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

124 The Road to Safwan
toothed plows turned either right or left. With blades down,
these tanks moved along the back of the trenches filling them in
as they went. Behind the Abrams tanks were mechanized infantry,
who dismounted only to gather the Iraqi soldiers who
poured from their positions with hands high in the air. Some
Iraqis tried to run away, but were either killed or captured by
the following American assault elements. A few fought to the
death. The Big Red One soldiers did not, however, dismount. It
was an unequal battle as tanks pushed the soil back on top of
the resisting Iraqis. When RPG and small-arms fire bounced off
the tanks, most Iraqis realized that they had no choice but to
give up. The U.S. infantry dismounted and gathered them according
to the drills they had practiced since they came in the
army. Then the grisly process of filling in the trench line, burying
those who resisted, continued. Probably fewer than 200
members of the 110th Brigade, the unit from the Iraqi 26th Infantry
Division defending against the 1st Brigade’s assault,
chose this method of resistance. Most were content with surrender
and removal to the POW cage in the rear. 24
The 1st Brigade commander ordered the cavalry to commence
its movement through the lanes in the trench lines
shortly before 1530 hours. Mike Bills’s Troop B led as the
squadron moved through the lanes, each clearly marked with a
large panel at their entrance. The tanks and Bradleys often
bunched up as each tried to get into line for their designated
lane. Once in column, the units moved with steady speed
though the smoke and dust. With all the fear and confusion
around them, the large number of combat vehicles and the
sound of friendly artillery firing reassured the cavalry troopers
as they headed for their attack zones. On occasion a track
would break down, only to be attended to by the ever-ready
maintenance teams, with most crews continuing on their journey
after an hour or so of repair work. 25
Once the combat troops moved forward and gained contact
with the Iraqi forces, the maintenance and supply units followed
in the plowed, mine-free, lanes. With so many vehicles
on the move, some problems were bound to arise. For example,
one of the squadron’s HEMTT cargo trucks broke down, stopping
traffic. Fortunately, a maintenance crew led by CW2 Ger-