Operation Dawn V was Iran's largest offensive of the Iran-Iraq War to that date, targeting the strategically vital Basra-Baghdad highway.
Key Facts
- Iranian force estimate
- 100,000–150,000 Pasdaran and Basij
- Objective
- Split Iraqi 4th and 6th Army Corps near Basra and Qurna
- Tactics used
- Small motorboats, on-foot advance, human wave attacks
- Closest advance
- A few kilometers from Basra–Baghdad highway
- Outcome
- Iranian failure; objective not achieved
- Series position
- Largest of the Dawn operations series
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Iran sought to exploit perceived weaknesses in Iraqi defensive lines between Basra and Qurna at the start of 1984. The goal was to drive a wedge between the Iraqi 4th and 6th Army Corps and, if successful, advance on the suburbs or the city of Basra, potentially delivering a decisive blow in the Iran-Iraq War.
Iranian Pasdaran and Basij forces numbering 100,000–150,000 crossed toward Iraqi lines using motorboats and then advanced on foot, employing human wave tactics. They came within kilometers of the Basra–Baghdad highway but faced well-equipped and entrenched Iraqi defenses supported by artillery and air power, which the Iranians lacked.
Both sides suffered severe casualties. The Iranians failed to split the Iraqi corps or capture any part of Basra, and the operation ended without achieving its strategic objectives. Despite the failure, Operation Dawn V remained the largest and most ambitious of Iran's Dawn offensive series up to that point in the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent