On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

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V CorpsFigure 171. Civilian aircraft destroyed on Objective LIONS, with UH-60L in foreground3-69 AR entered the airport from the south via a gate in the wall. 151 The first company teamtraversed the airfield against almost no resistance, moving to the far eastern side of the end ofthe runway and awaiting the remainder of the task force.Once through the wall, the task force attacked to clear its assigned sector of the airport. 152The lead platoons of TF 3-69 broke out on the southern edge of the airfield and maneuveredto clear enemy bunker positions along the outlying service roads. At approximately 0200 theIraqis shelled them, but Marcone’s tankers and mechanized infantry buttoned up and movedon. They attacked to midway up the airfield and turned to secure their eastern flank at 0430.Reaching their assigned limit of advance, they transitioned to a hasty defense. Because thetanks were running low on fuel, the task force conserved fuel by running engines just oftenenough to keep their batteries charged. 153As the sun rose on 4 April, there was a feeling of euphoria as the embedded media fromCBS, SKYNEWS, and the New York Times conducted interviews and beamed to the world thatAmerican forces had seized Baghdad International Airport. While US presence on the airfieldwas a fact and there was no chance of 1st BCT giving it up, the mission remained a work inprogress. 154 It took two more days of fighting to clear the airport, including hidden tunnels,bunker systems, and outlying facilities such as the VIP terminal and the control tower. 155After sunrise enemy infantry in previously undetected bunkers posed a problem. Unitsof TF 3-69 AR spent most of the morning clearing bunkers and capturing Iraqi soldiers. Forexample, in one incident:304Sergeant First Class Richard Fonder and Specialist Joseph Ramsel of A/3-69 ARdismounted their vehicle and used hand grenades to clear a bunker that was too close tofire the main gun at and too well built to destroy with machine gun fire. Twenty enemysoldiers surrendered out of the bunker. While they were processing the EPWs, Fonderand Ramsel discovered an alternate enemy fighting position where other Iraqi soldierswere about to open fire. Ten more enemy soldiers surrendered after a volley of fire. 156
Similar incidents occurred all over the airport as the 1st BCT continued to clear it.The lead vehicles of TF 2-7 IN finally arrived at the airport at 0500 on 4 April. 157 Movingonto LIONS, the task force received scattered small-arms fire and two RPG rounds. LieutenantColonel Rutter and the troops he had in tow moved rapidly to establish a blocking positionat “Four Corners,” the main entrance, on the eastern side of the airport. The main entrancefeatured a four-lane highway with a median to separate incoming and outgoing traffic. Largemasonry walls with towers approximately 100 meters apart bounded the highway. Rutter’stroops hastily cleared the remainder of their section of the airport. The remainder of the taskforce was still more than an hour away. 158Shortly after 0730 on the 4th, the trailing units of TF 2-7 IN entered the airport from thesouth. Flanked by trees on the right and an enormous wall on the left, the road they arrived ontook on a gauntlet-like appearance. Sporadic small-arms fire rang out in the distance, and somerounds were fired near the convoy lead vehicle. Although the plan called for establishing themain blocking position at Four Corners, there was no “rear,” and the enemy was all around. 159Setting up a blocking position in this environment proved problematic, since the enemy mightcome from any direction.The TOC vehicles moved through Four Corners and established themselves adjacent toan overpass. With most of the task force now closed on the airfield, Lieutenant Colonel Rutterbegan moving units into their proper locations. 160 All seemed to be quiet at first.Rutter positioned the task force mortars, the forward aid station, PSYOP team, and combattrains around the large intersection. Exhausted soldiers cleared their immediate areas andmoved into their assigned positions. After traveling through the night and essentially in contactfor the past three days, everyone was relieved to finally reach the airport. 161V CorpsFigure 172. A 3rd ID HMMWV on Objective LIONS305
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The United States Army inOperation
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-
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PrefaceOn Point is a study of Opera
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AcknowledgementsHistorians prefer t
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called him unkind names and questio
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Table of ContentsForeword..........
