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    '1 .THE us 3rd INFANTRY DIVISION'S DRIVE TO BAGHDAD. By CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO. 603-609 Castle Peak Road Kong Nam Industrial Building. No port of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without the prior written permission of Concord Publications Co.

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    '1 .THE us 3rd INFANTRY DIVISION'S DRIVE TO BAGHDAD. By CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO. 603-609 Castle Peak Road Kong Nam Industrial Building. No port of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without the prior written permission of Concord Publications Co.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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    2K views51 pages

    Thunder Run - US 3rd Infantry's Drive To Baghdad

    Uploaded by

    Marcelo Pitrella
    '1 .THE us 3rd INFANTRY DIVISION'S DRIVE TO BAGHDAD. By CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO. 603-609 Castle Peak Road Kong Nam Industrial Building. No port of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without the prior written permission of Concord Publications Co.

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    of 51
    Pe! Illustrations by Hubert Cance Editor: Gordon Arthur Copyright © 2005 by CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO. 603-609 Castle Peak Road Kong Nam Industrial Building 1O/F, B1, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong www.concord-publications.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Concord Publications Co. We welcome authors who can help expand our range of books. If you ‘would Ike fo submit material, please feel free to contact us. We are always on the look-out for ne unpublished photos for this series. Ifyou have photos or slides or Information you feel may be useful to future volumes, please send them to us ‘for possible future publication. Full photo credits wil be given upon publication, ISBN 962-361-1129 fed in Hong Kong INTRODUCTION 7 April, 2003. Red Two was down, knocked out by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that had penetrated a fuel cell. The other armored vehicles of ‘Task Force 1-64 ofthe 3d Infantry Division (3rd ID) went around the disabled ‘Abrams and continued their thunder run attack into downtown Baghdad, The sound of small arms fire crackled from every direction. More RPGs flew across the Americans” path on Highway 8, and some found their targets. White (One identified a BMP down a narrow road but the hydraulies of the turret failed, so be passed the target to White Four. White Four's loader announced, "Up" and the tank commander ordered the diver to slow down so a clean shot could be made. The gunner of White Four quickly identified the BMP and estroyed it with a blast from the main gun. The whir of the turbine engines continued as White Four and the rest ofthe 2nd Brigade fought into Baghdad and past the famous parade ground of the Iagi military marked by the large ‘crossed sabers. The fighting Continued as the 2nd Brigade pushed on to secure the bridges and palaces in the city center. American infantzymen (dismount) secured rooftops of key buildings to help consolidate the gains of this second ‘thunder run attack of the past three days. But the enemy did not give up so easily, and RPGs and mortar shells continued flying trough the it, reaching ‘out for targets. But, slowly, the Americans subdued the enemy and Baghdad itself was finally secured. This was the fist invading army to take Baghdad since the Mongols in 1258 AD. ‘The second thunder run attack that helped capture Baghdad was only one part, albeit a significant one, of the batle to topple Saddam Hussein and his regime. The 3rd ID, known as the “Rock of The Marne,” had much to tackle fon the march up to Baghdad. The distance and speed in which this all, Inappened were histori, and this speed in part explains why so many have the impression it was an easy viciory fo the coalition, ‘This book will focus on the combs history of the 3rd ID from the crossing of the Kuwait-irag border through to the fall of Baghdad. At the time of ‘writing, a number of areas in Iraq are sil n dispute due to insurgents who do ‘not wish democracy to be brought to the region. But the fact remains that a horrible regime, which supported terrorism and threatened neighboring countries, was removed in a lightning quick fashion without requiring the ‘expected siege of Baghdad. The 3rd ID was a large part of the reason for such a quick and decisive vitory Robert W. Buri, January 2005 E58) SFC Olson in his desert camouflage MOPP suit. The charcoal lining 's also evident here. In action he wears a colored neckerchit in an attempt to oop the dust out. Close by is an M4Atcarbine thal most TCs kopt handy, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Steven Zaloga, Don Busack, Prime Portal, Major Gino Quintiliani, Us Army, Lawrence Goh, George E. Bush My wite, Sherry Burik, for her support and technical help. All photographs are from US Army sources except where otherwise noted. This book is dedicated fo the memory of $SG Stevon A. Booker. ‘An Alpha Company tank uploads sabot main gun rounds at Camp New York in Kuwait. The tactical marangs are sui eshiy applied. ine prywooa battoboard was secured fo the extended bustle rack with 2p cus sipped through small holes inthe plywood. Each tank in 1-64 Armor and 4-64 Armor also received two locally made jerry can racks in addition to the extended bustle rack. Her, this crew has placed both erry can racks onthe lat side ofthe turret. In the early hours of 21 March, 2003 the division crossed the Kuwait: Iraq border with the Is Brigade inthe lead. Intelligence reported there was ro enemy in.the area, 0 the division traveled with its lights on. By 25 March the Ist Brigade had reached the town of Kifl, which possessed a key bridge across the Euphrates, As i literally rained mud, 3 69 Armor (3ed Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment) attempted to seize the bridge while the Iraqis tied to blow it. Before the enemy could blow the bridge, three MIALs from Alpha Company, Ist Platoon, crossed it and were then temporarily isolated after the bridge was blown. Meanwhile the division used the storm to bring in additional troops under cover and after several days of fighting the town was secured with the help ofthe 1Olst Airborne Also, near Najaf on the night of 25/26 March, 3-7 Cavalry, the famous Custer Regiment, made heavy enemy contact with two MIA\s, a Bradley and an Ace engineering dozer vehicle knocked out at an intersection. This, was in part due to friendly fire. One of the Abrams had its ammunition locker penetrated by an RPG, but the blast doors worked as des the crew was uninjured. Throughout the fighting, the 3rd ID encountered Fedayeen dressed in their black pajama-style outfits, paramilitaries dressed in civilian clothes, regular Iraqi army personnel dzessed in civilian clothes, as well as traditionally uniformed Iraqi army personnel. Coordination between these groups was practically non-existent, but contact at times was stil intense. Itis a testament to the professionalism of the 3d ID that civilian casualties were kept toa minimum considering the ways in which the enemy fought and that civilians themselves roamed the battlefield seemingly oblivious to the fighting going on around the ‘SFC Olson holds a 120mm sabot round (fn stabilized, armor piercing iscartng sabot). The round comes packed with a protective cone so the Sharp ip does not get damaged. The racoactive waming label i peeling off inthis example. The round weighs 45 lbs. This isthe platoon leaders vehicle as evidenced by the bumper code ‘A21.'The A stands for Alpha Co, the 2 Is for 2nd Platoon, and the 1 is for the fst vehicle ofa four vehicle platoon. This paricular vehicle was orginally from a diferent unit as can be seen by the fresh paint ofthe bumper codes. The gunner in SFC Olson's tank prepares his station for operation. US gunners had a decisive range advantage ‘over iraqi tanks out in the open, which is one reason why few battles took place in the desert areas. The Iraqis fet they could inft more casualties on th Americans by arawing thom into oly fighting. But ultimately, tho Iraqi Strategy was to bog down the US in see fighting around Baghdad, and to then force a cease. Two tanks in each platoon caried tow bars — usually unhich were tanks 2 and 3. ll tanks caried two cols of razor wie for security ‘purposes. This 1st Platoon tank also has @ mine plow attached to the front Pull The battlboard repeated the large air ‘entiication number that was on the side skirts of the tank. Each batiaion was assigned a number (1 ~ 9) and the second part ofthe number stood forthe company. Thus, 51 stood for 1-64 Armor Battalion, Alpha Company. The direction of the ‘chevron on the batleboard stood for the Platoon. Pointing up denoted st Platoon, Fighefacing was 2nd Platoon, and so forth {around the olock face. The GIPs (Combat Identification Panels) hada different system. The chevran stood for the company. Up was Alpha Co, downtacing was Bravo , let facing was Charlo Co, and right facing was Data Ca. The “dots”, which actualy were small squares, stood for the platoon. So, in the case ofthis tank, the CIP Indeates this is @ vehicle from Alpha Co, 2nd Platoon, ‘An M242 Bradley ready fo crass the border. The Bradley was orginally designed with a flotation screen that allowed it o cross rivers. It was nt Considered a complete success, and s0 as the design progressed and weight was added) the tation sereen was deleted. As can be seen here, Bradleys had localy made racks attached to thr sides. AVLBS show off their usefuness just prior to crossing the border. The Iragis cid not defend the border, so the engineer units were oniy needed to breach holes in the berms at the border. The frags instoad placed observation posts along the border. ‘Ambulance tracks top up the fue tanks prior to crossing the border. The US Army has three options when it comes to refueling. One is a ROM (Rotue! On the Move) which is a service siyle gas station. Another is a Tailgate re-supply where the fuelers come to the parked vehicies one at @ time. n the third option, known as a Service Station, tanks in a iaager pull ‘ut of position one at atime to refuel while a HEMTT usually stands by with ‘ammunition as wel. Tho M119 romains an integral part of the US Army. Here are two ‘ambulances boing made ready for the border crossing. The hull Behind the running gear of these two tracks was let in its original green color. This wwould hardly be evident alter combat operations started and the vehicies took on a more weathered look ioe The 3rd ID was equipped with a newer ADA (Air Defense Atle) vehicle based on the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, otherwise known as Linebacker. instead of tho TOW launcher, the Linebacker sports an Avenger air defense system that is made up of Stinger missiles. The M6 Linebacker Is designed to provide short range air defense day or night. At Kif, 3:25 ADA responded to a call fo seize a key bridge. Forces were spread out, 0 the ‘captain of the ADA battery got the call o lead the attack onto the bridge. Utimatey, heavier forces were needed, but the flexibility of the Linebacker was proven that day. So Thess angheer cack thr equoment poo croesig the borer The US Army sti eles on the M60 chassis for its AVLBS (Armored Vahicio Launch Bridge). It requies a crew of two, When extended the scissors-typ0 bridge is capable of