BATTLEDIELD SERIES pt. 5 "Here could be seen, with almost flawless precision, the lethality of modern American weapons; with its brutal ballet of armor, artillery, and air power; and, not least, the élan of the American soldier, who fought with a competence worthy of his forefathers on more celebrated battlefields in more celebrated wars."
.
On Feb 26, 1991, during the Gulf War, a U.S. force of the 2nd ACR comprised of over a dozen M3 Bradley armoured vehicles and nine M1A1 Abrams battle tank would duke it out with over 85 Iraqi tanks (which included Russian-built T-55s and T-72s). The battle would come to be known as the Battle of 73 Easting.
Fought in the featureless desert, the U.S. had a number of technological advantages over the Republican Guard, including superior main battles tanks and GPS, which allowed for the pre-planning of movement (as opposed to blind encounters). The M1A1s had a "kill range" of 8,200 feet while the Iraqi tanks featured a kill range of 6,560 ft. Since the battle was being fought at night, in the middle of a sand storm, thermal technology also helped.
.
In a matter of a few hours, approximately 600 Iraqis were killed or wounded during the operation, 1,300 prisoners taken, compared to only 6 American losses and 19 injured. In the end, 160 Iraqi tanks and vehicles were destroyed to just one American Bradley.
.
The world's fourth largest army had been defeated in less than 96 hours.
.
The ensuing Gulf War battle resulted in a complete catastrophe for the Iraqi forces and it's considered "the last great tank battle of the 20th century." #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #bfseries #desertstorm #tanks