cmh_70-117-1

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IntroductionAlthough now twenty years in the past, the events surrounding theinvasion of Kuwait by the forces of Saddam Hussein in August 1990 andthe subsequent U.S.-led coalition that ejected the Iraqis from that smallnation are key to understanding today’s situation in the Middle East.For the first time, the United States was directly and openly involved insending major land forces to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf region.For the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the U.S. Army, whichhad trained to fight Soviet forces in Central Europe, moved a large portionof those forces to engage in open warfare in a completely different theateragainst a former Soviet client state. The overwhelming success of thoseendeavors, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, renewed theconfidence and assertiveness of the United States in its foreign policy inthe Near East and throughout the world.Other elements of what later became known as the first Gulf Waralso remain with us. American troops stayed in the region for over twodecades, first containing a resurgent Saddam Hussein and then dealingwith his aftermath. Equally important, the coalition partnerships cementedin that initial operation and in the regional peacekeeping operations thatfollowed provided the basis for a growing series of multinational effortsthat have characterized the post–Cold War environment. Finally, thegrowing interoperability of U.S. air, sea, and land forces coupled with theextensive employment of more sophisticated weapons based on advancedelectronic technologies, first showcased in Desert Storm, have becomethe hallmark of American military operations and the standard that othernations strive to meet.This pamphlet, prepared by the Center’s Chief Historian, Dr. RichardStewart, is based primarily on two works. The first is the Center’s TheWhirlwind War: The United States Army in Operations Desert Shieldand Desert Storm, Frank N. Schubert and Theresa L. Kraus, generaleditors, prepared about a year after the events in question. The secondis a chapter written by Brig. Gen. John Sloan Brown (former Chief ofMilitary History, now retired) in the Center’s comprehensive history ofthe U.S. Army, American Military History, vol. 2, The United StatesArmy in a Global Era, 1917–2008. I hope that soldiers of all ranks willv
enjoy this short account of a conflict that twenty years ago captured theattention of the world as the first test of the U.S. Army since the VietnamWar and its first large-scale armor engagement since World War II.Washington, D.C.JEFFREY J. CLARKE28 May 2010 Chief of Military Historyvi
Page 1 and 2: War in the Persian GulfOperations D
Page 3 and 4: Cover: On Guard at Sunset by Peter
Page 5: No.Page5. Ground War: Situation 25
Page 9 and 10: BAGHDADDESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORMAR
Page 11 and 12: and withdrawal of Soviet armies int
Page 13 and 14: over 120,000 troops, 700 tanks,1,40
Page 15 and 16: had assumed command of thecorps in
Page 17 and 18: a Patriot missile battery of the 11
Page 19 and 20: demands quickly took a physicaltoll
Page 21 and 22: formal contracting process. “We w
Page 23 and 24: RafḩāI R A QW ā d ī a l B ā
Page 25 and 26: Tapline RoadDespite the confusion e
Page 27 and 28: established, the Army could conside
Page 29 and 30: In the only change made to the reco
Page 31 and 32: VII Corps assembly area in Saudi Ar
Page 33 and 34: supported the Persian Gulf operatio
Page 35 and 36: with a twelve-day continuous exerci
Page 37 and 38: Troops training in trenchesturning
Page 39 and 40: RafḩāXVIII ABN CORPSFAAI R A QW
Page 41 and 42: Reserve 14th Quartermaster Detachme
Page 43 and 44: y the M1 tank-equipped Tiger Brigad
Page 45 and 46: Euphrates RiverAs SamāwahAsh Shaba
Page 47 and 48: coalition air attacks and psycholog
Page 49 and 50: M1A1 Abrams tankIn their movement a
Page 51 and 52: On 24 February, the 1st Cavalry Div
Page 53 and 54: epositioned to continue the advance
Page 55 and 56: 1 CAs SamāwahEuphrates RiverX3 101
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coordinated close air support strik
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windstorm) in the objective area ki
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As SamāwahX3 101Ash ShabakahTALLIL
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Armoured Division, with over seven
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The brigade advanced at 1200 with t
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As SamāwahX3 101197Ash ShabakahTAL
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The 1st Brigade took the division l
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destruction of the Republican Guard
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the U.S. military and its allies ha
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noncommissioned officers. These wer
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expanding sealift, airlift, and the
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the active and reserve components w
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Map SymbolsX XI I IXX XX XXAirborne
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PIN : 909253-000
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