supporting 60 ton class vehicles, and up to 70 tons when folded. rn ee mer Bridge-laying was expected to be a major factor in the campaign. [Atthough the combat engineers were needed in numerous situations, for the ‘most part the obstacles put up by the enemy were not as difficult as (expected. This was in large part due fo the lightning quick advance of the Sd 1D and the lack of coordination between units inthe Iraqi dofense. The Avenger mounted on HIMMUWVs. It has a two man crew with the ‘gunner in a turret mounted between the two missile pods: As it turned out, the ADA units would not be needed in their traditional roles since the Iraqi Air Force did not put one plane into the air. re The Bradley is armed with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun. The single barr! is capable of fring two kinds of ammunition due tits dual feed system which is operated remotely. It can fre HE (High Explosive) or AP (Armor Piercing). Here bets of 25mm ammo wait fo be loaded ito a Bradley. This trailer mounted piece of equipn Sentinel Air Delense Radar I is used to track incoming air treats and direct ADA units to engage those threats. It offers an ‘effective range of 40k. This is an M106BA3, which is an upgraded version of the M57 I can be identied by ts sighty different looking auxiliary power unit. About Wo thirds of the older M5775 in the US inventory have been slatod for Aa ea gs Dressed in their MOPP (Mision Onented Protctvo Posture) suts these men prepare ter Avenger the bor” crossing. The number one ‘concern of the troops going into the war was the possible use of chemical weapons by the rags. They had used them agains Iran and they used them ‘again against the Kurds. t was felt that Sadkiam Hussein would have no [sue with using them against an invading army Tike the Coalton, and then blaming ther use on the Coalition This M577 does not havo a sido stowage rack attached, unlike most vehieles in the (M118 family during Operation iraq Freedom (OIF). Te US Army stl considers the M577, “and the rest ofthe M13 family tobe very useful, despite the designs age. As well, many ‘armies around the world continue 10 use the basi design. Ls A close-up of the driver in his hatch of an M113. This M113 has an ACAY kit fo provide additonal protection for the track commander. The ‘vers CVC helmet has a mount for the night vision goggles (NVG). re A Paladin rumbles to the border, festooned with all manner of gear. It has a crew of 4 men ‘ands the most advancad cannon in the US Army farsenal. No external assistance is needed 10 Complete a fre mission. I can fire its fst round within 60 seconds, giving it a “shoot and scoot Ccapabilty which increases its chance of survival ‘against counter-batery fre. Top speed is 35mph. Early warning systoms wore able fo provide US forces witha 15-20 minute warning of Scud attacks. This gave solders plenty of time to don their geen But, as the Army moved ito Iraq this sort of lead time could not be expected. This was because chemical shells fired by front line iary were expected tobe used, as well as long range Scud mis A Patriot missle air defense system. The system has gone through upgrades since the First Gulf Wer in 1991. A number of Iraqi missiles were successfuly intercepted early inthe war, on ir way to targets In Kuwait and the massed troops an the border. However, a British Tornado witha crow of two was mistakenly shot down by 1 Patriot inthe opening days of the war. Like other replacement parts, many of the ACAV kits remained in their criginal green color. The track in the foreground has a large locker attached tots root Stil, many M1 13s had to go without an ACAV kit fo protect the TC 25 there were no! enough to go around. This crew has wrapped the battery cables around the smoke dlischarger. Also, the laader has attached part othe dismount kit to his M240 ‘machine gun. The barrel has a hand guard attached so the gunner can hold ft without being burned while fing ina asmaunted mode, ‘Alter getting their MOPP sults on, soldiers place M9 tape around arms and age. The tape would change color fa chemical agent was detected. MO tape could also be seen all over vehicles as well, such as on antennas and ‘gun barrels. This tank commander (TC) Is ready to crass the border, with binoculars atthe ready, maps in front of him, and the .50-cal loaded. The Coalition was ‘A crewman awaits the order to cross the border ashe stands next to his ‘most concerned about a chemical attack during the early stages of the war, M577. He wears his Interceptor Body Armor IBA) over the top of his MOPP Such as when units were massed atthe border, andlater when they got near suit. The front vehicle shows the locally made storage racks that Were also Baghdad. (on Bradleys, but the ear vohile does not have tern 3rd ID staging atthe border of Kuwait and Iraq, On the right can be seen a mine plow tank Doctrine dictated four plows per company. COftan one platoon carid ail four plows for the company. In the righ foreground, duct tape can be seen around the windsensoy. This does ‘not atfect the windsensor since the measuring devices are just Below the tape and also at the tp sides. Bradleys staging at the border. Most tank companies had two platoons of MIAT tanks and one platoon of Bradleys. The Bradley was orginaly designed 0 provide protection against 14.5mm projects. The = ‘MeA2 protects against 3omm projectiles on al sides and has spall ners on the inside of the venice as wel, ra 1D moves tothe border with headights ‘on in a dust storm. Lights were used since fl Intligance determined there were no threats in the area, and traffic safely was a more Important concern. E During the fist night, with the 1st Brigade inthe lead, Task Force (TF) 2-7 Infantry came upon a graveyard of traq tanks ‘tom the First Gulf War. in their