank company. At 2,500 meters, they fired at the Bradley cavalry fighting vehicles. The range was too great and their rounds struck the earth just short of their intended targets. They were unable to get many more rounds off as M1 tanks bounded forward and, at about 2,100 meters, destroyed most of the Iraqi T-72 tanks.



The US attack must have surprised the Iraqi battalion. The Iraqi crews were out of their tanks and infantry fighting vehicles because of the danger of air attacks, although the division commander must have had an idea that he was about to be attacked by a large force because his forward security forces and, one would hope, the Iraqi High Command or Republican Guard Forces Command headquarters would have given him warning. The word, however, did not find its way down to the front-line battalions and, especially, the individual tank and fighting vehicle crews, since no one ordered the Tawakalna battalion to prepare for immediate battle. At best, the Americans' attack speed was faster than the Tawakalna Division's orders process. At worst, no one on the Iraqi staff thought of telling the front-line units to prepare. The US attacked so violently that the Iraqis never had time to get back into their vehicles. The Iraqi battalion, also, did not prepare its positions very well: obstacles were obviously not complete, and it had emplaced only a few of its mines. Based on their experience in the Iran War, Iraqi defensive positions have lots of mines, barbed wire and other obstacles to stop the attacker. They dig in their vehicles deep into the ground, with just the turrets exposed so the guns can acquire targets. Unfortunately, the Tawakalna Division was only able to develop partially its defenses. The reasons may be lack of time, the effect of coalition jet aircraft flying overhead, and/or lack of materials (such as mines or wire).

Franks' orders to Colonel Don Holder, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment commander, were to avoid a decisive engagement. Holder's troops had successfully destroyed one Iraqi battalion strong point, but there were still at least six or seven more battalions waiting for the US regiment, which did not have the combat power to break through the Tawakalna's defenses. Holder, therefore ordered his squadrons to hold at their current positions and prepare to pass the 1st Infantry Division, which had moved behind the Regiment, forward.

The fight in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment's sector, however, was not yet over. Around 6 pm on 26 February, the character of the battle changed as dismounted Iraqi infantry, T-55 tanks and MT-LBs began a series of attacks on 2nd Squadron's positions along the 73 Easting. Iraqi infantry, believing that darkness and poor visibility would protect them, charged towards the US troopers firing their AK assault rifles and RPG anti-tank rockets. The US 2nd Squadron's defensive firepower, however, stopped the Iraqi attacks. US TOW anti-tank missiles destroyed several trucks loaded with Iraqi soldiers. M1 tanks demolished T-55 and T-72 tanks long before they got within their own firing range. The squadron's mortar sections began firing airbursts at the Iraqi infantry causing them either to retreat or dig in. In several hours of combat, the US squadron knocked out at least two companies of Iraqi tanks. Hundreds of Iraqi infantry and their lightly armored transporters lay scattered on the floor of a small wadi, or dry stream bed, nearby.



Shortly before 10:30 pm, it was suddenly quiet across the thirty kilometers in front of the Iraqi 18th Mechanized and 37th Armored Brigades. The 2nd US Armored Cavalry Regiment held its fire as the 1st Infantry Division began its forward passage of lines. Passage lanes are clearly marked routes that the moving unit uses to pass through the stationary unit. These routes may be marked by variouus means, including pyrotechnics, reflective or white tape, and even simple road signs. In most cases, the entry and exit of the lane is manned by members of both the moving and stationary unit to minimize confusion. Because the attack had stopped, the Tawakalna commander probably thought he had stopped the American advance on his left flank. Nothing, however could have been further from the truth. Just as the soldiers of the 2nd Squadron were defending against the Iraqi counter-attacks, the 1st Infantry Division began its final move towards the 73 Easting. American scouts on the forward line fired green star clusters to mark the exact passage lanes. Then, past tired 2nd US Cavalry soldiers and burning Iraqi T-72 tanks, the 1st US Infantry Division resumed the attack.

Now, instead of three armored cavalry squadrons, the 18th and 37th Iraqi Armored Brigades faced six heavy battalions of American tanks and infantry fighting vehicles and another six battalions of 155mm field artillery. The Iraqis, however, did not run. Instead, they manned their vehicles and weapons systems against the US forces. In the 1st US Brigade sector all of the battalions used a single passage lane. Each unit had its own area of operations to keep it from becoming confused with other units and to ensure that each unit achieved the command's common objective. Since these were only imaginary lines on the ground, units often strayed into adjacent sectors. The first battalion (1-34 Armor) that passed through the passage lane ran into a battalion from the Iraqi 18th Mechanized Brigade, and Iraqi gunners were able to indentify two American vehicles and destroy them, killing one soldier and wounding five others. The American commander pulled his scouts back and moved his tank companies forward. The second American battalion (Task Force 2-34 Armor) that passed through the passage lane became momentarily lost because it was dark and the combat equipment (in spite of rumors about super technology) did not have a compass or directional aid built into the vehicle. And the third (Task Force 5-16 Infantry) was not yet through the passage lane.



