Cover: In early April 2003, Marines of

Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, move

to secure the area following a firefight south of

Baghdad.

(Photo No. 030409-M-4419R-023 Sgt Kevin R. Reed)
With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003

No Greater Friend, No Worse Enemy

by Lieutenant Colonel Michael S. Groen

and Contributors

Occasional Paper

HISTORY DIVISION

MARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY

QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

2006
Other Publications in the Occasional Papers Series

Vietnam Histories Workshop: Plenary Session, Jack Shulimson, editor. 9 May1983. 31 pp.

Vietnam Revisited,' Conversation with William D. Broyles, Jr. Colonel John G. Miller, USMC, editor. II

December 1984. 48 pp.

Bibliography on Khe Sanh USMC Participation. Commander Ray W. Strubbe, CHC, USNR (Ret), compiler. April 1985. 54 pp.

Alligators, Buffaloes, and Bushmasters.' The History of the Development of the LVT Through World War II.

Major Alfred Dunlop Bailey, USMC (Ret). 1986. 272 pp.

Leadership Lessons and Remembrances from Vietnam. Lieutenant General Herman Nickerson, Jr., USMC

(Ret). 1988. 93 pp.

The Problems of U.S. Marine Corps Prisoners of War in Korea. James Angus MacDonald, Jr. 1988. 295 pp.

John Archer Lejeune, 1869-] 942, Register of His Personal Papers. Lieutenant Colonel Merrill L. Bartlett,

USMC (Ret). 1988. 123 pp.

To Wake Island and Beyond.' Reminiscences. Brigadier General Woodrow M. Kessler, USMC (Ret). 1988.

145 pp.

Thomas Holcomb, 1879-1965, Register of His Personal Papers. Gibson B. Smith. 1988. 229 pp.

Curriculum Evolution, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 1920-1988. Lieutenant Colonel Donald

F. Bittner, USMCR. 1988. 112 pp.

Herringbone Cloak-GlDaggei Marines of the OSS. Major Robert E. Mattingly, USMC. 1989. 315 pp.

The Journals of Marine Second Lieutenant Henry Bulls Watson, 1845-1848. Charles R. Smith, editor. 1990.

420 pp.

When the Russians Blinked.' The U.S. Maritime Response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Major John M.

Young, USMCR. 1990. 246 pp.

Marines in the Mexican War. Gabrielle M. Neufeld Santelli. Edited by Charles R. Smith. 1991. 63 pp.

The Development of Amphibious Tactics in the U.S. Navy. General Holland M. Smith, USMC (Ret). 1992.

89 pp.

James Guthrie Harbord, 1866-194 7, Register of His Personal Papers. Lieutenant Colonel Merrill L.

Bartlett, USMC. 1995. 47 pp.

The Impact of Project 100,000 on the Marine Corps. Captain David A. Dawson, USMC. 1995. 247 pp.

Marine Corps Aircraft: 1913-2000. Major John M. Elliot, USMC (Ret). 2002. 126 pp.

Thomas Holcomb and the Advent of the Marine Corps Defense Battalion, 1936-1941. David J. Ulbrich.

2004. 78 pp.

Marine History Operations in Iraq, Operation Iraq Freedom I, A Catalog of Interviews and Recordings,

LtCoI Nathan S. Lowrey, USMCR. 2005. 254 pp.

Occasional Papers

The History Division has undertaken the publication for limited distribution of various studies, theses, compilations, bibliographies, monographs, and memoirs, as well as proceedings at selected workshops, seminars,

symposia, and similar colloquia, which it considers to be of significant value for audiences interested in Marine

Corps history. These "Occasional Papers," which are chosen for their intrinsic worth, must reflect structured

research, present a contribution to historical knowledge not readily available in published sources, and reflect

original content on the part of the author, compiler, or editor. It is the intent of the Division that these occasional

papers be distributed to selected institutions, such as service schools, official Department of Defense historical

agencies, and directly concerned Marine Corps organizations, so the information contained therein will be available for study and exploitation.

