This engagement temporarily halted the 3rd Armored Division's advance during the destruction of the Iraqi Republican Guard's Tawakalna Division in the Gulf War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 26 February 1991
- Iraqi unit targeted
- Tawakalna Republican Guard Division
- U.S. units involved
- 1st & 3rd Armored Divisions, 1st Infantry Division, 2ACR
- Friendly fire cause
- M1 Abrams tanks operating in the rearguard
- Iraqi positions cleared by
- Close air support and artillery fire
- Resolution time
- Early hours of 27 February 1991
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the ground phase of the Persian Gulf War, coalition forces launched a broad offensive to destroy the Iraqi Republican Guard. The 3rd Armored Division advanced westward through a corridor between the 1st Armored Division to the north and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment to the south, pushing toward entrenched Iraqi Tawakalna Division positions along Phase Line Bullet.
The Bradley squadron spearheading the 3rd Armored Division's assault was repulsed by a screen of Iraqi entrenched infantry, armored personnel carriers, and T-72 tanks. The engagement was further complicated by friendly fire incidents involving M1 Abrams tanks in the rearguard, inflicting American casualties and forcing the division to halt its offensive until dawn.
Iraqi troops were ultimately dislodged from their entrenched positions through close air support and artillery fire in the early hours of 27 February 1991. The battle contributed to the broader simultaneous assault by multiple U.S. divisions that culminated in the destruction of the Tawakalna Iraqi Republican Guard Division.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent