Battle of Norfolk

Battle of Norfolk
Part of the Persian Gulf War

A dug-in Iraqi T-72 Asad Babil tank at the Battle of Norfolk, 26 February 1991
Date27–28 February 1991
(1 day)
Location
Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq
Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
 United States
 United Kingdom		  Ba'athist Iraq
Commanders and leaders
United States Norman Schwarzkopf
United States Frederick Franks
United States Thomas G. Rhame[1]
United Kingdom Rupert Smith[2]		 Iraq Salah Aboud Mahmoud
Iraq Brig-Gen. Saheb Mohammed Alaw
Iraq Gen. Ayad Futayih al-Rawi[3]
Iraq Brig-Gen. Bassil Omar Al-Shalham[4]
Units involved

United States VII Corps

Iraq Tawakalna Division
Iraq 10th Armored Division[8]
Iraq 12th Armored Division[9]
Iraq 17th Armored Division[10]
Iraq 52nd Armored Division[11]
Iraq 25th Infantry Division[12]
Iraq 26th Infantry Division[13]
Iraq 31st Infantry Division[14]
Iraq 48th Infantry Division[15]
Iraq 9th Armored Brigade[16]
Iraq 18th Mechanized Brigade[5]
Iraq 50th Armored Brigade[17]
Iraq 29th Armored Brigade[18]
Iraq 110th Infantry Brigade[19]
Iraq 11th Mechanized Brigade[20]
Iraq 80th Armored Brigade[21]
Casualties and losses

American Sector:
21 killed[22]
67 wounded[22]
5 tanks destroyed[23][24]
4[24]– 5 IFVs destroyed[25]

Objective Dorset:
15 killed[22]
27 wounded[22]
3 tanks damaged[26][27]

British Sector:
15 killed[28]
43 wounded[28]
2 IFVs destroyed[29]

American Sector:
Heavy casualties
11,500 captured[30]
550 tanks destroyed[31]
480 armoured vehicles destroyed[31]
396 artillery pieces destroyed[32]

Objective Dorset:
Heavy casualties
2,500 captured[33]
300 tanks & IFVs destroyed[33]


British Sector
Heavy casualties
7,000+ captured[34]
300 tanks destroyed & captured
Heavy IFV losses[35][36]
Heavy artillery losses[37]

The Battle of Norfolk was a tank battle fought on February 27, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States and United Kingdom, and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Muthanna Province of southern Iraq. The primary participants were the U.S. 2nd Armored Division (Forward), 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), and the Iraqi 18th Mechanized and 9th Armoured Brigades of the Republican Guard Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division along with elements from eleven other Iraqi divisions.[38] The 2nd Armored Division (Forward) was assigned to the American 1st Infantry Division as its 3rd maneuver brigade due to the fact that one of its brigades was not deployed.[39] The 2nd Armored Division (Forward)'s Task Force 1-41 Infantry would be the spearhead of VII Corps.[33] The British 1st Armoured division was responsible for protecting the right flank of VII Corps, their main adversary being the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division and multiple infantry divisions. It was the final battle of the war before the unilateral ceasefire took effect.

The Battle of Norfolk has been recognized as the second largest tank battle in American history and the largest tank battle of the 1st Gulf War.[40][41][42][43][44] No fewer than 13 divisions participated in the Battle of Norfolk along with multiple heavy armored brigades and elements of a regiment.[38][36][45][46][47][48] American and British forces destroyed approximately 850 Iraqi tanks and hundreds of other types of combat vehicles.[31][35][36][33] Two additional Republican Guard divisions were destroyed at Objective Dorset by the U.S. 3rd Armored Division on 28 February 1991.[49][33] During this battle the U.S. 3rd Armored Division destroyed an additional 300 enemy vehicles and captured 2,500 Iraqi soldiers.[33]

  1. ^ Bourque, p.14
  2. ^ Bourque, p.43
  3. ^ Bourque P.247
  4. ^ Bourque, p.164
  5. ^ a b Bourque, p.333
  6. ^ Bourque P.252
  7. ^ Bourque pp.331,335
  8. ^ Bourque p.370
  9. ^ Bourque p.370
  10. ^ Bourque p.370
  11. ^ Bourque p.265
  12. ^ Bourque p.377
  13. ^ Bourque p.265
  14. ^ Bourque p.377
  15. ^ Bourque pp.134,144,377
  16. ^ Bourque P.337
  17. ^ Bourque p.248
  18. ^ Bourque p.337
  19. ^ Bourque p.251
  20. ^ Bourque p.265
  21. ^ Bourque p.265
  22. ^ a b c d Bourque P.471
  23. ^ Rostker Tab H
  24. ^ a b Guardia p.71
  25. ^ Bourque, p.336
  26. ^ Scales, Brig. Gen. Robert H.: Certain Victory. Brassey's, 1994, p. 279.
  27. ^ official account
  28. ^ a b Bourque, p.471
  29. ^ Bourque P.289
  30. ^ Westwell P.88
  31. ^ a b c Westwell, p. 88
  32. ^ Bourque P.161
  33. ^ a b c d e f VUA Citation
  34. ^ Bourque P.319
  35. ^ a b Bourque, p.275
  36. ^ a b c Bourque, p.377
  37. ^ Halberstadt P.117, 121
  38. ^ a b Bourque, p.144
  39. ^ Dinackus P.4–10
  40. ^ "These were the 6 most massive tank battles in US history". 16 April 2021.
  41. ^ "The Military Masterpiece Behind the Largest Tank Battle of the First Gulf War - Battle of Norfolk". 10 August 2022.
  42. ^ https://247wallst.com/special-report/2023/09/02/the-15-largest-tank-battles-of-all-time/ [bare URL]
  43. ^ "8 Largest Tank Battles in History". 15 December 2022.
  44. ^ "The untold story of the world's fiercest tank battle". National Geographic Society.
  45. ^ Bourque P.333, P.337
  46. ^ Bourque, p.260
  47. ^ Bourque p.370
  48. ^ Bourque pp.265, 248, 251
  49. ^ Conduct of the Persian Gulf War: final report to Congress p.339