Operation Dawn 6
Part of Iran-Iraq War
Date 22 February-24 February 1984 Location Area east of the Basra-Baghdad Highway Result Stalemate; Iran makes small gaines Territorial changes Area 5 miles by 10 miles captured, but not the objecitve of the Baghdad-Basra highway
Combatants
Iraq	Iran
Strength
Iraqi 3rd and 4th Corps	500,000

Operation Dawn 6 (Operatoin Valfajr-5 in Persian) , was a military operation conducted by the forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, against the armed forces of Saddam Hussein's Iraq. It lasted from the 22nd to the 24th February 1984 and, along with Operation Dawn 5, it was part a larger operation to secure part of the Baghdad-Basra highway, thus cutting two of Iraq's most important cities from each other, and threatening the communications network suppling the Iraqi military on the front line. Operation Dawn V succeeded in capturing some high ground 15 miles from the highway, and Operation Dawn 6 was designed to exploit the Iranian's capture with a breakthrough towards the highway. However, the operation met an Iraqi defence which stood up to every attack, and the Iranians called off the attack after only two days. This led to Operation Khaibar, the re-focus of Iranian's offensive towards Basra directly. Combatants United States Navy Iranian Navy Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 - 26 September 1988) was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iraqi and Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988 during the Tanker War phase of the Iran-Iraq War. ... Combatants United States Special Operations Command Iranian Navy An aerial view of the leased barge Hercules with three Mark III patrol boats and the tugboat Mister John H tied up alongside in the northern Persian Gulf. ... Operation Eager Glacier was a secret U.S. effort to spy on Iran with aircraft in 1987 and 1988. ... Operation Nimble Archer was the 19 October 1987 attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces. ... Iranian frigate IS Sahand (74) attacked by aircraft of U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 11 in retaliation for the mining of the guided missile frigate USS . ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... Combatants  Iraq  Iran Strength the Iragi 3rd and 4th army corps 500,000 Casualties 25,000 Begin 1984 Iran launched Operation Dawn V, also known as Operation Dawn 5 or Operatoin Valfajr-5 (Persian). ... Combatants  Iraq  Iran Strength the Iragi 3rd and 4th army corps 500,000 Casualties 25,000 Begin 1984 Iran launched Operation Dawn V. The Goal of the offensive was to split the Iraqi 3rd Army Corps and 4th Army Corps near Basra. ...

Prelude to the operation

The failures of Iran's five large-scale 1983 offensives to inflict a decisive defeat on the Ba'th regime of Saddam Hussein had angered many in the Iranian government. Only a year before, the Iraqi army had been routed out of the majority of Iran by the regular army and religious militias of the Islamic Republic. The tracts of Iranian territory still held by Iraq in Iran were abandoned on the orders of Saddam Hussein, and the Iraqis retreated to a more defensible line along the old border between the two countries. Many commentators expected that Saddam's army would fall apart as it had done in Iran. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Bath Party flag The Arab Socialist Bath Party (also spelled Baath or Baath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي) was founded in 1945 as a radical, left-wing, secular Arab nationalist political party. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ...

However, the Iraqis, now occupying the significant border defenses, and now fighting for the protection of the nation, as opposed to an offensive into another country, were able to thrawt Iranian hopes for a victory in 1983. In fact, with the Iranians themselves on the offensive, Iranian troops were wondering why they were now fighting in another country when they had cleared their own country of a foreign invader (these feelings were not especially pronounced in 1983, but would become apparent as war-exhaustion took its toll in the later years of the war). Also, the Iranians, convinced that victory was imminent, were careless in the way that they conducted their offensive operations. The victories of 1982 had been built on a modest, but solid, co-ordination and co-operation between the regular army of Iran; and the religious militia of the Pasdaran, and the Basij. Human-wave attacks predominently by religious fighters, were supported by the tanks, artillery and aircraft that was able to pull off victory. elan was combined with the necessary support. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Pasdaran str. ... Basij (also Bassij or Baseej, Persian: ‎), is an Islamic Republic paramilitary force that was founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November of 1979 to provide volunteers for human wave attacks in the Iran-Iraq War. ...

However, in 1983, the regular army had been sidelined, and the religious militias were now made the mainstay of the Iranian military. This was because the army had always been seen by the religious government of Iran as a source of possible opposition against the regime, a regime which had only been established in 1979, and which still had plenty of enemies. This meant that, against a formidable Iraqi defence, which should have demanded even more co-operation between the army and the militias, the attack only consisted of WW1-type human-wave attacks; with meagre artilley, tank, and aerial support. In the meantime, Iraq had initiated the first War of the Cities, launching missles against Iranian cities. The Iranins responded in kind, and this spurned on pressure for an Iranian offesive as soon as possible in 1984. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The fighting

Operation Dawn 5 had suceeded in capturing Kult al-Amara, and securing some high ground 15 miles from the highway between Basra and Baghdad. The attack had lasted from the 15th to the 22nd February; and Operation Dawn 6 was lauched on the 22nd. Combatants  Iraq  Iran Strength the Iragi 3rd and 4th army corps 500,000 Casualties 25,000 Begin 1984 Iran launched Operation Dawn V, also known as Operation Dawn 5 or Operatoin Valfajr-5 (Persian). ...

However, the operation, which was intended as the breakthrough operation, was bogged down to a superior Iraqi defence. The Iranians would succeed in capturing individual Iraqi lines of defence, but the Iranians would be too exhausted materially and physically to move before the Iraqis could support the next line of the defence. Eventually, by the 24th, the Iranians were unable to advance any further towards the highway, and were still 10 miles from the highway. The operation was called off on the 24th.

Consequences

The failure of the attack had been anticipated shortly before the attack had even been lauched. The Iraqi defences in the area were too strong. However, the attack had suceeded in drawing away men of the Iraqi army from other sectors, including the area defending the Iranian's ultimate prize near Baghdad, Basra. On the 14th, Operation Khaibar succeeded in capturing Majnun Island, 40 miles from Basra. The attack was contained through an Iraqi counter-attack with Iraqi reserves, employed in tandem with the use of chemcial weapons (mustard gas and Sarin gas). This article is about the city of Basra. ...

Strategically, the attack had brought the Iranians within sight of their primary targets; but the Iraqis always held the upper hand against the poor Iranian attacks. In the end, the Iranians had lost thousands, and had only succeeded in capturing relatively worthless land (with the exception of Majnun Island). After Iran lost all the land and they knew they couldn't win the war anymore Khomeini accepted the truce. But after Iraq's great successes against Iran, Saddam tought Iraq could still win and he launched a last offensive to try and take Khouzestan. The Iraqi's re-entered Iran in the south and advanced 25 kilometres. Iran however still had resistance left, and although the Iraqis made gains on Iranian land they failed to break through. So Saddam ordered his troops to withdraw back to the old international border and so the 8 year long war finally ended. Ayatollah Khomeini founded the first modern Islamic republic Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah Khomeini (آیت‌الله روح‌الله خمینی in Persian) (May 17, 1900 – June 3, 1989) was an Iranian Shia cleric and the political... External links Official website of Khuzestan Governorship Categories: Iran geography stubs | Provinces of Iran ...