Battle of Khorramshahr (1980)

First Battle of Khorramshahr
Part of the Iraqi invasion of Iran

Iranian soldiers defending Khorramshahr from invading Iraqi troops, 1980
Date22 September 1980 – 10 November 1980
(1 month, 2 weeks and 5 days)
Location
Khorramshahr, Khuzestan, Iran
30°26′02″N 48°10′41″E / 30.434°N 48.178°E / 30.434; 48.178
Result Iraqi victory
Territorial
changes		 Iraq captures Khorramshahr and occupies it until 1982
Belligerents
 Iran Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Units involved
See: § Order of battle See: § Order of battle
Strength
3,000–5,000 (initial)[1][2][3]
300 (near end)		 12,000–20,000[3]
Casualties and losses
7,000 killed and/or wounded overall (including civilians)[4]
  • 1,500 killed in combat[5]
80 Chieftain tanks destroyed[6]		 2,000 killed[5]
6,000 wounded[5]
200 armoured vehicles destroyed
Khorramshahr is located in Iran
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr
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Location of Khorramshahr within Iran

The First Battle of Khorramshahr was a major battle in the Iran–Iraq War, beginning shortly after the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. Amidst the gruelling urban warfare in and around the city, Khorramshahr came to be referred to by the Iranians as Khuninshahr (Persian: خونین شهر, lit. 'City of Blood'), as both sides had suffered heavy casualties in combat. It was the single largest urban battle of the Iran–Iraq war.[7]

Though Iraq ultimately captured the city, it had come at a high cost; the offensive into Khorramshahr, which took 34 days, drew an immense investment of troops, far beyond what Iraqi war plans had envisaged. The incredible delay allowed Iran to stabilize the frontlines at Dezful, Ahvaz, and Susangerd, consequently enabling the relatively swift mobilization of Iranian reinforcements into oil-rich Khuzestan, which Iraq had sought to annex. At the time of the Iraqi offensive, Khorramshahr was mainly being defended by the heavily outnumbered Takavaran, some units of the 92nd Armoured Division, the Pasdaran, and local civilian militias.

After two years under Iraqi occupation, the city was recaptured by Iran in the Second Battle of Khorramshahr, as part of Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas.[8] Iraq's loss of Khorramshahr coincided with a larger Iranian offensive that would mark a turning point in the conflict, as Iran regained nearly all Iraqi-occupied territory and subsequently decided to continue the war with a counterinvasion.

  1. ^ McLaurin, R. D. (July 1982). "Military Operations in the Gulf War: The Battle of Khorramshahr" (PDF). U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory: 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 25 August 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ "Reed Magazine: (3/7)". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  3. ^ a b Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 131. ISBN 978-0674915718.
  4. ^ Karsh, Efraim (2002). The Iran–Iraq War, 1980–1988. Essential Histories. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 1-84176-371-3.
  5. ^ a b c Razoux, p. 133.
  6. ^ Malovany, Pesach (21 July 2017). Wars of Modern Babylon: A History of the Iraqi Army from 1921 to 2003. ISBN 9780813169453.
  7. ^ McLaurin, R.D. (1982). "Military Operations in the Gulf War: The Battle of Khorramshahr". apps.dtic.mil. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  8. ^ "Liberation of Khorramshahr manifested Iranian combat prowess". Mehr News Agency. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-13.