64 U.S. MARLNES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, I99~I99i meeting, the three major subordinate commanders conferred on the conduct of the attack, and left to issue their orders. At 1200, all elements of the division crossed the line of departure.211 They advanced quickly to their objectives. The major action of the day fell to the Tiger Brigade. With the heavy firepower and high mobility of their Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, they were well equipped for the task now before-them. Their mission called for them to move rapidly across the desert, seizing at Al Jahrah the main road from Kuwait City. The division staff had long recognized that the high ground of the Mutlaa Ridge was key to controlling this area. Here the road crosses the ridge at a right angle, and as it climbs the ridge, it is bounded by steep escarpments, shallow ravines, and Iraqi minefields. It was at this natural bottleneck that the convoys of Iraqi vehicles were being attacked by Marine aircraft in the early hours of the morning. The destruction of vehicles at this point caused a tremendous press of traffic. To ensure that none of these vehicles would escape, the "Tigers" now began a rapid move of 20 kilometers across the desert to seize and block the road. They were to be the "cork in the bottle." The brigade moved off in the attack at 1200, along with the rest of the division. Colonel Sylvester formed his unit into a "V" formation: the 3d and 1st Battalions, 67th Armor, were side by side, followed by the 3d Battalion, 41st Infantry. The artillery of the 1st Battalion, 3d Field Artillery, came in trace of the maneuver elements. Of all the division's units, the "Tigers" had the greatest distance to cover. To reach their objective as quickly as they could, speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour were maintained when possible.212 On the left flank, the 3d Battalion, 67th Armor, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Tystadt, U.S. Army, quickly encountered a battalion-size defensive position. As the American soldiers assaulted this line, the Iraqis on the left chose to surrender. Recognizing the opportunity this presented, Lieutenant Colonel Tystadt moved his battalion through the gap, flanking the remainder of the position. At nearly the same time, the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Michael T. Johnson, U.S. Army, closed on a complex of Iraqi bunkers and dug-in tanks. Using their TOWs and the main guns of their tanks, the soldiers destroyed 20 Iraqi tanks and APCs. Then, flanking this position, they pressed on to the north.213 Continuing north, the 3d Battalion, 67th Armor, approached the Ali Al Saleem airfield, which was just to the west of the division's left boundary. Here, as they came to the southern slope of the ridge leading to Al Jahrah, the soldiers encountered a minefield protecting an Iraqi strongpoint. One company was quickly ordered to conduct a hasty breach of the minefield, using mineplows and rollers. Two companies provided fire support to the breach force, while another assaulted through the breach. All of this was done under fire from the enemy's position, which was quickly destroyed.214 While this was occurring, the mechanized infantry of the 3d Battalion, 41st Infantry, had moved behind the 3d Battalion, 67th Armor, and was following in trace of it, preparing to seize their objective, which was close to the airfield.First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Src Image |