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

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NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The Iraq War: Strategy, Tactics, and Military Lessons (Washington DC: TheCenter for Strategic and International Studies, 2003), 85-104. Re: declaration of air supremacy see 104.2. Lieutenant General David McKiernan, commander, CFLCC, interview by Colonel Gregory Fontenot,US Army, Retired, 8 December 2003.3. Major E. J. Degen, Major Kevin Marcus, and Major Lou Rago, notes taken when they accompaniedLieutenant General Wallace to Jalibah.4. McKiernan, 8 December 2003.5. Colonel William Grimsley, commander, 1st Brigade, 3rd ID, interview by Lieutenant Colonel DavidManning, undated.6. Lieutenant General William Wallace, commander, V Corps, summary transcription of interview byColonel French Maclean, US Army, 15 April 2003.7. Memorandum for Record, TF 2-70 AR, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM Timeline, 22 May 2003.8. Ibid.9. “V Corps Commander’s Operations Assessment,” 7 April 2003.10. “Operation IRAQI FREEDOM—By the Numbers,” CENTAF-PSAB, KSA, Commander’s ActionGroup, 9th Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, SC, 30 April 2003.11. Lieutenant Colonel J.R. Sanderson, commander, TF 2-69 AR, interview by Lieutenant Colonel DavidManning, 12 May 2003. “A2C2, [Army] Airspace Command and Control, is broke across the American Army. It isespecially critical when you are firing artillery, MLRS. Those are things most people will catch. If you are doing aMLRS strike on something, okay, somebody will clear the A2C2. If you are down to cannon artillery and you aredoing call for fire for fire support, nobody will catch that and they won’t clear the airspace. And God help you ifyou are firing mortars because the mortar is obviously going to go above the hard deck and it really is “big sky, littlebullet” theory and you could knock something out of the way.”12. “Battle of Debecka Ridge Summary Brief,” Colonel Michael Beasock, TRADOC Systems Manager forClose Combat Missiles, US Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, GA, undated.13. Sergeant First Class Frank R. Antenori, US Army Special Forces, email to Lieutenant Colonel ArthurDurante, US Army, Retired, 22 August 2003.14. “Battle of Debecka Ridge Summary Brief.”15. Antenori.16. Captain Shane Celeen, commander, C/2-70 AR, interview by Captain Michael Mathews, 22 July 2003.17. Ibid.18. Ibid.19. Iraqi actions took place in such a convoluted command and control environment that it is hard to discernpatterns of operation. The Republican Guard, regular army, and militias were controlled separately. UnderstandingIraqi actions also is complicated by their efforts to shield and deceive coalition forces. Sometimes forces on thescene reacted to an attack and were joined almost serendipitously by militias. When coalition intelligence detected aunit or detected movement, they attempted to determine what the enemy intended. Sometimes intelligence estimatedintentions correctly. The point is that merely detecting movement or the presence of a unit does not offer informationas to intent. Finally, as of the time On Point went to press, very little actual information on Iraqi intentions andactions was available. The Joint Center for Operational Analysis at Joint Forces Command is doing some work onthis matter, which ultimately may help clarify what the Iraqis believed was happening and what they were doingabout it.20. Field Manual 100-5-1/Marine Corps Reference Publication 5-2A, Organizational Terms and Symbols,HQ Department of the Army/United States Marine Corps, Washington, DC, 30 September 1997, 1-66.21. V CORPS FRAGO 149M, “Limited Attacks,” to OPORD 0303-343 (Cobra II), Headquarters, V Corps ,Camp VIRGINIA, Kuwait, 300700ZMAR03.22. 2nd BCT, 3rd ID, “History of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM or How to Own a Country in 30 daysor Less.” The unit history states that Objective MURRAY was in Habbaniyah, but it is actually in the town of AlHidiyah about halfway between Karbala and Al Hillah on the main route between the cities.23. Ibid. See also “3-7 CAV Unit “History; and “3-7 CAV Command Briefing” by Lieutenant Colonel TerryFerrell, 25 May 2003.24. “Historical Account,” 1-9 FA, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, undated, 5.25. “Battle summary, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM,” 9 June 2003.26. “Unit history, 10th Engineer Battalion,” 1 May 2003.323
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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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ack toward Baghdad, and began condu
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Figure 140. Sample district council
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virtually every type of mission pos
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Lieutenant General Wallace on theFi
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Figure 144. Objective MURRAYabout I
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Figure 145. Enemy and friendly disp
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The Approach: Isolating An NajafAft
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130th Engineer BrigadeFigure 149. E
Page 328 and 329: When his battalion attacked into to
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
Page 354 and 355: Figure 168. Iraqi tank burning in t
Page 356 and 357: Accelerating the AttackDuring this
Page 358 and 359: The ApproachTrue to his word, Grims
Page 360 and 361: V CorpsFigure 171. Civilian aircraf
Page 362 and 363: First Lieutenant Mark Schenck, writ
Page 364 and 365: Essayons: Sergeant First Class Paul
Page 366 and 367: to one of the road craters at appro
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 382 and 383: 97. Ibid.98. Rowe.99. Major John Al
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Page 386 and 387: Figure 183. Regime collapse sequenc
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Page 394 and 395: Plesich’s part to get that Iraqi
Page 396 and 397: Figure 187. Bomb-damaged bridge, Ba
Page 398 and 399: Courtesy of 2nd BCT, 3rd IDFigure 1
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Page 406 and 407: SPC Daniel T. Dark, US ArmyFigure 1
Page 408 and 409: disabling it. Not wanting to stop t
Page 410 and 411: Mason Lowery, US ArmyFigure 196. Th
Page 412 and 413: Mason Lowery, US ArmyWilliam Glaser
Page 414 and 415: 2nd BCT Recovering from the StrikeC
Page 416 and 417: Mason Lowery, US ArmyFigure 202. Th
Page 418 and 419: Figure 203. TF 3-15 IN disposition
Page 420 and 421: defend it. Staff troops and communi
Page 422 and 423: US Army photoFigure 205. The helmet
Page 424 and 425: Command Sergeant Major Robert Galla
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The convoy reached Objective MOE, r
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After a relatively quiet night, TFT
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As a company-size enemy force close
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apartment complex across the street