thermal imagers the nervous tankers thought they had come upon a previously undetected ‘An Abrams platoon trom TF 4-64 pushes across the desert. Both TF 1-64 and TF ‘enemy tank unit. Same of these fankers shot up the long dead 4.64 tanks wore provided with extended buste racks and jorry can racks. Here, the lead tanks. tank's extended bustle rack is just evident, giving the turret a much larger appearance. Driving at night in a large AFV (Armored Fighting Vehicle) can be treacherous. There were numerous inslances throughout the war in which Vehicles tumbled off narrow roads into rivers or fiches. Here, an M109 ‘howitzer has rolled over on one such occasion. The fate of the crew is “More tanks kick up the dust inthe southern desert of Ira, Wile onthe ‘move each tank was assigned a sector fr overwatch. Thus, each tank in Litas fs ture at afferent points ofthe clock face. Par of the dr D plan was fo avoid built-up areas wherever possible and use the emmy deserts to ‘move on to Baghdad as quicly as possible. The 3rd ID was able fo stay with this plan in part, but plans never survive contact with the enemy. Numerous occasions developed where the Sd ID was forced to take towns to secure ‘bridges or keep open the Line of Communications (LOC). ‘An M109 sell-propeled howitzer Is ready fora fre mission. The crew is ‘na ‘shoot and scoot” mode, as they are ready to move out after fing off a few rounds: Most of the enemy outposts near the border were taken Out by artery unknown, The 31d ID makes a maintonance halt about four hours after crossing the border. Infantry took the time to relax as AFV crews checked the vital ‘components oftheir vehicles. Since the beginning of wartare, Keeping troops supplied has always been a priority Operation iraqi Freedom (OIF) would be fo aiferent During the maintenance halt, the Infantrymen emerged from thelr Bradleys to stretch and relax as much ‘as possible while thinking about the lnewtaie frst contact wit the enemy. ‘A wide variety of gear is evident on those infantrymen. The M4A aseauit rifle in the foreground is equipped wih a flashlight and high powered right scope. Alached fo the stock is @ pouch fora ready magazine, radey crewmen ilustrate the diferent camouflage MOPP sults and body armor. The crewman on the lft wears the tradtional tankers small lak vest while the man on the right wears IBA. The man an the right also has his ‘oeves slightly rolled up, which reveal the charcoal lining underneath, Tis service style ‘8 staion a Objective Martin in the southern desert is known as. a FOM (Refuel on the Move). this designed for fast throughput. As seen on this. Abrams, somo tanks repeated the turret marking on thelr side skirt This isa 41d. Platoon vehicle of ‘Apna Company, 1-64 Armor Even in relatively secure areas, some members ofthe infantry had 10 provide secury. Thus, these infanirymen did not get fo rest while the remainder ofthe units 00k the opportunity to do so. The neares! man wears the popular goggles worn by both the Army and Marines. There were several versions of goggles with some even sporting the brand namo ofthe maksr in large white letters on the headband. In this view of a command tank (no platoon bands are painted on the ‘gun's bore evacuator) both jerry can racks can be seen side-by-side on the Tet sie of the ture. Thi crew has used them to store packs. Hanging off the and ofthe gun barrel isa stip of M9 tape. ‘A rd Platoon tank participates in refueling operations conducted by an 1978 Oshkosh 8x8 fuel tanker inthe background. M-9 tape can be seen on the sideskrt foothold. Two markings indicate this ls @ vehicle from the Grd Platoon «the downward facing chevron and the blue barrel band on the bore ‘evacuator This 1s one company that old not have Bradleys in the ard Pratoon, ‘An infaniryman conducts security at Objective Martin, His weapon is ‘equipped witha PAC-4 laser sight and a scope. It seems tobe held on with 2zp cut, oes . eae Sa ae Harsh torain caused this tank to suffer roadie! shear while onthe move towards an enemy target. Roadwhee! shear was not uncommon Mn ‘rag, but lasing more than one roadwhee! per sde was rare. Hee, several ‘ad wiees were torn of atte samo timo. wae lator detormined thet ‘ALL THE WAY TO BAGHDAD” was net going o make ito Baghdad ater al and would be used for parts. Thus, the Mk crew that stripped the tank took the ‘un barrel with its name oni al the way o Baghdad. Volo sips om pre Wear taining with MILES goar can si be seen A Bradley waiting to refuel at Objective Martin. Not only a tanks get the joy can racks, but Bradleys and M113s got them as well. The rack Is {ust tothe lef ofthe CIP (Combat Identification Pane!) ‘A maintenance hait for Srd ID vehicles. Many HMMs carted extra tires, and they would be sorely needed as units fought trough bull-up areas that had been previously shelled. Many HMMUVs sulfered flat tres when they ran over shrapnel. Vehicles were sl able fo continue on, however die to their run-at tres _ These men await the order fo remount their Bradleys. The machine ‘gunner inthe foreground carries pouches for his MG ammmunition. With the ‘modular system ofthe IBA vests it seems that no two men carried the samo load or equipment. n the early phases ofthe war it rained in southern iraq, land 60 mud was evident on men and machine. The Bradley in the background stl has mud on the runing gear. | Engineers gather mines from a hastiy laid minetoid that attempted to slow the advance ofthe 3rd ID. Since the Grd 1D used a number of approach routes to Baghdad (especialy the open desert in the early phases), it was Impessibe forthe Iraqis to slow the offensive with mines. This M240 gunner has placed a US flag sticker on the butt of his MG. The M249 SAW and M240 have largely replaced the M60 MG in the Army inventory The middle man has a