Battle of Phase Line Bullet
Part of Gulf War
Iraqi T-72 abandoned to advancing 3AD forces
Date February 26, 1991 Location Iraq Result Iraqi tactical success
Combatants
US Army	Iraqi Republican Guard
Commanders
Paul E. Funk	Ayad Futayih Al-Rawi
Casualties
2 KIAs 12 WIAs 4 Bradleys destroyed 10 Bradleys damaged	Unknown number of KIAs and WIAs 6 T-72s tanks destroyed or abandoned 17 APCs destroyed

The Battle of Phase Line Bullet was one of the clashes which led to the destruction of the Tawakalna Republican Guard Division, on February 26 1991, by a simultaneous attack of Two US Armored Divisions (1st and 3rd), an Infantry Division (the 1st) and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. The battle was one of the rare examples of an US armored force repulsed by a screen of Iraqi entrenched infantry, APCs and T-72s tanks during Desert Storm. Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Peter de la Billière Khalid bin Sultan Saleh Al-Muhaya Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 75,000 wounded The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War... For other uses, see February (disambiguation). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_USA.svg‎ REDIRECT File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Elvis Presley Stevie Nicks Jodie Foster Janet Jackson Meryl Streep Jessica Lange Faye Dunaway Madonna (entertainer) Trent Reznor Diana Ross User:Mtiedemann... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iraq,_1991-2004. ... Republican Guard is the organization of a republic which serves to protect the President and the government. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_USA.svg‎ REDIRECT File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Elvis Presley Stevie Nicks Jodie Foster Janet Jackson Meryl Streep Jessica Lange Faye Dunaway Madonna (entertainer) Trent Reznor Diana Ross User:Mtiedemann... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iraq,_1991-2004. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... WIA is a three letter abbreviation meaning Wounded in action. ... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Peter de la Billière Khalid bin Sultan Saleh Al-Muhaya Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 75,000 wounded The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War... Combatants Saudi Arabian Army SA National Guard United States Air Force Qatar  Iraq Casualties 35 dead, 32 wounded, 2 POW 2000+, 400 POW[1] Saudi National Guard american made Tanks during the Battle The Battle of Khafji was the first major ground engagement of the Gulf War. ... The Battle of 73 Easting was a decisive tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States Army and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard. ... The Battle of Al Busayyah was a tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States Army and those of the Iraqi Army. ... The Battle of Medina Ridge was a decisive tank battle fought on 27 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between the United States 1st Armored Division and the 2nd Brigade of the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Luminous Division outside Basra. ... 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. ... Iraqi President Saddam Hussein talks with elite Republican Guard officers in Baghdad on March 1, 2003. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 1st Armored Division, the Old Ironsides. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 3rd Armored Division, Spearhead. ... Patch of the United States Army 1st Infantry Division. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Second Dragoons. ... East German BRDMs on parade during celebrations of the 40th anniversary of East Germany in 1989 Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are light armoured fighting vehicles for the transport of infantry. ... The Lion of Babylon tank (Asad Babil) was an Iraqi-built version of the Soviet T-72 tank MBT (main battle tank), assembled in a factory established in the 1980s near Taji, north of Baghdad. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ...

Background

The initial skirmishes between American and Iraqi Republican Guards units took place earlier that day around pre-established line 73 easting, some 30 miles west of Wadi al Batin, where the 2 ACR managed to destroy two Iraqi Armored Brigades. The skirmishes in this sector were still going on when the 3rd Armored Division, positioned north, made the first contact with a brigade of the Tawakalna Armored Division around 3:30 PM. The weather conditions were extremely poor, compromising visibility and identification of targets. The Battle of 73 Easting was a decisive tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States Army and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Second Dragoons. ...

