8TH TANK BN COMMAND CHRONOLOGY NOV 90 TO MAR 91 12 APR 91

File: 970107_aug96_decls2_0010.txt
Page: 0010
Total Pages: 60

Subject: 8TH TANK BN  COMMAND CHRONOLOGY NOV 90 TO MAR 91  12 APR 91     

Unit: 8TH TANK BN 

Parent Organization: 2 MARDIV    

Box  ID: BX600007

Folder Title: COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 8TH TANK BN 26 NOV - 31 MARCH 1991                                           

Document Number:          1

Folder Seq  #:          5





                                              UNCLASSIFIED

                position on the left flank   of Regimental Objective A.
                   The remainder of the day was spent consolidating the battalion position and
                processing Iraqi prisoners of war. Suspected tank positions were engaged
                by the battalion. Over 500 EPW's were processed by the battalion before
                nightfall. Resistance in the battalion's zone was light, and often enemy
                positions put up only token resistance before surrender.
                   Shortly after nightfall, a U.S. Army HMMWV with three soldiers in it
                wandered into a nearby minefield and ran into an anti-personnel mine.
                Members of Bravo Company, Alpha Command and the Battalion Aid Station
                responded to the scene immediately. One soldier, the driver, was fatally
                injured and died shortly after the mine detonation. The gunner was injured
                and was medevaced from the battalion's Alpha Command area. The Lieutenant,
                riding in the front passenger seat, had minor injuries and spent the night
               .with the Alpha Command Group before being picked up by his command the
                following morning. gth Tank Battalion personnel extracted the damaged vehicle
                from the minefield and secured it until the Army could take charge of it.
                The death of the soldier weighed heavily on the battalion personnel involved
                in the rescue.
                   By 2300 on 24 February, Regimental Objective C was secured. Sth Tank
                Battalion remained in its blocking position all night without further
                incident. During the action on the 24th, the battalion (-) and its detached
                elements were responsible for the destruction of numerous enemy tanks,
                bunkers, armored vehicles, and through its firepower, was the proximate cause
  for the surrender of numerous Iraqi troops.
                   At 0600 on 25 February 1991, 8th Tank Battalion (-@ received a frag order
                for the day's attack. 6th Marines would continue to attack north with the
                Tiger Brigade on the left flank and Sth Marines on the right. 6th Marines
                would attack to seize Division Objective I and be prepared for further
                operations. The regiment would advance with two battalions forward (1/6 on
                the left and 2/2 on the right) and two battalions back in reserve (8th Tanks
                in trace of 1/6 and 3/6 (motorized) in trace of 2/2). All elements were to be
                in their attack positions at 0900 and would cross the Line of Departure (LD)
                at a time to be announced. The assembly area for Sth Tank Battalion (-) was
                the center of 24 February's Regimental Objective,C (vic UT 564106).
                   The lead battalions of the 6th Marines finally crossed the Line        of
                Departure at 1337 and immediately ran into incoming artillery fire.         loth
                Marines and aviation elements responded to silence the Iraqi guns, but dealing
                with the threat slowed the advance. Almost immediately, Iraqi POW's began
                moving back through our positions on their way to the rear. At 1421, the
                Battalion Commander called the battalion's field train elements forward to
                assist in what was becoming a repeat of the previous day's flood of POW'S.
                   Company B, 8th Tank Sattalion's (-) lead element crossed the Regimental
                Line of Departure at 1446. Both 1/6 (with Company C attached) and 2/2 (with
                Company A attached) continued a steady advance in their respective zone,
                taking numerous prisoners and knocking out Iraqi armor and bunkers along the
ocess
                large numbers of EPW'S. 8th Tank Battalion's field train personnel were hard
                pressed to apply minimal security procedures to these POW's before passing
                them back to the next divisional unit to the rear. It was at this time that
                the battalion B-2 and his Kuwaiti interpreter/scout had an entire Iraqi Mortar
                Platoon that had been bypassed surrender to them. Preparations for dealing
                with the number of POW's were strained.
                   The battalion continued to advance north in trace of 1/6 thrountiout the
                afternoon. As the battalion combat elements advanced, the H&S Company field
                trains leapfrogged in trace, staying close enough to provide support if



                                                  UNCLASSIFIED

Document 60 f:/Week-34/BX600007/COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 8TH TANK BN 26 NOV - 31 MARCH 1991/8th tank bn command chronology nov 90 to mar 91:01029709504317
Control Fields 17
File Room = aug96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-34
Box ID = BX600007
Unit = 8TH TANK BN
Parent Organization = 2 MARDIV
Folder Title = COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 8TH TANK BN 26 NOV - 31 MARCH 1991
Folder Seq # = 5
Subject = 8TH TANK BN COMMAND CHRONOLOGY NOV 90 TO MAR 91
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 02-JAN-1997