Desert Storm - The Ground War, Day 1 - Crush the Saddam Line - Animated

[Music] late on the 23rd of february 1991 ten special forces reconnaissance teams of the us third and fifth special forces groups cross the border into iraq by helicopter they are to join green beret delta force and british sas operatives already in iraq in just a few hours time the ground invasion to liberate kuwait will begin and these invisible eyes in the desert will report on iraqi division movements operation desert storm has been ongoing for five weeks a 35 nation strong coalition formed as a response to the iraqi invasion of kuwait has been engaged in a massive bombing campaign against saddam hussein's iraq with an average of 2500 bombing sorties per day the commanding control structures and logistics lines to saddam's army in the east have been severely degraded more recently the bombing has shifted towards iraqi troops themselves aiming to soften them up and weaken their resolve to fight such a superior enemy coalition navy ships have also blasted iraqi positions near the kuwaiti coast with naval gunfire president george h.w bush issues a final ultimatum to saddam hussein leave kuwait by 8 pm on the 23rd of february or face a ground invasion like the ultimatum preceding the air campaign this is no bluff and g-day the beginning of the ground invasion is scheduled to begin at 4 am on the 24th general norman schwarzkopf commander commander-in-chief of coalition forces arrives at central command in riyadh coalition forces are split into five calls along the front line on the west flank 18 airborne corps made up of four divisions the french dagger a light armored division of tanks recon and armoured infantry including two regiments of the prestigious and recently battled experienced french foreign legion the infamous us 82nd and 101st airborne divisions the 82nd will support the french dagger as motorized infantry the 16 000 paratroopers of the 101st will ride into battle with 350 helicopters the 24th infantry division and third armored cavalry regiment bringing a combined 333 bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 333 abram's main battle tanks the two formations bring an armored capability to 18 core seven core in the center are the heavy armored fists of the coalition the us first and third armored divisions and the british first armored division are the centerpiece of the battering ram using abrams and challenger tanks supplementing the three armored divisions are the us first cavalry and first infantry divisions and the second armored cavalry regiment with further abrams and bradley's helicopter engineering and artillery support first infantry known as the big red one were the first waves to attack omaha beach on d-day in 1944. seven-core will roll across the border with 1487 main battle tanks 1 384 infantry fighting vehicles 242 attack helicopters and 146 000 troops [Music] east of sevencore on the border with kuwait is joint forces command north made up of divisions of egyptian saudi kuwaiti and syrian armor marine central command comprises the u.s first and second marine divisions armed with the older m-60 tanks and a brigade from the second armored division the east flank is another joint command of mechanized arab forces from saudi arabia oman the uae kuwait bahrain morocco and senegal with the iraqi air force neutralized overwhelming air power can be brought to bear with many hundreds of coalition strike and close air support aircraft ready to react at a moment's notice coalition ground forces number nearly seven hundred thousand the iraqi military can't boast such firepower of the approximately 350 000 iraqi troops in the region it is estimated that 140 000 have already deserted with another 26 000 killed in the ferocious and unhindered bombing leading up to g-day the 700 000 coalition troops with modern tanks and air power will face roughly 180 000 iraqis armed with tanks that mostly date from pre-1980 and with no air power even the most modern t-72 tanks have an effective range of just over half that of the abrams and challenger tanks they'll be matched against has positioned his weakest divisions on the border his elite republican guard divisions are positioned further north with the tawakawna division the nearest on the iraq kuwait border if they're to liberate kuwait coalition armour will have to face the republican guard in the desert the coalition war plan is as follows at 4 am on the 24th of february g-day the left and right flanks will advance into enemy territory on the right flank marine central command and joint forces command east will carefully carve entry paths through the dense minefields on the kuwaiti border and engage the enemy beyond on the left the mobile 18 core or blitz north the 101st airborne will perform a massive helicopter assault to capture an area 155 miles behind enemy lines named objective cobra hold it and build a forward operating base potentially under fire meanwhile the rest of 18 call will advance north by land the french and 82nd airborne will capture objective roshambo another supply route near ass salman and then as salman crossroads and airfield so that ground supply trucks can reach the 101st further north on g plus one the armored fist of seven call will advance across the saddam line and move north on g plus two on reaching al bassiah seven call will wheel right into kuwait where they'll face the republican