The Road to Safwan: The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 ...

Task Force Iron 99
movement of an approximate platoon, six vehicles, from the
northeast. Whether by coincidence or design, these vehicles
were close to the boundary line between the 1st Infantry and 1st
Cavalry Divisions. 16 As the Iraqis were beyond the fire support
coordination line, the graphic control measure that allows for
unrestricted indirect fire beyond it, Task Force Iron prepared to
engage them with artillery fire.
Twenty minutes later, another three vehicles were observed
six kilometers to the west. As the tanks attached to TF 1-41 Infantry
prepared to fire, the Iraqi vehicles disappeared from
sight. At 2230 hours the task force reported to division headquarters
that the vehicles appeared to be wheeled armored personnel
carriers, probably Soviet-made BTRs, accompanied by a
tank. They had taken good hull-down positions and were now
difficult to observe. For the next hour Task Force Iron fought a
small series of battles with the Iraqi reconnaissance elements
that mimicked the tactics of a Soviet reconnaissance battalion. 17
At 2340 hours, the cavalry squadron, still located on the
western flank, spotted another group of vehicles moving from
west to east towards the center of the task force’s sector. At the
same time, almost forty kilometers to the east, TF 1-14 IN fired
TOW missiles at a group of vehicles that it had spotted along
the boundary with the 1st Cavalry Division. It reported destroying
one tank and engaging the remainder of the vehicles
with artillery fire. As expected, the difficulty of positively identifying
friend or foe in the difficult terrain at night prevented
more vigorous action. 18
Into this fragile situation the Task Force Iron commander,
COL David Weisman, called for Apache support. A platoon led
by the 1-1 Aviation’s battalion commander, LTC Ralph Hayles,
took off soon after midnight. The AH-64’s night fighting capabilities
appeared ideal for the task at hand. The division tactical
command post quickly ordered Task Force Iron to turn off all
ground surveillance radars so they would not interfere with the
aircraft’s electronic systems. At 0031 hours (February 17) the
flight passed over the TF 1-41 Infantry. LTC Hillman coordinated
directly with Hayles to identify the friendly line of
troops. Nine minutes later, 0040 hours, COL Weisman shut off
all artillery fire so the Apaches could move forward. 19