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Perkins, interview by Lieutenant Co
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115. Tusker History.116. Tusker His
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But in intense close combat, they s
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sought to learn from others, includ
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to overstate the importance of this
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close air support while minimizing
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the service and continues through c
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Aids to CommandForce XXI initiative
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The headquarters employed in OIF ar
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training, education, doctrine, and
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Joint Integration and Support: Effe
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Patriot battalions identified an im
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two types of forces closer together
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in 1991. Airmen striking without wa
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Last, learning from the 173rd BCT s
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The physics of combat theaters comp
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their wagons across the Missouri, l
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Some have argued that what happened
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digitization and an opportunity to
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e enough resources to establish a c
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at least some ability to communicat
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or not CENTCOM, CENTCOM components,
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still takes time and is likely to r
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26. Lieutenant Colonel Erin Edgar,
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national training capability led by
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If the Army is, as asserted here, e
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kind of torn back in shreds. A nice
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perimeter wielding a rifle. At Obje
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About the OIF-SG TeamThe team forme
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MAJ TRAVIS E. ROOMSLTC (R) JAMES RU
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Sensitive Site Team 1 (with 75th XT
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Det/87th Expeditionary Security For
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Deployable Intel Support Element/66
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40th Signal Battalion (Theater Tact
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1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment2
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Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squa
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Combat Service Support Battalion 18
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456Element was redesignated the 2nd
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TF 1-15th Infantry TF 1-30th Infant
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460D/1-44th Air Defense Artillery (
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462D/4th Forward Support Bn240th Fo
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HHC/1-4th AviationA/1-4th Aviation
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46651st Support Center (Rear Area O
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4683/Team/B/431st Civil Affairs BnF
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8-101st Aviation (AVIM) (-)HHC/8-10
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618th Engineer Co (Light Equipment)
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V Corps ArtilleryHHB (-)/V Corps Ar
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F/519th Military Intelligence Bn A/
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205th Finance Battalion (Camp VIRGI
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48041st Support Center (Rear Area O
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535th Movement Control Team (Area)5
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528th Medical Detachment (Combat St
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C/1-293rd Infantry3-124th Infantry
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143rd Transportation Command (TRANS
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199th Movement Control Team (Area)2
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226th Area Support Group189th Corps
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110th Medical BattalionHHD/110th Me
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NOTES 1. A snapshot compiled from u
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ARARCENTARFORARNGASAPASASASAS-RWSAS
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CONUS Continental United StatesCOSC
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GSRGWOTHEHEATHETHHBHHCHHDH-HOURHHOC
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MCSMDIMEMECHMEDEVACMEFMETMEUMEUSOCM
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(R)RARAFRAPRBRCRCCRCTR&DRECONRELRFF
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TSCTSVTTPUAVUHUKUNUSAUSAIDUSAFUSAFE
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Lieutenant Colonel Eric WesleyMajor
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Books/ArticlesArnold, Steven L. “
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Reimer, General Dennis J. US Army,
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DocumentsRather than list each docu
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Army Documents/Publications“US Ar
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11st Armored Division (US) · 55, 9
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3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
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Commander, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airbo
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Chancey, Gregory, Sergeant, USA ·
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Fitzgerald, Michael, Colonel, USA,
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Jackson, Anthony, Private First Cla
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· 10Mechanicsville, Landing Craft
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Prescott, Jason, Sergeant, USA · C
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Swart, Tim, Captain, USA, Fire Supp
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Wright, Joshua, Captain, USA, Comma
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