PAC-4 laser sight attached to his M16, and two ofthe three men have mounts attached to thelr helmets for NVGs. This plekup truck was being used during the night to ferry troops and supplies. An MPAT (Multpurpose Anti Tank projectie) destroyed it. The [MPAT is the newest tank round caried by the MT and was supplied in irited quantities for OIF It is iSeal for use against soft targets, despite what its name suggests. ‘An MIA4 Abrams crests a small embankment at speed. Described by ‘some as the “Combat Cadilac’, the Abrams provides an exceptionally ‘smooth ride, thanks to its suspension system. ‘Najaf was large town that was hotly contested. These enemy solders wore killed during a nighttime fight outside the town. The lragis, and especialy the paramiliaries, rarely showed respect for the US imaging Sevices and the kiling power of their weapons. The enemy commoniy hid behind mounds of dit. not realizing they were afforded very Ite protection in sueh instances. EPWs (Enemy Prisoners of War) are zip cuffed outside Najaf at ‘Objective Rams. The planners named some of the objectives after their favorite NFL. football teams. Others were Objective Lions, Bears, Chargers, Titans, and Sains, EPWs did not surrender inthe largo numbers as they did in the First Gulf War. There were two principal reasons for this. One, they were fighting for thar own country ths time, and believed the propaganda ‘churned out by the Ba'ath party. The second reason is that death squads foamed the battlefield. If Iraqis did not ight they would be killed or their families would be harmed by these squads. A convoy is parked atthe sie of the road, awalting the next command to advance. The nearest vehicle's an MI062A3, with HMMUVVs and trucks strung out behind i. A number of vehicles carry brightly colored ait identification panels on ther roots This 7th Cavalry Abrams was knocked out by friendly the at an intersection near Najat. Whie in column formation with Bradieys out front, 8 Troop was confronted with technicals, heavy machine gun fre, and RPGs. Abrams was being struck by FIPGS in the font left ofthe turret, it nas also boing hit by Bradley 25mm fre as the Bradley traversed its turet. Tho 25mm rounds penetrated the rear plate, Knocking out the Abrams. TO top ft of, this Abrams wingman rammed the tank in the rear, temporanly hooking up the two tanks. All ofthis took place in about 45 saconds in the beginning stages ofa large sand storm. (Busack) 2 large sandstorm that lasted three days began. The 3rd ID used the opportuniy 1 take an operational pause to consolidate its forces, which were boginning to bo stretched out along with its LOC. nary to popular media opinion of the time, neither the Marines nor the Srd 1D stopped fighting. They merely stopped advancing. Fighting was stil intense in ail areas, as the enemy, at least on a tactical bass, attempted to ks. However, ona strategic level A sabot round took out this technical which was armed with an AA gun in the rear bed of he track. The infantryman in the foreground has taped two ‘magazines together fo facitate a quick magazine change in the midole of a firefight ‘Nearby was another Bradley and the Abrams crew was abla to bail out and get inside the Bradley A tow days later ths MAY and another MIA‘ that was also knocked oul, were recovered. (Busack) ‘Both the driver and commander of this M113 ambulance have armed themselves with M8s 0 take onthe enemy infantry who tried to infitrate Srd 1 postions during the storm. This M1 13s also equipped with a large locker fon its root "Nota solders could take refuge from the storm due to constant threats rom the enemy. This HMMWV has an M240 attached to is right rear corner, ‘and has to be manned despite the storm. Visbilty was reduced to mere ‘meters and vehicles tke the HMMWVs were at a greater dsadvantage since they «id not have thermal sighs fo help guide them through the storm, ‘An M240 gunner soarches for targets as his squad mate searches ‘another quadrant. Bath have a powered scope attached fo their weapons. ‘Most US Army regular unis had some training in house-to-house fighting, which over the decades, has come to be an expected form of fighting. Inthe US sovera! bases have specially bull "owns" o practice such tactics. 'A SAMY gunner provides cover wnle his squad mates sprint across ‘pen ground in Naja. Ho carries his night sights In his back pack. Fort ‘51a ID the battle or Najaf lasted from 25 March ~ 28 March unti the 82nd land 1013t Airborne Divisions relieved fl. It was estimated that 1,400 ~ 2,100 paraniltaries were committed to the fght against the 3rd ID. Civllans flee Najaf as the Sra ID attacks into the town. The 3rd ID wishad to Bypass as many towns as possible asthe alm was fr Baghdad to be taken a8 quickly to avoid a protracted fight. Thus, atleast inthe south, where there were expected to bo only regular raqi army units and Fedayeen mia, bypassed units were not expected to bo a threat. However, it soon became apparent that LOCs would be threatened ty these bypassed units, ‘and s0 more city fighting took place than was planned. ‘A frtight ensues as tho mon take cover on a rootop. Yet, despite the danger, the squad leader exposes himself to give directions to his men. ‘Some men wear desert camouflaged MOPP suits and others have woodland camouflage versions ll the men have desert boots, however. This M240 gunner keeps overwateh trom atop a building in Najaf He also has night sights in his backpack, His gas mask is hanging at his lo left The squad's Bradley remained nearby inthe strat looking for targets, wwas ready for the men fo remount if the situation dletated i This infantryman has an M203 grenade launcher attached 10 his IM6A2 rite. The sight forthe M203 is folded down just behind the front sight This soldier appears to be a Combat Life