PCN: 106 0000 0000

11
Foreword

The narrative that follows was compiled and submitted as part of the 1st Marine Division's

command chronology for 2003. It is reproduced without further editing or revision.

With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003, is a unit history written by the participants in

the same vein as its predecessors — The Old Breed— written at the end of World War II and —

The New Breed—authored during Korea. It is a narrative describing the actions of Marines

in combat during the liberation of Iraq. Portions of the story have been told by embedded

journalists—but this full account is told by those who made it happen.

The 1st Marine Division, in concert with the U.S. Army's 3d Infantry Division, captured

Baghdad and toppled Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. The division's 28-day "march up"

from Kuwait to Baghdad, a distance of 250 road miles, was a remarkable achievement. It

represented a validation of the Corps' maneuver warfare strategy, particularly the seamless

integration of air into the ground scheme of maneuver and the Marine logistics command's

innovative support.

"Blue Diamond," the 1st Division's Operation Iraqi Freedom nom de guerre, consisted of

some 20,000 Marines and sailors and 8,000 vehicles organized into three regimental combat

teams. Designed to be light and self-sufficient, the regiments "conducted the longest

sequence of coordinated overland attacks in the history of the Corps," according to

Lieutenant General Wallace C. Gregson, then commander of Marine Forces Pacific. The

authors of this account were somewhat more colloquial, preferring to state that it "focuses on

the collective action of Marines who served as part of the 'Blue Diamond.' It is not a story

of each of them, but the story of all of them." Their story is an authentic documentation of

the feel, concerns, triumphs and tragedy of the campaign in Iraq.

Richard D. Camp, Jr.

Colonel,

United States Marine Corps (Retired)

Acting Director of Marine Corps History

111

Preface

In the final analysis, Saddam's regime and its threat could not be defeated except by fighting it. Yet, in the history of war, the two U.S. divisions that carried the brunt of the fighting,

the 3d Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Division are not impressive in numbers. History

has seen much larger forces. But on the shoulders was placed the burden of liberating the

Iraqi people, and planting the seeds of freedom in the Middle East. In the chaos, confusion,

and uncertainty of an ever-shifting and always dangerous battlefield, the young men and

women who faced this enemy distinguished themselves for their presence of mind, their

steadfast commitment to each other, and their willingness to pay the price for our freedom

and the freedom of the Iraqi people, a people they barely knew.

The events chronicled here capture the story of the Marines of the "Blue Diamond" as they

prepared for war, conquered and army, and liberated a nation. From across America and

beyond, they chose the demanding path, to become Marines. These Marines marched in the

ranks of this national treasure that we call the 1st Marine Division. And, at a time when timid

souls or cynical pundits grew loudest, these men shouldered their weapons and moved without hesitation against the enemy. Our victory was not inevitable. It was the courage,

unselfishness, and skill of the young men of Blue Diamond to whom we owe our victory.

Unit histories such as this cannot capture what we will remember of those men we lost.

The young smiling faces of these men will carry more inside us than our words can ever convey. For young as they were, they proved themselves to be the very best of warriors. We

record history so that others may share our story. We record history so that others may learn

from it. We record history to remind us of what happened on these battlefields when we grow

old. Most of all, we record history as a monument to our men and their families' sacrifice.

We will always remember those we lost. Someday we will smile and laugh when we recall

them amongst us, of how we were happy besides them, or even exasperated with them, but

how we trusted them always with our dreams and with our very lives.

And as we look today at the men and women of the 1st Marine Division, we can take heart

at what we see. The courage to defend our country is still there. That awesome determination to defend our freedoms will never die. In Iraq, those who followed in the footprints of

the heroes of Guadalcanal, Inchon, Hue City, and Desert Storm proved themselves worthy to

be counted among their number.