In the south, the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade moved through three separate passage lanes, where each battalion almost immediately made contact with the Iraqi defenders and both sides started shooting at each other. The primary fighting force in this sector were two battalions of the 37th Iraqi Armored Brigade, defending the left flank of the Tawakalna. The assault of the 3rd US Brigade also caught many Iraqi tank crews on the ground in their shelters, probably hiding from American air and artillery attacks. Because they had not turned on their engines and were not, therefore, generating heat, the tanks did not show up on the American's vehicle-mounted thermal sights. In many instances, American vehicles simply drove past the Iraqi positions. For the next few hours, bypassed Iraqi RPG equipped anti-tank teams and dismounted Iraqi infantry fired at passing American vehicles, only to be destroyed by other US tanks and fighting vehicles following the initial forces.

As Iraqi RPG teams and T-55 tanks maneuvered to shoot the Americans in their vulnerable rear, some M1 and Bradley turrets swung back to engage their attackers. Responding to apparent enemy fire, friendly crews returned fire. When the confusing mélée was over, the 1st Division tanks discovered that they had destroyed five of their own M1 tanks and four Bradleys. Six brigade soldiers perished in these attacks and thirty others were wounded. Rather than "press the attack" as those at Central Command (General Norman Schwarzkopf's headquarters) were demanding, the brigade commander, Colonel David Weisman, decided to pull the battalions back, consolidate, and use his artillery to destroy the aggressive Iraqi infantry.



The Iraqis had stopped the 1st Infantry Division's initial push into their sector; but not for long. By 12:30 am on 27 February, the two attacking brigades of the 1st Infantry Division were positioned along the 75 Easting, 2,000 meters east of 73 Easting. For the next three hours they methodically crossed the remaining ten kilometers of their objective, called Objective Norfolk. The area encompassed the intersection of the IPSA Pipeline Road and several desert trails, as well as a large Iraqi supply depot. As they slowly advanced, M1 tank commanders acquired the thermal images of the Iraqi tanks, or infantry fighting vehicles, long before they were themselves spotted by the Iraqis. Platoon leaders, team commanders, and even battalion commanders issued unit-wide fire commands, causing the entire command to fire at Iraqi targets simultaneously. By dawn, the 1st US Infantry Division controlled Objective Norfolk. The combined attack of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment's three squadrons and the Big Red One's two leading brigades had destroyed the two Iraqi brigades (18th Mechanized Brigade and 37th Armored Brigade) on the Tawakalna's left flank. Simultaneously with the fighting in the southern portion of its sector, the Tawakalna Division was under assault in the center of its line.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[SAMWolf]

That second one looks impressive.

[snippy_about_it]

Whoa. Great big pic for a greatly admired President. Thanks PE.

[snippy_about_it]

Villiag idiots are in every town aren't they.

Things are going well, the weather had been mild and I think store business will pick up soon.

[snippy_about_it]

snippy the FReeper Inagural Ball was FINE!

I'm so glad you were able to attend.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Poland has some good tanks now. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. I'm glad to hear that both your behinds are safe and sound!

[snippy_about_it]

Good evening Gail.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Mark. It's good to know!

[snippy_about_it]

LOL.

[snippy_about_it]

Good evening feather.

[snippy_about_it]

Good evening Mayor.

[PhilDragoo]

Abizaid's adviser

You may know him as H.R. McMaster, author of "Dereliction of Duty," the book that exposed deceit and double-crosses between President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Vietnam War.

The author's full title was Army Maj. H.R. McMaster, who wrote the book while acquiring a postgraduate degree in history.

Now a full colonel, Col. McMaster is being used in a new role by Gen. John Abizaid, the chief of U.S. Central Command and the overseer of two critically important military missions: Iraq and Afghanistan.

Col. McMaster is in Baghdad as Gen. Abizaid's director of what is called the "commander's action group." A Pentagon official said part of Col. McMaster's job is to assess war progress and propose long-range solutions for the post-Saddam Hussein era.

The full title of his 1997 book is: "A Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff & the Lies That Led to Vietnam."

Until recently, Col. McMaster, a West Point graduate who has a Ph.D. in American history, was a military fellow at the Hoover Institution. Among his writings was this paragraph:

"President George W. Bush's approach to the current Iraqi problem stands in stark contrast to LBJ's approach to Vietnam. The Bush administration made its case for military action, and, after considerable debate, the American people, through their representatives in Congress, gave approval. The administration also made its case to the United Nations, highlighting the damage that inaction would inflict on prospects for peace in the long term."

~~~

Colonel H.R. McMaster
71st Colonel of the Regiment
3d Armored Cavalry Regiment

Colonel H.R. McMaster was commissioned in the United States Army upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984.

His military education includes the Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Armor Officer Basic and Career Courses, the Cavalry Leader’s Course, the Combined Armed Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College, and a U.S. Army War College fellowship at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace. McMaster holds a Ph.D. in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

His initial duty assignment was to the Second Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas where he served as a support platoon leader, tank platoon leader, tank company executive officer, and scout platoon leader. In 1989, he was assigned to the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment in Nuremberg, Germany where he served as regimental plans officer. In March 1990, he assumed command of Eagle Troop, Second Squadron which he commanded in Bamberg, Germany and Southwest Asia during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After the squadron returned to Germany, he assumed duties as squadron operations officer. In the summer of 1992, McMaster began graduate study in history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1994 he reported to the history department at the United States Military Academy where he served as an assistant professor until 1996. After graduation from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, he moved to the National Training Center in June of 1997 and joined the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the training center’s opposing force. He served there as executive officer, 1st Squadron, and regimental operations officer. In October 1999, McMaster joined the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in Schweinfurt, Germany and commanded the “Quarterhorse” until June 2002. McMaster joined U.S. Central Command in May 2003, serving as Director, Commander’s Advisory Group until May 2004.

McMaster’s military decorations include the Silver Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters.

Colonel McMaster is married; he and his wife have three daughters.