Saver. He cares what may ‘ofthe M16. The M203 fires a variety of 4Omm grenades and has an effecive be a medic bag in his right hand. Combat Life Savers are riflemen cortiiod eee aoe in baste modicl skis, but their main job remains as a tgger plo” ‘A close up of ‘ACE IN THE HOLE”. Unike other wars, the names ofthe ‘Men from the 1-3 ADA (Air Detense Ariilery) pose infront ofa Saddam vehicles ad no role as to unit identifcation. The chevrons and numbers ‘mural. Both men are stil holding the spray cans they used to add their were for that use. The chevron on the second side skirt panel isnot related ‘moniker. Taking pieces of a Saddam posier became a sort of ritual for theo the number 51 tots left. That chevron is miroring he chevron onthe CIP advancing forces, as well as shooting up murals and statues, although the and stands for ‘A’ Company. There are no platoon dots since this is a ‘ivilans probably participated just as much ‘command tank. “AGE IN THE HOLE" the XO, and other tanks from 1-64 help secure [Najat. The lack ofa chevron around the large side skirt number indicates this Is ‘4 command tank, as does tho lack of a ‘barrel band around the bore evacuator. . ees) ae Lie Pt aes, i A ‘nthe postion whore most crows Kept a spare road wheel, this crow ‘An embedded reporter pokes through the gunner's hatch 10 tak with has mounted a sprocket gear. Thor crow tent hangs off the side ofthe turet the commandor of this Bradley. The reporters blue flak vest can just be ext to the CIP The CIP was designed to provide a unique heat signature for made out behind the hatch. Many AFV crews had a habit of puting their thermal sights, thus preventing ienely re incidents. sleeping mats around the bases ofthe antennas, as seen here. The exhaust deflector shield is clearly shown here hanging next to a Jemy can rack. Most crews used the deflector shield to stow loose lems such fol cans and lubricant spray cans. A 120mm mortar ammunition can is ‘A SAW gunner looks forthe enemy as fire from small arms fies over ‘tached to the jemy can rack. It was also used for storage. This crew has the heads ofthese Srd ID soldiers. The shape ofthe removable armor plate two spare roadwneels, a practice which was not common. shows through the vest ofthe gunner This side view of “ANOTHER EPISODE" shows the crew tont hanging next to the smoke discharge, the CIP next 10 that, and the jeny can rack next 1o that. Attached 10 the Jerry can rack is a mortar ‘ammunition can used for more storage. The thermal shroud on the gun barel comes in three parts. The part closest to the turret was replaced just betore the boginnng of the wa, and is green” in color. Most replacement paris were stil in the original green color, and 80 gcc adam acres Armor secures a traffic rele near a bridge in Najaf During this ull traqi civilians ‘came up othe orews and gave them water. The samo statue In this photo would be tom down not fong after this photo was taken, ‘Sgt Olson crouches down as enemy small arms fre reacts to the “American crews proparing 10 take down a Saddam Hussein statve. It is ‘A Medevac Blackhawk helicopter arives to pick up wounded. Medical believed that this was the first Saddam statue to be tam down during the units were 80 close tothe fighting that a number of times the medics from war. I took two attempts before eventually the bronze statue came down. MASH units had to prepare for actual combat themselves, ‘More Mi 19s show the added lockers on thelr roofs. The second M113 has an ACAV kit added to the commander's hatch Evidence of how dficut itis to ove in low visiolity situations. Nether the ativor of the rolled HEMT in the background, nor the diver ofthis ‘Abrams trom the Sr Brigade's 269 Armor could see the edge ofthe raised ‘oad, (Busack) On 1 April the 3rd Brigade isolated the Republican Guard south of Baghdad in the Karbala area, This allowed the 2nd Brigade to bypass Karbala and press on towards Baghdad after the Ist Brigade secured the Karbala Gap. It was feared that the Republican Guard would make a defensive stand here since it was good tank country and ideal for atllery Kill boxes. However, tank combat never really materialized since the Iraqis mostly attempted to hide their tanks from air attack, and any Iraqi artillery was quickly dealt with through the use of counter-battery fire. Thus, the initiative always remained with the 3rd ID. 691 Armor again secured a key bridge over the meandering Euphrates River at Objective Peach, Numerous explosives were planted by the enemy, but due to the boldness of the attack at Objective Peach, the bridge was captured intact. To help facilitate the crossing, engineers also ‘constructed a pontoon bridge at Objective Peach, The Ist Brigade then attacked toward Baghdad Intemational Airport located on the western side of Baghdad while the 3rd Brigade maneuvered to the northwest ofthe city to prevent any reinforcements from joining the battle from the north. Meanwhile, 2nd Brigade mopped up the ineffective Medina Division on 3 and 4 April. By this point the airport had been secured and the ring around Baghdad was solidifying, along with the help ‘of the Marines who were now on the eastern outskiets ofthe city ‘A crewman looks through his turet bin as they await uriher orders at a refueling point. The extended bustle ack s evident as wel as one ofthe jery (an racks, and two cols of razor wire for security purposes. Most HMMWWVs hada folding storage rack on the tailgate. NO HMMS with the 3rd ID during OIF 1 were up-armored. Uprarmored [HMIAWVS chart come into theatre unl follow-on unis arrived alter the fal of Baghdad. Bradleys, as well as MIATs, have a sublle antislip coating over most ofthe top surfaces. In this light, the anti-slip coating can be seen on the front ofthe vehicle. This Bradley has a rack on both sides