No mere narrative can fully capture the efforts, risks, and sacrifices of the men and women

of the 1st Marine Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. No words can capture the tears

of family members as they sent their loved-ones off, perhaps for the last time. Nothing we

can say will bring back our beloved comrades that made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield. Yet, "unsung the noblest deeds die." This is the story of the noble deeds of a special

group of Marines who chose to serve their nation in the cause of freedom in a distant place.

Missing from this narrative are many of the individual stories of heroism that were a daily

part of this operation. The accounts of squads, platoons, and companies would fill volumes,

and cannot be included here. This narrative focuses on the collective action of these Marines

who served as part of the "Blue Diamond." It is not a story of each of them, but the story of

all of them. Semper Fidelis.

The principle author of this account was Lieutenant Colonel Michael S. Groen. He was

assisted in this by the following primary contributors: Brigadier General John Kelly;

V
Lieutenant Colonels Rob Abbott, Rob Davis, Steve Ferrando, John Maher, Brian McCoy,

Sam Mundy, Jim Parrington, Sam Strotman, Mark Toal; Majors Duncan Buchanan, Tom

Chandler, Dan Connally, Tim Dzierzek, Brian Giliman, Brian Mangan, Randy Nash, Chris

Olszko, Tom Sharp, Ron Spears; Captains George Benson, Joe Plenzler, Brian Rideout,

Sherel Ryan, Blair Sokol; and Chief Warrant Officer Mike Holland. This manuscript was prepared for publication at the U.S. Marine Corps History Division by Mr. William S. Hill,

Captain Joel P. Braniecki, Mr. Charles R. Smith, and Mr. Charles D. Melson.

James N. Mattis Michael S. Groen

Major General Lieutenant Colonel

United States Marine Corps United States Marine Corps

vi
Table of Contents Foreword .

Preface V

Table of Contents Vii

Chapter 1 — Planning and Preparation 1 Gathering of Commanders 1 Orienting on the Enemy: The Iraqi Battlespace 4

Providing Focus 10

Operational Planning 12

Chapter 2 — Force Planning and Planning Refinements 40

Intelligence Planning, The Changing Enemy Picture 43

Operational Planning, The Baghdad Option 47

Operational Planning, Refinement of the Base Plan 50

Development in Fire Support Planning 54

Operational Planning, The Opening Gambit 54

Getting the Force to the Fight 57

Continuing Mission, Security in the Pacific 58

Creation of the Division Administrative Center 59

"Sappers Up," Combat Engineers Organize for Combat 60

Building a Home for the Division in Kuwait, Camp Matilda 61

Embarkation, Deployment, and Off-load Operations 64

Fires Planning 68

vii

Force Deployment Planning

Fire Support Planning and Preparation

Intelligence Planning

Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Warfare

Training for War, Exercises in CONUS

Aggressive Training Schedules

First Reconnaissance Battalion Trains for a New Mission

Planning for Rotary Wing Aviation Support—Teaming with 3d MAW

Creative and Proactive Logistics Planning

A New Concept for Combat Service Support

Planning for Causalities

Personnel Augmentation Planning

Communications Planning

19

21

24

27

28

29

31

32

32

33

34

35

36

Public Affairs Planning 37

Deployment Readiness 38

Deployment of the Forward Command Post and Planning Team 39
Continuing Collaboration with the UK 1st Division 70