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Figure 78. 101st Airborne Division
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Table of Call Out BoxesThe SIPRNET
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The 8 April Counterattack .........
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Saddam Hussein and the Ba’athists
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Army special operations soldiers, a
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• Information and Knowledge. The
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successful battles and engagements
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timelines at the beginning of each
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Chapter 1Operation DESERT STORM to
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combat. The US Army’s AirLand Bat
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The domestic political landscape in
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was to experiment to anticipate cha
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The authors also attempted to accou
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The SIPRNET RevolutionIn addition t
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efore World War I. 16 The extended
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commanders to consider the battlesp
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presence is not possible. Moreover,
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• The Air Force’s C-17 Globemas
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GAO Report. Military Transformation
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On 20 September 2001, President Geo
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All of these efforts led to a sweep
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NOTES1. General Frederick M. Franks
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Chapter 2Prepare, Mobilize, and Dep
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joint organizations played central
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Figure 10. Key coalition camps and
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CLCC LOG and Title 10 PowerPoint pr
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Figure 17. Tern delivers Army water
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Pre-positioned EquipmentIn Europe d
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allies in the region in providing s
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organization to leverage joint inte
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surprise but allowed a gradual buil
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Figure 24. V Corps objectivesin any
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that supported them, while denying
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Webster and Spider Marks. Marine Br
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V Corps Command Brief, 15 July 2003
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V Corps Command Brief, 15 July 2003
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completing its work in February. BC
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Figure 32. Soldiers posing with a D
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Figure 33. V Corps assault command
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ight thing to do. More than 6,200 s
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defense coordinator (TAAMCOORD), an
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attalion leadership, with the USARE
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The 18th MP Brigade, stationed in M
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and environment of Iraq. They condu
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proper mix of combat, CS, and CSS u
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Given all that can go wrong, the pe
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Jeremiah Johnson, Combat CameraFigu
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opportunities such as a sudden coll
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27. Major General Robert Blackman,
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80. Lieutenant Colonel John Huey, p
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Summary of EventsSaddam Hussein and
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• Breaching the berm at the borde
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humanitarian assistance supplies, w
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Intelligence Supporting Operational
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Moving the start of the ground camp
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Figure 42. PSYOP leaflets distribut
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Igor Paustovski, Combat CameraFigur
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Figure 45. Comparison of Iraqi grou
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to secure the first two primary obj
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Crossing The BermThey are coming to
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Figure 50. 3rd ID border breach sch
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covering forces rapidly and simulta
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After the aborted mission, morale s
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act of passing the change of route
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Figure 54. RRP EXXON and FARP SHELL
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Air Base (An Nasiriyah), seize the
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Figure 58. The 3rd BCT scheme of ma
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also captured more than 200 EPWs, i
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Figure 61. Division Central Collect
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Figure 63. Distance from Objective
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Figure 67. Routes of march north to
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Staff Sergeant Dillard Johnson, 1st
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did not see me and began to fire on
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At 1430 on 23 March, 3rd BCT took c
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During the fighting at As Samawah,
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24. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jay Deh
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FLOYD, Johnson’s platoon fought y
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Army Spec. Joshua Earl,a military p
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April 1, 2003, black smoke rises fr
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US Army photoSgt. 1st Class Anothon
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Chapter 4The March Up-CountryI don
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Figure 74. March up-country sequenc
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working in the LSA and units moving
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Colonel Melvin Frazier, who command
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101st Abn Div AARFigure 78. 101st A
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Courtesy of V CorpsFigure 80. 3rd I
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All of the estimates accurately ass
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decided to break his convoy into tw
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Figure 86. The 507th route of movem
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Figure 87. The 507th Maintenance Co
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With 3rd BCT, 3rd ID securing the l
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However, employing LRS is not a Lon
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the attack on Baghdad. Practically
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Marcone and Grimsley justifiably ex
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Figure 92. Ambush Alley—officiall
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advantage in fighting in the dark.