ofthe vehicle A 7th Cavalry Bradley has its turret Tow launcher ployed as it provides overwatch fora passing unit, The 7th Cav was an independent scout unit attached t0 the rd ID for OIF It also had its own helicopter assets which proved useful while as atthe tp of the Sra ID's advance, (Busack) from the 3rd Brigade sports an orange air identification panel on the rear ofthe turret top. This unit i not place the company chevron on A black barre-shaped sleeping bag can be seen hanging off he right rear ofthe ture. The smoke dischargers have been armed as wel, ready (Busack) ‘BUSH & CO" was lucky. Here an M9 Ace armored combat earthmover repairs. the road in preparations to recover the tank. Other vehicles that traveled along canal roads were not $0 lucky. Numerous incidents occurred in the darkness when vehicles tumbled into a canal or other bodles of water, ‘and several soldiers drowned, includlng ‘an embeded journalist 55. aoe Ses. [an Ma racked recovery vetil flame an Abrams mine plow lank as the ord Brigade advances not towards Baghdad. The Std Brigade would crentaly mate ts way To the northwest ofthe call 1. prvent ronorcoments rm reaching Baghdad. Other Iraq forces already inthe area vigorous countoratacld he Sr Brigade resting ince Aging just northwest of Baghdad. Busact) Infantry push in a door while looking for the enemy in Hindiya. The Srd 1D wantod to use the Karbala Gap as a route to Baghdad, but the Iraqis were ‘also aware of its natural atractveness as an avenue, sot was suspected of being a i box. The 3rd 1D along with tho 1043 and 2nd Airbome,theratore conducted a series of simultaneous attacks oriented toward the east of Karbala, including Hindiya, which was designed to force the Iraqis 10 reposition their artilery. Ait assets were then able to target the moving ‘enemy units and take them out ofthe fight. As a result, withthe Srd Brigade fn the lead, the 3rd 1D attacked successtully through the Karbala Gap ‘meeting ighter resistance. cea ‘An M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle (FAASV) rumbles ‘Scouts halt to confer with each other. The HMMWV on the right has down a canal road. I is designed to keep pace with and supply the M109 mounted a high powered scope on iis .50-cal MG. Both vehicles cary their ‘howitzers. Its capable of carrying a 12,000 lb payload. A 50-cal machine ir identification panels on the back side of the vehicle, as opposed fo the {un is normaly part ofthe vehicle's defense, rooftop, 50 as not to compromise any potential camouflage advantages, ne ms nae ‘A towed 2U-23 AA gun captured during the march north. These guns were quite versatile as they could be used against iow fying aircraft as well SSolaers from divisional artery wach as MLAS missiles head toward as ground targets. Asa result they wore normally a high priony target forthe their targets. (Quinlan) US aircraft n support of ground operations. ee ae E The American soldier on the right uses a case of locally manufactured : s = water botties as a seat while he interrogates an EPW (Enemy Prisoner of This enemy soldier was klled along with others when they ted to use War). Many tragis merely shed their uniforms and changed info civilan an ambulance as transport to move around the bate. It was a common clothes and began walking home from the battlefield. This created problems practice of Iraqi forces to make use of vehicles such as ambulances, and for the US forces as it was feared many of these men were actually buildings such as schools and hospitals, £0 that coalition forces would attempting to melt through US lines to regroup elsewhere inthe rear retrain from attacking ther, ‘An engineer unit bypasses the destroyed Iraqi ambulance used to ferry ‘enemy troops. The tactics used by the enemy resuitedin numerous mistakes by the US forces when innocent civilian vehicles approached US troops, ‘causing innocent civilian casualties. 1 was common for the 7-72 tanks employed by the Iraqis to suffer catastrophic explosions after a penetration, since the ammunition was not Stored separately from the rest ofthe fighting compartment. I was common for burned out tanks to sink tothe ground as @ result of the suspension being completely consumed by the intense fres. {As the Grd ID attacked out of Karbala towards Objective Peach (the ‘designated crossing point of the Euphrates) an enemy ambush was ‘discovered along a road. This photo shows dismounted US infantry securing ‘An MY064A3 mortar carter fires in support of attacks near Objective the EPWis, who were hiding in the bushes along the road, An infantryman Peach. The MIO64AS is a converted Mi 13 witha reinforced oor to take the ith an M203 grenade launcher is seen closest fo the camera, He also has Impact of fing the 120mm mortar, which is designed to fre tough the ‘a specially designed vest which carries the grenades forthe launcher. large hatch atthe rar ofthe vehicle ‘An Avenger sits in the foreground as MLAS missiles are fired at enemy targets around Baghdad. (Quinlan) ‘Sd 1D vehicles press across the bridge at Objective Peach, southwest (of Baghdad on 2 Apri. Although many enemy positions were well placed, ‘most were abandoned as the division approached Objective Peach. The pontoon bridge built at Objective Peach. The division had realized the damaged main bridge would become @ bottleneck, 80 the pontoon bridge was erected. This helped the Srd ID attack towards Baghded International Aiport sooner. 