It was named for a utm northsouth coordinate line an easting, measured in kilometers and readable on gps receivers in the. Macgregor puts you at 73 easting and lets the reader experience lethal combat in the desert. The battle of 73 easting a northsouth grid line on the map was one of many fights in desert storm. Taken by surprise, the defending iraqi armor brigade was swept away in. Vince crawley the morning after the battle of 73 easting, soldiers of g troop and a mascot mingle beside a cross erected for a memorial service for sgt.
Two brigades of the republican guard were destroyed, and it was the guards first ground defeat. Immortalized in mike guardias book the fires of babylon. This book focuses on the exploits of eagle troop in the 2nd armored cavalry regiment in the battle of 73 easting in the 100hour ground war at the end of operation desert storm. The battle of 73 easting is a feat of american arms unparallelled in modern warfare. Eagle troop and the battle of 73 easting and the documentary the last great tank battle of the 20th century, the battle of 73 easting was fought on feb. The battle of 73 easting was fought on 26 february 1991, during the persian gulf war, between the armoured forces of the united states as well as the 1st armoured division of the united kingdom and those of the iraqi republican guard and its tawakalna division. Army 10 lessons from the battle of 73 easting the division will succeed only as the. Was this due to severe discrepancy in technology ir sightsnight visiondepleted uranium rounds, training of troops use of hull down tactics or strategicoperational planning.
My explanation of this outcome draws heavily on two new sources of information on the conduct of the war. The vii corps during the persian gulf war, scheduled for publication by the us army center of military history. Vilseck, germany of the battles that defined the gulf war, few encapsulate the sense of outright superiority the u. Macgregor was the squadron operations officer who essentially directed the battle of 73 easting during the gulf war. Was the 1991 gulf war battle of 73 easting as close to a. Professional papers and journal articles artillerymen in actionthe 2d acr at the battle of 73 easting. Mostly as a result of cold warera preparations for general war with the soviet union, american forces were the best trained in the world, superbly. Mcmaster found himself in iraq during the gulf war to intervene against theniraqi dictator saddam husseins incursion on kuwait. The iraqis hoped to delay vii cops long enough to allow their forces in kuwait to escape.
An iraqi t62 destroyed by 3rd armored division fire during the gulf war s battle of 73 easting in february 1991. The tank battle that came to define the early career of. Douglas macgregor, the man who trained and led cougar squadron into battle, recounts two stories. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Gulf war explains why the war came about, how it was fought, and why it turned out the way it did. During the battle of 73 easting, welltrained american and british troops with m1a1 and challenger 1 main battle tanks defeated iraqis with older t55s, t62s and t72s. What if russians fought in gulf war instead of iraqis. The first gulf war began on january 17, 1991, when coalition forces, led by. Mostly as a result of cold war era preparations for general war with the. The book sets the record straight on a number of popular misconceptions about the war.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. This paper is based on rsearch for bourques book jayhawk. Specifically the battle of 73 easting, but the 1st gulf war in general was a decisive defat of the iraqi military, with very little loss of personnel and material. Armour tactics at the battle of 73 easting, 26 february. It was named for a utm northsouth coordinate line an easting, measured in kilometers and readable on gps receivers in. The great tank battle of 73 easting ebook written by douglas macgregor.
I am reading about 73 easting and i believe there was times the us tanks units got bumrushed by iraqi infantry only to be driven back to bradleys and airstrikes. M1 abrams battle of 73 easting, gulf war 1991 video. Individual and unit experiences in the same battle often vary widely. The great tank battle of 73 easting and joins us here in studio 3a. Maps battle of 73 easting the gulf war frontline pbs. Known as the battle of 73 easting, after the northtosouth running map line it occurred on in iraq, the persian gulf war clash on feb.
Unless otherwise noted, primary documents and unit afteraction reports are located in the vii corps after action report located at the combined arms center historical archives, fort leavenworth, ks. First, the book dispells any notion that the gulf war was easy. Facing an iraqi republican guard opponent, macgregor led two troops or 19 tanks, 26 bradleys and 4 mortar tracks through the sandstorm to the 73 easting at roughly 16. The gulf war was, in many ways, a model of american military efficiency. Armys 2nd armored cavalry regiment against saddam husseins elite iraqi republican guard. Introduction two days into the coalition ground war in kuwait and iraq, phase iv of operation desert storm, the armour of third armys vii corps attacked iraqs republican guard and other armour brigades in a series of battles, fortyone hours in duration, that commenced with the battle at 73 easting. Of these, none was more important than the battle of 73 easting. Resources and information for marine corps university expeditionary warfare school ews students. So a quick explanation for those who dont know what. They are reproduced here with the permission of the publisher houghton mifflin. The vii corps during the persian gulf war, published by the us army center of military history in 2002. Features detailed and accurate accounts of every major ground action of the gulf war. Macgregor s cougars did it at 73 easting, but it all starts with the guts to accept criticism. Second, macgregor demonstrates the clear distinction between warriors and battlefield bureaucrats.
Til the last great tank battle of the 20th century took. Air force and modeled on the postworld war ii strategic bombing survey. There was a death, a commander of a bradley, and there was another bradley knocked out by friendly fire, but luckily no one died. The tactics that army units use to fight future battles will vary considerably from those employed in. Expertly written, informative, and thoughtful, this analysis will be insightful and interesting for all high school, undergraduate, and general readers. To make a book, rather than a pamphlet, the author gives biographical sketches of dozens of the men who participated in the battle, and it was good to read them, good to know these fine men. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The ability to adapt under fire is the key to winning. As a young captain, mcmaster commanded one of the most. Expeditionary warfare school ews resources and information for marine corps university expeditionary warfare school ews students.
One is the inspiring tale of the valiant american soldiers, sergeants, lieutenants, and captains who fought and won the battle. On 26 february 1991, cavalry troops of cougar squadron, the 2nd squadron of the 2nd armored cavalry regiment, charged out of a sandstorm during operation desert storm and caught iraqs republican guard corps in the open desert along the northsouth grid line of a military map referred to as the 73 easting. While the timeline of most wars is marked off in years, even decades, desert. The battle of 73 easting is case in point as brilliantly recounted in warriors rage by doug macgregorone of the young officers in the battle. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. The size and significance of land battles in the first gulf war were not widely appreciated until a decade later. A version of this paper was presented at the twelfth annual ohio valley history conference, 1719 october 1996. Eagle troop and the battle of 73 easting guardia, mike, fred franks foreword on. In one of the key resulting battles, the battle of 73 easting. What the gulf war tells us about the future of conflict. Twentyfive years ago, the battle of 73 easting pit just part of the u. The battle of 73 easting was the first salvo in the last major tank battle of the cold war, indeed, what turned out to be the largest tank battle since the battle of kursk in july 1943.
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