Battle of Kuwait International Airport

Both the United States Marine Corps' 1st Marine Division and 2nd Marine Division participated in this battle. The 2nd Marine Division was assisted by the U.S. Army's 2nd Armored Division's Tiger Brigade which was spearheaded by the 3-41 Infantry's Straight and Stalwart Battalion Task Force, with Field Artillery support from 1-3 field artillery battalion. U.S. Army Special Forces also conducted operations during this battle primarily inside the Kuwait International Airport to clear the complex of enemy snipers and any other resistance that remained. Iraq was represented by 14 divisions and a field artillery brigade. Iraq also had multiple Commando units in this theatre of operations. ==1st Marine Division==

Task Force Ripper under Colonel Carlton W. Fulford Jr led the 1st Marine Division straight into Kuwait City. Smashing through enemy armor and enemy delaying actions. As the Marine 1st Division edged nearer to the city, commanders heard reports of two developing counterattacks by Iraqi forces. "We fired on the two gathering points and it wasn't 30 minutes before we scattered them like rabbits out of the bush," said Myatt, the division commander. "The Cobras (helicopter gunships) and the LAVs (light armored vehicles) had a field day" as a "hunter-killer package" to search out and destroy Iraqi equipment. The 1st Marine Division's Task Force Shepherd lost 14 killed in action during combat operations en route to Kuwait International Airport. Task Force Taro was also a participant in the 1st Marine Division's combat operations. Task Force Papa Bear, C and D Co, 1st Marine Division, who as the division reserve repelled a huge enemy counter-attack while defending the minefield breach. The 1st Marine Division also destroyed around 60 Iraqi tanks near the Burgan oil field without suffering any losses. An Iraqi counterattack was broken up by fire from 5 Marine artillery battalions. An assault by the 22nd Brigade of the Iraqi 5th Mechanized Division was broken at the point of attack by Marine Infantry. Company I of the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines hit the Iraqi 22nd Brigade with close range fire from their Dragon ATGMs and handheld antitank weapons. Company C, 1st Tank Battalion would destroy 18 Iraqi vehicles during this particular engagement. The 1st Marine Division lost 1 M60A1 tank clearing a path through a minefield. Three Marines were wounded in the process. As the 1st Marine Division continued its advance it destroyed an additional 29 Iraqi combat vehicles and captured 320 POWs. During these engagements the most effective Iraqi unit appeared to be the Iraqi 449th Artillery Brigade. Its accurate fire killed a Marine and wounded 12 others. Once the 1st Marine Division reached Kuwait International Airport they found what remained of the Iraqi 12th Armored Brigade, 3rd Armored Division defending it. The Marines also encountered T-62 tanks in dispersed and understrength platoon and company units. They were knocked out by BGM-71 TOWs at long range. By the end of the day the Iraqi 3rd Armored Division was totally destroyed. The Iraqi 3rd Armored Division losses included more than 250 T-55/62s and 70 T-72 tanks. ==2nd Marine Division==

The 2nd Marine Division entered from the other side of the city. Marine Reserve unit Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. On February 25, 1991, Day 2 of the Desert Storm ground war, Bravo Company 4th Tank Battalion was in a coil formation and awakened from a 25% watch to find 35 Iraqi Republican Guard tanks angling across their front, not realizing at the time that they were outnumbered 3–1. With their 13 M1A1 Abrams tanks, Bravo Company 4th Tank Battalion moved online to take out the 35 Iraqi Republican Guard tanks in less than 90 seconds. This battle was named the "Reveille Engagement" and went on to be the biggest and fastest tank battle in United States Marine Corps history. They were the only Marine unit equipped with M1A1 Abrams tanks. Bravo Company destroyed a total of 119 enemy vehicles and took over 800 POWs. The 2nd Marine Division lost 9 M60A1 tanks breaching the minefield. The Marine 3rd Tank Battalion destroyed an unknown number of Iraqi T-62 tanks around Al Jaber Airfield. Marine and Navy air power then inflicted heavy casualties on retreating Iraqi forces leading north out of Kuwait City. Marines from Marine Air Traffic Squadron 38 established Approach ATC services and maintained service until civilian ATC returned. The Marines lost 5 killed and 48 wounded in the three days of fighting, Marine officials said. Marine M60A1 tankers had tallied impressive totals against the Iraqi armored forces. The 1st Tank Battalion claimed 50 Iraqi T-55 and T-62 tanks and 25 APCs. The 3rd Battalion claimed 57 T-55s and T-62s (plus 5 T-72s), 7 APCs, and 10 trucks. The 8th Battalion destroyed more than three dozen tanks and a number of other vehicles. ==Additional combat operations==

On the third and final day of combat the 2nd Marine Division would liberate the city of Al Jahra then would go on to occupy the high ground on the Mutla Ridge cutting off the Iraqi escape route from Kuwait to Basra. M1A1 tanks would destroy the majority of the 166 Iraqi tanks that were claimed that day by the division. Iraqi General Ra'ad Hamdani commented on the armored engagement: "We had a problem of inflexibility of usage with the armored forces. We always favored tying the infantry to tank divisions." == References ==