Battle of Medina Ridge

For the similarly-named 1813 battle, see Battle of Medina.
Battle of Medina Ridge
Part of the Persian Gulf War

M1 Abrams tanks moving in formation during the Persian Gulf War
DateFebruary 27, 1991
Location
Southwest of Basra, Iraq
30°10′27″N 46°56′6″E / 30.17417°N 46.93500°E / 30.17417; 46.93500
Result American victory
Belligerents
 United States Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Norman Schwarzkopf
Frederick Franks
Ron Griffith
Montgomery Meigs
Edward Dyer
Colonel Hatch
Colonel James Riley
Lt. Col. John Ward		 Ayad Futayyih Al-Rawi[1]
Units involved

1st Armored Division[2]
3rd Infantry Division[3]

  • 3rd Brigade CT

75th Artillery Brigade[1]
Battery B, 25th Field Artillery[4]
1st Aviation Regiment[4][5]

  • 2nd Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion

Medina Republican Guard Division

Iraq Adnan Motorised Division[6]
Tawakalna Republican Guard Division[7]
52nd Armored Division
17th Infantry Division[7]
10th Armored Division[8]12th Armored Division[9]
Casualties and losses
2 killed
33 wounded
4 tanks destroyed
2 IFVs destroyed
1 ambulance destroyed
1 HEMTT fueler destroyed
2 attack helicopters shot down
4 Humvees destroyed[10]
1 A-10 shot down[11][7]		 839 captured
186 tanks destroyed
127 IFVs destroyed
72 artillery pieces destroyed[12]
118 trucks destroyed
5 air defence systems destroyed[13]

The Battle of Medina Ridge was a tank battle fought on the 27 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between the U.S. 1st Armored Division and the 2nd Brigade of the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Luminous Division outside Basra, Iraq.[14] The U.S. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, was also a major contributor, by leading the attack.[3] Iraq's Adnan Motorized Division was also a participant.[6] Medina Ridge is the name American troops gave to a low rise, approximately seven miles (11 km) long.

The battle, which was waged over approximately two hours, was considered by some sources the largest tank battle of the war.[15] It took place 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.

  1. ^ a b Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War by Bourque P.351
  2. ^ a b Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War by Bourque, p.355
  3. ^ a b Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War by Bourque, p.27
  4. ^ a b Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War by Bourque P.352
  5. ^ Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War by Bourque P.353
  6. ^ a b Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War by Bourque P.350
  7. ^ a b c Desert Storm/Shield Valorous Unit Award Citations
  8. ^ Bourque p.349
  9. ^ Bourque p.349
  10. ^ Carhart, Tom (1994). Iron Soldiers: How America's 1st Armored Division Crushed Iraq's Elite Republican Guard. New York: Random House. p.323 ISBN 0671791656
  11. ^ The U.S. Army in the Gulf War, Robert H. Scales, p. 298, Potomac Books, Inc, 1998
  12. ^ Scales P.299
  13. ^ Carhart, Tom (1994). Iron Soldiers: How America's 1st Armored Division Crushed Iraq's Elite Republican Guard. New York: Random House. pp.119–204 ISBN 0671791656
  14. ^ Bourque, p.355
  15. ^ VUA Citation