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Robert Woodward, US ArmyFigure 93.
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Figure 95. Chemical soldiers from t
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all of them. From a broader perspec
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While never perfect, the Army and e
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Figure 96. 11th AHR attack scheme f
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Still, the regiment planned routes
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Moreover, with less than half of th
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Figure 99. Apache attack helicopter
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her husband had been shot and was i
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AdaptationsFollowing the attack, Ar
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PlanningThe planned 101st attack ag
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The 2-101st intended to attack the
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Figure 107. 3rd ID’s scheme to en
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followed. The third tank, Lieutenan
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the division elected to block the e
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3-73-7CAVCAVFightingFightingininAnA
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Figure 112. Relief in place of 3-7
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enemy as they had at As Samawah. Ar
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Figure 114. Lieutenant General Wall
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airborne assault, the units had beg
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From 29-30 March, the 82nd conducte
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Company at Checkpoint Charlie, subo
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towns during the five simultaneous
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Figure 124. PSYOP leaflets to minim
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The 173rd’s combat capability als
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moment. The ground had been plowed
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The brigade also jumped with a high
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Figure 129. TF 1-63 AR Abrams tank
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NOTES1. Captain Michael Matthews, O
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59. Colonel Rodney Mallette, MTMC,
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133. Oliver.134. Marcone.135. Ibid.
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202. Colonel Blair Ross, A Transfor
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to Baghdad in the east, and the I M
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Figure 133. Objectives in the vicin
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crossed a river or entered the maze
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three brigade combat teams, 1st BCT
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paid off in spades. ThroughoutI’v
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Figure 135. Enemy disposition in th
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Page 318 and 319: Figure 144. Objective MURRAYabout I
Page 320 and 321: Figure 145. Enemy and friendly disp
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Page 326 and 327: 130th Engineer BrigadeFigure 149. E
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Page 330 and 331: The FeintAt 0600, the Thunderbolts
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Page 338 and 339: The protracted fighting in As Samaw
Page 340 and 341: Figure 156. The scheme for the isol
Page 342 and 343: Launching the AttackHaving rearmed
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Page 346 and 347: Electronic attacks against enemy co
Page 348 and 349: Figure 164. TF 3-69 AR attacks to s
Page 350 and 351: The Smoke Mission at Objective PEAC
Page 352 and 353: Figure 166. 2nd BCT attacks to Obje
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Page 356 and 357: Accelerating the AttackDuring this
Page 358 and 359: The ApproachTrue to his word, Grims
Page 362 and 363: First Lieutenant Mark Schenck, writ
Page 364 and 365: Essayons: Sergeant First Class Paul
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Page 368 and 369: Figure 177. Platoon leaders of Apac
Page 370 and 371: Figure 179. The 3rd BCT Objectives
Page 372 and 373: TF 2-69 Armor, the brigade’s main
Page 374 and 375: Sanderson led from the front near t
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Page 379 and 380: NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The I
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Page 385 and 386: Chapter 6Regime Collapse“There ar
Page 387 and 388: Figure 184. Attack to BaghdadBaghda
Page 389 and 390: Actions ElsewhereAs the corps’ an
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Page 401 and 402: Mason Lowery, US ArmyFigure 190. TF
Page 403 and 404: Thunder Run of 7 AprilTask: Attack
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Page 409 and 410: Figure 195. TF 1-64 AR movement int
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Figure 197. The 2nd BCT disposition
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dazed. The explosion and fires prod
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Specialist Gates took it it and ran
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Task OrganizationOn the evening bef
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LARRY, and Gator would secure the n
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The Pros from Dover—Special Force
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About the same time as Johnson move
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Rage faced dismounted Republican Gu
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Firing on all Cylinders— —Engin
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Figure 206. The Iraqi counterattack
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Figure 207. The Iraqi counterattack
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Silver Star RecommendationSpecialis
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NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The I
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Post). This information comes from
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Chapter 7ImplicationsSoldiers, sail
