The following is from the AAR:
[35th Signal Brigade SITREP, 2 Mar 91]
0130 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery, arrives in area of operations of 196th Field Artillery Brigade (VII Corps Artillery). [MFR, 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery, subj.: 1-201 FA After Action Report, OPERATION DESERT SHIELD/STORM, 9 July 1991]
0330 Military negotiations are postponed until 1100C on 3 March.
0700 1st Brigade, 82d Airborne Division, resumes clearing operations at Objective ORANGE. [82d Airborne
Division SITREP 207 (2 Mar 91)]
0720 1st Brigade, 24th Infantry Division, reports a force of 20 T-55 tanks and 23 T-72 tanks moving west at QU
1787. [XVIII Airborne Corps INTSUM 423; 24th Infantry Division SITREP, 2 Mar 91, says 1st Brigade reports brigade-sized element moving west and northwest on Highway 8 at 0730; brigade does not open fire but does try to get enemy to surrender or change direction]
0800 3d Battalion, 227th Aviation (12th Aviation Brigade) closes into Assembly Area SPRUCE. [Also see 12th
Aviation Brigade SITREP, 2 Mar 91]
0809 Company C, 2d Battalion, 7th Infantry (1st Brigade, 24th Infantry Division) comes under fire at QU
160892 from an Iraqi force moving west and engages it, resulting in the destruction of six T-72 and two T-55 tanks, two BDRMs, and four BMPs. [Also see XVIII Airborne Corps INTSUM 423; 24th Infantry Division SITREP, 2 Mar 91, does not give time but specifies that previously discovered Iraqi formation trail element opens fire on 1st Brigade with a SAGGER antitank missile and direct fires; the 1st Brigade then responds with fire and maneuver in effort to block Northern Causeway (QU 221000) and employs two attack helicopter companies]
0830 5th Squadron, 6th Cavalry (12th Aviation Brigade) closes into Assembly Area SPRUCE, completing the
movement of the main body of the 12th Aviation Brigade back from forward positions. [Also see 12th Aviation Brigade SITREP, 2 Mar 91]
0900 As of this time the 525th Military Intelligence Brigade has screened 4,192 enemy prisoners of war at the
Corps Interrogation Facility. [525th Military Intelligence Brigade SITREP 151 (2 Mar 91)]
0930 Air cavalry elements from the 24th Infantry Division engage Iraqi elements in the vicinity of QV
224000.
0945 101st Airborne Division reports that a UH-1H from the 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation has crashed on
takeoff in Assembly Area PEAR (MT 10653984), apparently from engine failure, resulting in five minor injuries. [Also see 101st Airborne Division SITREP 206 (2 Mar 91)]
1030 4th Battalion, 64th Armor (24th Infantry Division) counterattacks to QU 200835, completing the major
division action resulting in numerous prisoners of war and the destruction of 31 Iraqi tanks, 21 BMPs, one BM-21, five FROGs, and five trucks.
1045 24th Infantry Division reports final assessment of damage inflicted on Iraqis as 81 tanks, 95 armored
personnel carriers, 11 FROG-7 TELs (2 with missiles uploaded), 2 BM-21s, 8 BDRMs, 5 artillery pieces, 23 trucks, and numerous prisoners of war. [Also see XVIII Airborne Corps INTSUM 423 which gives time of final assessment as 1350; 24th Infantry Division SITREP, 2 Mar 91, gives assessment of 24 T-72s, 7 T-55s, 43 BMPs, 17 BDRMs, 34 artillery tubes, 5 MTLBs, 9 multiple rocket launchers, 1 AMX-10, 377 trucks, 1 ZSU-23-4 and 66 prisoners of war with a brigade loss of one wounded, one M-2A1 Bradley damaged, and one M-1A1 Abrams lost when secondary explosion of a T-72 set sleeping bags stowed on the M-1 on fire]
This is kinda the result of our position at cease fire and a lot of rumors that General McCaffrey purposely misled XVIII corps about our location to cause an engagement after the cease fire. Our location was:
0800 At cease-fire, 24th Infantry Division poised along Phase Line AXE to engage Hamurabbi Division at Phase Line CRUSH, with 1st Brigade positioned on left, 2d Brigade in center, 3d Armored Cavalry on right, and 197th Infantry Brigade in center after completing refueling at Objective ORANGE; 2d Squadron, 4th Cavalry, in position behind 1st Brigade. NOTE: 24th Infantry Division Artillery with support of 212th and 196th Field Artillery Brigades fired up until cease-fire. [24th Infantry Division SITREP, 28 Feb 91]
2- 7 infantry of 24 ID and 3ACR were the main players from what I've read. In defense, the cease fire was known to us but not the Iraqis. It is just logical that they would fire on us first because they did not know there had been a cease fire. Their chain of command did not exist so they had no communication.
_________________ Shield/Storm 18th Airborne Corps 24th Infantry Division 197th Infantry 72 ENGR CO Assault and Barrier Pltn "Sledgehammer"
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