Flank screen maneuver

As the usual practice for armored reconnaissance, a platoon of M2s Bradleys (Alpha Platoon), belonging to the 4th squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, was scouting ahead of the main tank force. The flank screen maneuver took place along the southern boundaries between the 2 ACR and 3rd Armored Division operational areas. Task Forces 4-34 and 4-32 were advancing from the rear. The general movement of the US forces followed an eastward direction. The fumes of hundreds of oil wells set on fire by the Iraqis, combined with an intense shamal, forced the US vehicles to use thermal sights. The M2 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) and M3 Bradley CFV (Cavalry Fighting Vehicle) are American infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, (formerly United Defense, originally FMC). ... 7th Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia The 7th United States Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. ... Kuwaiti oil wells on fire. ... A shamal overspreading Iraq A shamal is a summer northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf, often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. ...

Surprising Contact

At 3:00 PM, the 14 Bradleys strong platoon received information from the GHQ of the 3rd Armored Division that no enemy unit remained between them and the Kuwaiti border. Suddenly, they found a screen line of Iraqi APCs straight ahead, barely 300 mts. to the East. The poor weather, along with burning oil fumes, reduced the visibility conditions to almost zero. A burst of small-arms and heavy machine gunfire, RPGs and Sagger missiles erupted. Initially, the American commander though they were engaging dismounted infantry supported by BMPs, but later he realized that they were also receiving main-gun tank rounds^[1]. The US vehicles retaliated by firing TOW missiles, 25 mm cannon and machine gun fire. The contact lasted for about two hours, until the Bradleys, battered by enemy and friendly fire and running out of ammunition, were forced to withdraw. US Abrams tanks from TF 4-34, positioned in the rear echelon, fired in support of the IFVs, killing at least one T-72 and several Iraqi APCs. They also hit three Bradleys (A-22, A-31 and A-24), with two American KIAs^[2]. Another Bradley (A-36) was first disabled by a 12.7 mm round which penetrated the transmission^[3] and later shattered by a large caliber shaped charge impact in the turret's front^[4]. All the remainder Bradleys were raked by machine gun fire and shrapnel, but they were still marginally operational^[5]. An RPG-7 captured by the US Army The RPG-7 (Russian: ) is a widely-produced and used handheld anti-tank grenade launcher designed by the Soviet Union. ... AT-3A Sagger missile The AT-3 Sagger is the NATO reporting name for the 9M14 Malyutka (little or tiny baby) MCLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. ... The BMP-1 is a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle which was first introduced in the early 1960s. ... A TOW missile being fired from a Jeep. ... The M1 Abrams main battle tank is the principal combat tank of the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps, with three main versions being deployed starting in 1980: the M1, M1A1, and M1A2. ... Epicyclic gearing or planetary gearing as used in an automatic transmission. ... A sectioned Shrapnel shell displayed at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa For other uses, see Shrapnel (disambiguation). ...

Aftermath

The US armored forces were unable to find a breach in the northern Iraqi lines until the first hours of February 27. That morning, the 7th Cav scouts found the hulls of 17 APCs, mostly BMP-1 and 6 T-72s disabled or abandoned by their crews. The clash is one of the few recorded actions where a US assault was fenced off by Iraqi dug-in armored vehicles.

Footnotes

1. ^ See this official sketch of the Iraqi screen line
2. ^ See this official report (scan)
3. ^ Since the Bradley can withstand projectiles up to 14.5 mm, a ricocheting 125 mm sabot round splinter could also have been responsible
4. ^ By the somewhat flat path of the round (scan) and the position of the Iraqi T-72s, a 125 mm HEAT shell is suspected. Preliminary reports also mentioned a Sagger, but the poor accuracy of this missile in such bad weather and close-range battle conditions make this theory unlikely
5. ^ For the overall action, see Atkinson, pp. 428-433

A HEAT round. ...

References

• Atkinson, Rick: Crusade, The untold story of the Persian Gulf War. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993.
• Rostker, Bernard: Environmental Exposure Report:Depleted Uranium in the Gulf. DoD Publication, 1998.