~~~

This 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is ordered back to war with what commanders call a smarter strategy to not only defeat Iraqi fighters, but also win over what they see as a passive population. The exercise in progress this weekend is part of an Army-wide initiative to replicate tactics observed in Iraq.

"The key is to stay ahead of our enemy," said Col. H.R. McMaster, commander of the 5,500-member regiment, slated to deploy in the spring.

"Our soldiers will be absolutely trained for the tough conditions in Iraq," McMaster said.

~~~

A decorated troop commander in the Persian Gulf War and former history teacher at the United States Military Academy, Major H.R. McMaster, Ph.D., has written a new book that unearths disturbing new evidence concerning the Vietnam conflict. It deftly proves how America's top leaders in the 1960s and '70s forgot their responsibility to the American public while manipulating the country into a vicious war that it could not win. Major McMaster wrote Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies That Led to Vietnam after reflecting on his service in the Gulf. "As a cavalry troop commander in Operation Desert Storm," he writes, "I was struck by how easily I could connect our unit's actions with the stated war aims of the American government. The contrasts between America's military experience in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf were stark and analogies between the two were evident in public commentary. My experiences in the Gulf and my scholarly interest in recent American history sparked my desire to research and write about Vietnam."

~~~

Be nice to have the Russians along for an Iran operation.

Nice to the contrary notwithstanding, Russia is more accurately viewed as an ally of Iran rather than of the U.S.

Bill Gertz, Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American Security, Regnery, 1999, Chapter Eight: From Russia with Technology, pp. 167-190, catalogues the continued, covert, lucrative and extensive assistance given Iran by Russia.

Gertz writes: Missile technology transfers from Russia to Iran represent one of the most egregious cases of the failed foreign policies of Bill Clinton.

Bill Gertz, Treachery: How America's Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies, Crown, 2004, Chapter 5: Iran Goes Nuclear, pp. 90-111, Gertz indicates Russia remains a premier provider of Iran's nuclear, missile and conventional armament needs.

~~~

Putin continues to support negotiations, promising any aid to Iran will be predicated on its guarantee it will return spent fuel rods.

So, we have the word of Putin and the word of the three stooges, Khamenei, Khatami and Rafsanjani.

~~~

With the leadership of the Bush team and the military expertise of such officers as McMaster, the momentum of the Iraqi election will deliver the full Ceaucescu to Tehran by Christmas.

[Valin]

DFU INAUGURAL REPORT: 1)Swearing in, 2)protestors, 3)almost killed by FReeper at the Ball
Doug from Upland | 1-22-05 | dfu


Posted on 01/22/2005 1:47:25 PM CST by doug from upland
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1326232/posts

[Valin]

Iraqi infantry, believing that darkness and poor visibility would protect them,

WRONG WRONG, ERROR, ERROR, DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $50.00.
A good working definition of a bad idea.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Eeevil Americans can see in the dark!

[SAMWolf]

Evening Phil Dragoo.

Thanks for all background info on Col. McMaster

Dereliction of Duty

That's an apt 3 word description of the entire Johnson administration.

[Iris7]

Warms the heart to see the Colonel taking care of his troops. HMMVs indeed.

[Iris7]

Don't worry about the old Soviet designs. For one thing support for Soviet era equipment worldwide brings a good income. Support can include new systems, like tank gearboxes and engines, sights, navigation aids, communication gear, armor upgrades, and a host of other technologies. And all paid for by foreign customers.

[Iris7]

Power resides in balancing off potential enemies one against the other.

During Britain's heyday the European "balance of power" was the foreign policy goal, achieved by helping the weaker party of a dispute against the stronger. With the French Revolution and Napoleon this balance was hard to restore, and cost much British treasure and life (though it was much more costly for the Russians, Germans, and Austrians).

Napoleon III later allowed Prussian hegemony in Central Europe, destroying the careful balance of power built at the Congress of Vienna. This lead inexorably to WWI.

In all fairness Napoleon III had his hands full with domestic issues, but he sure was dumb in foreign policy.

Nixon's Chinese foreign policy forced the same "balance of power" logic on the Marxist-Leninist countries, making the United States tremendously more powerful versus the now divided Communist world.

The Soviet Union had been threatening China with full bore nuclear war, making China willing to negotiate with the Capitalists. Dumb, that.

"The more things change the more things remain the same."

Countries have interests, not friends.

[PhilDragoo]

Russia has no interest in helping the U.S. remove the mullahs from power. The opposite is true.