Battle of Norfolk

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Norfolk
partof=the Gulf War
date=February 27 1991
place=Iraq
result=Coalition victory
combatant1=flagcountry|United States,
UK

combatant2=flagcountry|Iraq|1991
commander1=Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
commander2=Saddam Hussein
casualties1=6 killed (friendly fire), 30 wounded
casualties2=Heavy

The Battle of Norfolk was a tank battle fought on 27 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States Army and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard.

The battle took place about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of and 18 hours after the Battle of Al Busayyah, and several kilometers east of the Battle of 73 Easting, which had ended just two hours earlier. The Battle of Norfolk is named for Objective Norfolk, an area that encompassed the intersection of the IPSA Pipeline Road and several desert trails and a large Iraqi supply depot defended by Iraqi armor. Objective Norfolk was located west of Phase Line Kiwi, east of Phase Line Smash, and north of Phase Line Grape. Phase lines are map references occurring every few kilometers used to measure progress of an offensive operation.

The forces involved in the battle were the American 1st Infantry Division, the 3rd Bde (Black Heart Brigade) of the 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels) and the Iraqi 18th Mechanized and 9th Armored Brigades of the Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division.

The Breach

On the night of 23/24 February 1991, in accordance with General Norman Schwarzkopf's plan for the ground assault called Operation Desert Sabre, VII Corps raced east from Saudi Arabia into Iraq in a maneuver later nicknamed the "Hail Mary." The Corps had two goals: to cut off Iraqi retreat from Kuwait, and to destroy five Republican Guard divisions near the Iraq-Kuwait border that might attack the Arab and Marine Corps units moving into Kuwait to the south.

Led by Major General Thomas Rhame, the 1st Infantry Division pushed through the Iraqi defenses. The 1st Division opened fire on the Iraqi defenses with tank fire and destroyed four tanks with TOW missiles. It was also this period that brought forth one of the most infamous images of the war. In an effort to make Iraqi troops surrender, the 1st Division used M9 bulldozers and plow-mounted tanks to bury Iraqi soldiers alive in their trenches.Fact|date=July 2007 As the walls of the trenches collapsed, Bradley Fighting Vehicles in close proximity would fire 25mm cannon rounds into the enemy positions. An estimated 150 Iraqi soldiers were buried alive in these incidents.Fact|date=July 2007

In the end, the division succeeded in decimating the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division, and taking over 500 prisoners. The 1st Infantry Division also suffered two casualties, one being killed by a land mine.

The Battle

The Battle of Norfolk, in a sense a continuation of the fighting that began with the Battle of 73 Easting the day before, began at 12:30 am on 27 February. The two attacking brigades of the 1st Infantry Division, including the 3rd Bde 2nd Armored Division, were positioned along the 75 Easting, 2,000 meters east of 73 Easting. The Brigades clashed with the Iraqi Tawakalna Division of the Republican Guard, including the 37th Brigade of the 12th Iraqi Tank Division.

With air support from the 1/1 Attack Helicopter Battalion preventing Iraqi artillery from interfering, the 1st ID conducted a passage of the 2nd ACR's lines. In the following three hours the 1st ID methodically crossed the ten kilometers of Objective Norfolk, destroying Iraqi trucks, tank, and infantry units through thick fog. In the thick of the fog of war, U.S. units became mixed with Iraqi units dispersed throughout the desert. This confusion led to the largest number of friendly fire incidents throughout the war.

By dawn, the 1st US Infantry Division controlled Objective Norfolk and the Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division had ceased to exist as a fighting force. American casualties were 6 soldiers killed, all by friendly fire, and 30 wounded.

External links

* [http://www.bigredone.org/history/index.cfm Society of the 1st Infantry Division]
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/appendix/death.html PBS Gulf War page]
* [http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du_ii/du_ii_tabh.htm Gulf War history]

Bibliography

*"Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War", by Rick Atkinson, Houghton Mifflin, 1993.