RECONNAISSANCE AND SECURITY 2 37 7211 037 ACTION 7

File: 980717_aug97_decls5_0001.txt
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Subject = RECONNAISSANCE AND SECURITY 2 37 7211 037 ACTION 7

Box ID = BX007011

Folder title = 7211-037 ACTION 7

Unit = OSAGWI

Parent = USAGWD

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RECOW"ISSANC@ AND SECURITY 2.37 5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(6)
Z@6 February i99, (G+2) - During the night, the 2d Armored Cavalry
Regiment (Dragoon) had made contact and were in ii fight. During
the early morning hours, the enemy situation became unclear. The
Squadron Commander and the D Troop Commander'fle@.., forward (in an
OH-58C) to locate the 2d ACR. At 0800, the Dragoon el.ement was
sighted. landed, met with the 2d ACR operations
Officer, and coordinated a link up of the 2d Brigade, 3d AD and
the 2d ACR.' The squadron moved again protecting the Division
flank.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, the air troops screened
forward of 3d AD. The Division was now'moving with ist and 2d
Brigade abreast. D Troop screened forward of 2d Brigade while C
Troop screened forward of Ist Brigade. They screened forward as
the 3d AD conducted a movement to contact against the elite
Republican Guards. The squadron's ground troops screened the
southern flank of the division with a distance of 10 kilometers
between the Division and the screen line. By 1200, the weather
had turned bad. Thirty-kilometer per hour winds and blowing sand
reduced visibility to less than 1000 meters. At about this time,
the squadron received A-FRAGO from division ordering 4-7 Cav to
pass west of the 2d ACR and the turn east following a 90-degre@e
azimuth.. The squadron was told to expect contact with the enemy.
By 1400, the squadron"s air troops were forced to abort their
screening mission because the weather was getting worse. 'At
times, the squadron was beyond FM communications range with the
Division@ The squadron continued the mission with orders to keep
attacking.

The squadron's ground troops continued to screen the division's
southern flank with a very narrow frontage (see Figure 3). At
approximately 1600, A Troop spotted enemy dismounts along a low
ridgeline at-PU 7310 (see Tab G, map annotation 3). Iraqi BMPs
.were located shortly thereafter. Both were engage and destroyed.
(A Troop had actually located two Iraqi Mechanized infantry
Companies reinforced with two T-72 tank platoons. These elements
were part of the infamous TAWALY@MA ("Go With God") Mechanized
Infantry Division o@2 the elite Republican Guards). The Squadron
Commander called the Division commanding General and reported
contact. B Troop conducted an overmatch to A Troop's immediate
rear. The engineer-company was ordered forward to prepare for
breaching operations. The stinger section deployed an ADA
umbrella. The squadron began receiving indirect fire from the
enemy and direct fire engagements began to intensify. A Troop
was now fighting Iraqi tanks and BMPS. After about 30 minutes,
they were ordered to shift I kilometer south to allow more room
for Ist Bde to move forward and get into the fight. As A Troop
slipped to the south, enemy T-72 tanks engaged them with 125mm
main cfun rounds. Several vehicles were struck by enemy fire.
SG A-24) and SGT @(A-22) were killed

306

5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(6)