guard on mass the arab forces on the right flank will have the honor of liberating kuwait city [Music] at 5 30 a.m on the 24th of february the us marines on the right flank advance across the border they're immediately met with iraqi artillery fire because they don't have any forward observers or helicopter support the shells are being fired wildly at the american line and no hits are scored to cover their advance marine artillery returns fire with 140 artillery pieces and nine multiple launch rocket artillery systems pairs of marine jets bomb their enemy positions every seven and a half minutes a deadly display of superior firepower pounds the iraqi positions and they very soon crumble for no u.s loss in just 30 minutes the marines cover the 12 miles to the edge of the first minefield in kuwait 500 engineers will clear six individual tank width lanes across the minefield three m60 tanks fitted with specialist mine clearing equipment known as combat engineer vehicles and a mark 154 mine clearance launcher moved to the head of each prospective lane the mark 154 launches three cables laced with explosive 35 yards into the minefield the explosive cables are then detonated thereby detonating any mines beneath to carve a line through the field after each detonation the three combat engineer vehicles use plows and rakes to clear and smooth the route within 45 minutes the first lane will open expecting an iraqi counter-attack within hours none materializes and marines and tanks start to stream through the lanes as they open meanwhile on the left flank 18 core have no minefield to contend with and advance into iraq the french nage are the first to cross with a brigade from 82nd airborne they encounter only sporadic enemy artillery fire from scattered elements of the iraqi 45th infantry division who are dispersed thinly over a wide area to defend the western flank coalition artillery returns fire the american paratroopers transmit a message to their french colleagues side by side french and american soldiers will write a page in history they roll north slowly and carefully to minimise casualties to their east the first wave of 106 helicopters of the 101st airborne known as the screaming eagles sweep over the border just 10 feet from the ground they follow a trail of radio beacons dropped by a pair of apaches and blackhawks during the night the two apaches wait for them at the objective area and engage iraqi anti-air forces nearby lieutenant colonel richard cody is commanding the pair the same pilot who commanded the flight of apaches that attacked the radar sites on day one of the air war he was also one of the first to cross the border during the ground invasion before cautiously moving forward the area in front of the french advance is blasted by artillery and airstrikes kiowas and french gazelles attack enemy vehicles ahead of the front line and also guide in a10 strikes this vietnam-like tactic is repeated with each advance and so progress is not the blitz-like speed that schwarzkopf was hoping for a nasty sandstorm and rain slows progress further almost immediately after engagement encountered iraqi forces begin to surrender these are saddam's weakest divisions they're malnourished and not interested in fighting processing 2 000 surrendered troops slows progress even further the french and american force continues to crawl forward the first of the screaming eagles disembark from their helicopters a mile south of objective cobra at 8 am they roll 105 millimeter howitzers out the back of the chinooks and immediately start lobbing artillery shells at the defenders f-16s and a-10s arrive overhead to help the apaches hammer enemy bunkers tanks and vehicles under relentless aerial bombardment 300 iraqis surrender just one hour after the first boots landed wave after wave of helicopters stream into objective cobra over the next few hours bringing more troops artillery humvees armed with wire-guided anti-tank weapons enormous underslung rubber sacks containing a total of 1 million gallons of fuel food water and ammunition the humvee set up a defensive perimeter while the base is constructed to the south the french and 82nd arrive at the area of land known as objective roshambo at midday having met almost no opposition but sporadic artillery and mortar fire on route french helicopters move in from the west and destroy 12 bunkers one tank five armored personnel carriers and eight trucks another pounding by artillery precedes the armored assaults on the objective provoking another mass surrender by the defending iraqi troops without engagement the time is 2 30 pm and the french and americans have moved into iraq and taken their first objective overwhelming all opposition immediately accepting three and a half thousand surrenders and losing only two soldiers schwarzkopf is unhappy that this walkover wasn't performed fast enough and demands that the advance on ass salman is sped up [Music] it's a similar situation on the right flank m60 tanks and marines are now through the first and second layer of minefields artillery continues to batter enemy positions including aircraft directed counter-fire against enemy artillery pieces a captured iraqi colonel describes the dispositions of his remaining forces the minefield itself claims nine tanks but no marines killed on the left flank a convoy of marine vehicles is attacked from behind by m60 tanks in a friendly fire