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OIF demonstrated that the COE is no
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from the War in Iraq.” The Russia
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Bank and Gaza provided grist for Ar
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Although urban operations in OIF pr
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Fort Irwin “replicated” the ene
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level did have satellite communicat
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The evidence of OIF does not compel
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Of course, building a doctrine and
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also find ways to achieve interdepe
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Special Forces in ActionOn 20 20 Ap
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Liaison between Army special forces
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Simply stated, operational maneuver
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petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL
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Logistics SuccessesThere are some g
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Following the incident, the Army la
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Grouping so many capabilities in th
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The efficacy of net-enabled means t
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Information OperationsOperation OIF
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There are some obvious OIF implicat
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Most tactical unit commanders claim
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NOTES1. JFCOM and TRADOC are moving
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Chapter 8TransitionPeace enforcemen
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On Point has not been able to deliv
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I Guess I Made an ImpressionThis fi
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him the opportunity to honor his cl
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NOTES1. General Peter J. Schoomaker
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DESERT STORM as commander of VII Co
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Combined Forces Land Component Comm
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Facilities Engineer Team410th Milit
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244th Theater Aviation Brigade (OPC
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Facilities Engineer Detachment BFor
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Detachment/Marine Light Attack Heli
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Detachment/Marine Aerial Refueler/T
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4th Light Armored Recon Battalion (
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10th Logistics Planning Augmentatio
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315th Tactical PSYOP CoTactical PSY
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Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Veh
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1st Brigade, 4th Infantry DivisionH
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Tactical PSYOP Team 221/362nd Tacti
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Control Ground Station Team 5/5/D/3
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Ground Surveillance Systems Platoon
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Eagle-Intel/Analysis and Control El
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A/326th Engineer BattalionTeam 1/27
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Elements/4th Air Support Operations
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864th Engineer Battalion (-) (Comba
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HHC (-)/22nd Signal Bde17th Signal
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51st Movement Control Detachment (D
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HHC/418th Quartermaster Bn59th Quar
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507th Medical Co (Air Ambulance) (A
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AMC Logistics Support Element FWD -
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381st Military Police Detachment (E
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513th Transportation Co (Medium Tru
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249th Quartermaster Co (Repair Part
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946th Transportation Co (Medium Tru
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Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 2
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Glossary A2C2AAAAAMDCAASLTABC-BLABC
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C1C2C2C2XC2PCC3C4C4ISRC5C6CACACOMCA
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EUCOMEXORDF/AFAFAIOFARPFBCB2FIFFIST
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JLOTSJOEJOPESJRACJRTCJSOTFJSOTF-NOR
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OBJODAODSOEFOHOIFOIF-SGO/OOOTWOPCON
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SOCCESOCCENTSOCOMSOFSOPSPSPACECOMSP
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BibliographyInterviews, Discussions
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Group InterviewsInterview with CFLC
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Dilanian, Ken. “Airborne Jumps In
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Joint Publication 4-01.8. Joint Tac
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• 335th Theater Signal Command•
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Lieutenant Colonel David Kolleda.
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103 Military Intelligence Battalion
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603rd Aviation Support Battalion ·
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General, USMC, Chief of Staff, CFLC
Page 584 and 585:
Davis, Wilbur, Staff Sergeant, USA,
Page 586 and 587:
Operations Officer, National Ground
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219, 223, 243, 278, 296, 314, 331,
Page 590 and 591:
198, 284, 315Objective RAMS · 102,
Page 592 and 593:
427, 430, 518Schwartz, Eric ‘Rick
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USS Higgins, Aegis Destroyer · 65,
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The United Strates Army in Opera
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