02/25/2021
Thirty years ago today, the Desert Storm ground invasion began lasting from February 24th-28th.
The largest coalition since WWII including 38 nations from around the world fielded an army of over 900,000 troops led by 700,000 U.S forces. Together they took on the 4th largest army in the world in what would become known to as the “100 hour war.”
Air superiority was established by the allies in the early stages of the war in large part due to the advantage of advanced technology including stealth aircraft and satellite surveillance. There were very few air to air encounters during the war. For the most part the Iraqi Air Force went into hiding. However, the Iraqis put in place a complex air defense system including mobile surface to air launchers and anti aircraft guns which lit up the night sky. Over 100,000 combat sorties were flown in support of the ground war. 75 allied aircraft were shot down during the campaign.
Naval forces provided air support combined with cruise missiles and it was the last time that WWII era battleships fired their 16” guns. Additionally, naval forces conducted a tactical deception to convince the Iraqis that the allies would lead their attack with an amphibious assault.
Coalition forces were aware that the Iraqis had used chemical weapons in past and that if they used them during the ground invasion that the losses would be staggering.
Generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell implemented a 2 step battle plan which included a frontal assault combined with an airborne “left hook” that would cut off the Iraqi retreat.
Iraqi forces ignited hundreds of oil wells creating a smoke screen cutting down visibility in some cases to 0. Following a rocket and artillery barrage, the allies cut through the mine fields surrounding Kuwait and then began immediately engaging in some of the largest tank battles in U.S history. Iraqi forces were no match for American made tanks that could out range, shoot on the move, and engage accurately at night against the aging Soviet made armored forces. 147 coalition forces were killed in combat and approximately 60 tanks and armored personnel carriers were disabled or destroyed. Iraq losses are varied with some estimates reporting upwards of 50,000 troops KIA, along with over 3,000 tanks and 2,000 APCs destroyed.
Refusing to formally surrender, Iraqi troops and vehicles along with hundreds of stolen Kuwaiti vehicles began heading north and were targeted by allied forces in what would become known as the “highway of death.”
Eventually, a formal cease fire was reached establishing the Iraqi no fly zone. Desert Storm wouldn’t officially come to an end until many years later.
A total of 338 Americans gave their lives during Desert Shield/Storm. Many more have been lost to Gulf War related illnesses and others have suffered or have been lost to the hidden wounds of war.
Our Desert Storm Veterans should take pride in knowing that they delivered one of the most decisive victories in U.S Military history and thanks to their sacrifice, Kuwait has remained a free society for the past 30 years.
The Desert Storm Welcome Home ticker tape parade on the Canyon of Heroes was one of the largest parades in NYC history with over 5 million viewers.