incident with 55 rounds fired two trucks and an assault vehicle are destroyed killing one marine a strange case of luck that the tank gunnery was so poor in this case to the east of the marines the arab forces of joint forces command east are also through both minefields and have also met little opposition and mass surrenders the iraqi forces in this area are of similarly poor quality to those facing 18 core made up mostly of enforced conscripts who don't want to be there especially given that they've been thrown into such a hopeless situation against such a superior enemy the ease and speed of the marines advance presents a problem for schwarzkopf even before midday on g-day he estimates that his right flank is eight hours ahead of schedule the egyptians of joint forces command north on the marines left and the armor of seven core further west are not scheduled to cross the border until the next day g plus one however the speed and depth of the marine's advance has left their left flank vulnerable to attack or worse in development by iraqi armored divisions just west of them schwarzkopf makes the bold decision to move the central assault forward to today at 3 pm just 2 hours away and 15 hours ahead of schedule british 1st armored division rush is to join the rest of sevencore on the front line from their staging area 60 miles behind the line the last minute time change carries logistical risks but the enemy is weaker than anticipated and the advantage needs pressing scout helicopters begin to move into enemy territory to spot iraqi units across the front line from seven core two brigades of the iraqi 26th infantry division have set up defensive positions in the shape of a triangle looking down a slope towards the line with mortars and toad artillery to the rear similarly entrenched the 31st 46th and 48th infantry divisions lie in weight north east of them they occupy a system of defensive fortifications trenches bunkers minefields and barbed wire known as the saddam line at 2 30 pm 30 minutes before the breach is to begin the most ferocious artillery barrage in recent history is unleashed against iraqi positions 13 artillery battalions fire 11 000 rounds multiple launch rocket systems also opened fire launching rockets that travel to and dispense 650 bomblets over the target area 10 batteries devastate the iraqi lines with 650 000 bomblets [Music] the bombardment lasts until 3pm and 7 core crosses the line into enemy territory the 334 abrams and 224 bradleys of the 1st infantry division are the first to engage firing fearsome volleys of rounds into the iraqi trenches and bunker positions for the first time the defenders don't surrender and return fire with tanks artillery anti-tank guns small arms and rpgs albeit disorganized and inaccurate second armored cavalry lead the left flanks advance and meet similar resistance deeper in iraq under fire combat engineers hastily clear lanes across the thin minefield and vehicles of the first inventory move across on reaching the iraqi trenches the bradley infantry fighting vehicles don't dismount their infantry to clear them instead armored bulldozers turn left and right and move up the edge of the trenches using plows to push the piled up sand and dirt back into the trenches filling them in this tactic is controversial because 150 iraqis who don't surrender are buried alive by sunset the first infantry had broken through the saddam line in multiple places capturing 550 troops for only two casualties with safe lanes marked through the line the armored divisions begin to move up to the front ready to begin their mighty punch into iraq and kuwait [Music] while schwarzkopf is happy with the almost unbelievable lack of casualties sustained on day one he is unhappy with the slow speed with which the french have advanced in the west and seven caught in the center the rain and sandstorms have certainly slowed progress but the common theme across the whole front is that the weak and unmotivated conscript divisions on the front line are surrendering in such high numbers that it is taking time to process them but the invasion as a whole is still hours ahead of schedule and most importantly many of the coalition's armor divisions will be across all crossing the minefields and the saddam line during the morning of day two the ground war of desert storm has got off to a near perfect start but in day two the coalition will face motivated and armoured iraqi opposition including the respected republican guard you

Channel: The Operations Room

Views: 1,567,467

Rating: 4.8971739 out of 5

Keywords: Time-Lapse, History, Documentary, aircraft, time lapse, animated, war, desert storm, operation desert storm, gulf war, iraq, kuwait, usaf, us air force, us navy, saddam hussein, abrams, abrams tank, challenger tank, us army, us marines, artillery, howitzer, a10 warthog, a10 thunderbolt, a10

Id: RSqKx3FG0Lw

Length: 17min 48sec (1068 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 17 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/SapperBomb]

Well now I need to see day 2

[u/quatarian]

This really well done. Can’t wait to see more.

[u/theryman]

This is amazing

[u/Incruentus]

I like how at 4:35 he mentions the ill-equipped Iraqi army only has tanks from pre-1980.

... but glossed over the fact that the M60 the Marine Corps would use was from 1959.

[u/dickem52]

I greatly enjoyed this. Definitely super well done.