31d ID crosses the damaged bridge at Objective Peach. The Iraqis attempted to blow the bridge, but were unsuccessful. The Grd ID knew the bridge would be wired for demolition and so arilery fire was called on the likely locations of iraqi engineers. The engineers of A/11 EN BN identiied \wites on the bridge and conducted a river assault in inflatable boats. Before they could lear tho bridge the iragis fired their explosives. One span was damaged, but a second span remained passable ‘A good profile view of Red 2. The colored bands around the bore ‘evacuator inceate the platoon and vehicle number, in this case 1st Platoon, 2nd Vehicle. Red stood forthe {st Platoon, white for th 2nd, and tue forthe ‘Srd, The number of bands stood for the vehicle number. There were four lanks 10 a platoon. Number one was the platoon leader, two was his wingman (as in this photo), three was the wingman fr number fou, and four was the platoon sergeant. ‘An HO unit pauses as the noose around Baghdad tightens. The “\" behind the number "02" on the lead HMMWVY indicates these are divisional ‘asset vehicles. The second M577 has @ folded QUEAMS antenna. When Unfolded this antenna pivots upwards and telescopes to a height of 30 feet. In this photo there appears 10 be a storage rack on the rot ofthe vehicle. ‘A moment later @ Bradtey from biue platoon goes by the same spot. This vehicle was nicknamed “CRACKSHOT”. The °3" indicates this ‘Mon2 isa Chane Company vehicle. ‘A side view of an Abrams nearing Baghdad. In this case the crew has Se placed sabot protective cones over both machine gun barrels. It does not tuncher Is manned while the rest ofthe men ofthis ‘appear the bustle rack APU (Aurllary Power Unit's on board. Many MIA1S HMMWV dismount fo allack enemy strongpoinis. Two Javelin anitank did not have the APU in OIF: ‘weapons are carried on the back roo! ofthe HMMWV. They appear to sil be in ther storage containers. Strapped tothe rear of the gunner's hatch is an ‘AF antiank recoless rifle. Infantrymen stay on the alert as they search an area that was recently ‘rd ID pushes past Objective Peach after crossing the Euphrates. This ‘ocupied by enemy troops. At this point in the war many of the men were out M113 does not have an ACAV kit attached. Since there are no external fue! oftheir MOPP sults as the division had crossed the "Fed Line," which was tanks attached, his vehicle can be identiied as an M1 12A2. A3s are to be the point many felt chemical weapons would be used as a las lich effort, distinguished by ther external fuel tanks on the rear ofthe bull ‘An Abrams from the 1st Brigade guards an intersection at Baghlad International Alport after it was taken on 4 April A shipping label is sll evident on the tront ofthe side ski. This was rather common for many Abrams throughout the 3rd 1D. (Busack) a ae ode it BLUE has had to cocone offs ternal shoud replaced. Ths vehoe has amed #8 smoke genase taunchor Tis eh platoon leaders whan f Ohare Company, Sr Pg Beseod) Exhaustion shows on the face of the 1-64 Alpha Co commander, Captain Himes. He s taking a break with fellow tankers of Alpha Co. A tis ‘A Republican Guard 7-72 lies destroyed on the side of the road. Its alt most tankers were only wearing ther Nomex suis with ether the small ely this vehicle was destroyed atleast a day betore as the fre has long ‘anker's lak vest overtop, or IBA overtop. Nomex tanker sults are very similar dled out. Many Iraqi tanks were destroyed by air assets as the Iragis tried 10 tothe Nomex tight suits worn by airrows. reposition ther forces in response to unexpected Sra ID moves. Many agi vehicles were well camouflaged and were dificult for aircraft to identity. However, the thermal sights on US venicies had ito protien Iding the Iraqi tanks. This 7-72 was simply abandoned when its unit was surprised by the fast moving Sd ID. i ETE ‘An abandoned antiaircraft pasion on the road to Objective Saints. The ‘un 1s a Soviet made 2U-23-2 which were a real danger to coalion helicopters and A10 airrat, and thus were prionty targets. They could also ‘be used effectively agains! ground targets Looking down the sights of a 50-cal at a burning 7:72 of the Medina Division. Athough the regular raqi Army units were tended to be bypassed {in southern iraq, there was no intanion of bypassing Republican Guard and ‘Special Republican Guard units. De to their loyalty to Saddam, they needed 1 be destroyed. A convoy of vehicies wari passes by a burning Iraq) vehicle. In the foreground is an MT13 APC. On 4 Apri the 2nd Brigade was tasked with attacking southward 10 roll up the Medina Division, which was sill oriented towards the south, ‘and thus would not be in a position to meet. the 2nd Brigades stack. The Medina camouflaged its vehicles faity well, but they had to be dispersed 10 avoid air attacks. This added tothe effectiveness (of the 2nd Brigade’ attack and practically every Iraqi tank crew ‘abandoned their tanks as the 2nd Brigade attacked them trom behind. Here, a 72 of the Medina Division was not even propery oriented foward the street as it attempted to avoid air detection by hasty hiding between bulaings. Amazingly, others have crtcized the Srd ID saying they should not have destroyed these vehicles since their destruction ‘endangered civilians. itis beyond comprehension that any army would leave intact fighting vehicles in ts rear, ready’ for enemy personnel to remount them. The fighting in southern Iraq clearly showed what unmolested uns in the rear could do. The 2nd Brigade attacked down Highways 8 and 1 from the north. Here armor searches ‘argets as it attacks the. Modi Drision from behind, while smoke bilows near the side ofthe road. as the 2nd Brigade attacks through ths raqi unit. This view shows the rear of the Iraqi 7-72 tank. The Medina Division had every intention of pulling up a fight before it was outmaneuvered by the 3rd ID. “Another Medina Division tank parked between buildings bur A view trom the TC's hatch on an MIA. Inthe right foreground is @ GPS device. Most TCs kept them handy by attaching thom to the -50-cal mount. When tanks of 1-64 ontered Mahmualya they surprised and

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