Intelligence Planning 71

Visit by Red Cell 75

Teaming with the 1st UK Armoured Division 76

Coordination with the Kuwaiti Land Forces 77

Major Hassan, A Combat Multiplier 78

Force Protection and the Atmosphere in Kuwait 78

Logistics Planning and Rehearsal 80

CSSG Planning and Rehearsal 81

Command and Control 83

Personnel Issues, Assigning Troops to Tasks 86

Public Affairs Preparations 87

Chapter 3 — Adjustments to the Plan and Combat Rehearsals 90

The Iraqis Welcome the New Year 91

Developments in Fire Support Planning 94

Operational Planning Update, Highway 1 Corridor 96

Operational Planning Update, Running the Seam 98

Operational Planning Update, The Eastern An Nasiriyah Bridge 100

Operational Planning Update, Envelopment of Baghdad and the Outer Cordon 102

Division Rehearsals, Imaging the Plan 103

Division Rehearsals, September CPX 104

Division Rehearsals, Divison MOUT Seminar 108

Division Rehearsals, The Lego Drills 109

NBC Rehearsals, This is for the Birds 112

Rehearsal of Concept, Jersey Drill Number One 114

Training and Calibration in Kuwait 115

The Desensitization Plan 119

Final Preparation Efforts, Intelligence 121

Final Preparation Efforts, Force Flow 122

Final Preparation Efforts, Logistics 123

Current Operations, Final Adjustments 124

Jersey Drill Two, Amphitheater in the Desert 126

Reducing the Border Obstacles 128

The Enemy's Last Moves 128

The Eve of Combat, The Stage is Set 132

Chapter 4 — The Opening Gambit 134

The Iraqis Disposed to Defend 136

19 March, Poised for Battle 138

20 March, Clearing the Obstacles and Passage of Lines with the Kuwaitis 141

viii
Moving into the Attack 142

Crossing the Line of Departure 147

20-21 March, Grizzly in the Attack 149

21 March, Judgment Day for the 51st Mechanized Division 154

Task Force Ripper 154

Recon Battalion and RCT-1 160

Other Division Actions 163

22 March, Attacking to the West 164

Logistics Generate Tempo 166

Ripper Cleans House at the Shaat Al Basrah 168

23 March, Blue Diamond Maintains the Tempo 173

Chapter 5 — Bridgehead Over the Tigris 180

The Iraqis React to the Opening Gambit 180

The Operational Design 182

23 March, Wolfpack Finds the Prey 184

24 March, The Long March 187

RCT-5 and the Coming Ground Attack 189

RCT- 1 Waiting for Clearance 189

The Division Crosses the Euphrates 192

25 March 193

The Mother of all Sandstorms 193

RCT-5 Continues the Attack 196

Blue Diamond Weathers the Storm 199

Inchon Carries the Ball Downfield 199

26 March, The Orange Crush 206

The Tragic Loss of a Leader 207

Making Logistics Work Up Highway 1 208

The Open Western Flank 210

TF Inchon Sustains the Momentum 212

Seizure of Qalat Sikar Airfield 214

27 March, Demonstration to Hantush 215

Actions in Ad Diwaniyah 218

Actions on Highway 7 220

Shaping the Al Kut Battlefield 221

28 March, The Waiting Continues 222

28 March, 2/23 Strikes a Blow against the Bath Party 224

29 March, Plans and Re-plans 227

Afak Operations 228

30 March, Regaining Momentum 230

Linkup along Highway 17 231

ix
From Stablization to Combat Operations 232

Inchon Stretches to Cover All of Highway 7 232

31 March, 1st Marine Division on the Move Again 233

Back to Hantush Airstrip 235

Attack on Ash Shattrah 237

Inchon Attacks to Al Kut 237

1 April, The Saddam Canal 240

Darkside Moves on Diwaniyah 243

Barbarian and Godfather Take Out Al Muwaffiqiyah 244

Division Marines in An Nasiriyah 246

2 April, Crossing the Tigris River 247

Ripper Moves up to An Numaniyah 248

Fixing the Baghdad RG Division 250

3 April, Final Assault on Al Kut 251

Chapter 6 — Attack to Secure Eastern Baghdad 255

The Iraqis Prepare to Defend Baghdad 255

The Operational Design 258

3 April, Grizzly Continues the Attack to the Northwest 260

4 April, Pushing to the West 268

5 April, Pulling the Division to the Diyala 274

Preparing to Enter the City 278

Salman Pak 279

Division Shaping Efforts 280

6 April, To the Banks of the Diyala 282

Scoping the Diyala Bridges 283

A Nighttime Assessment of the Diyala Footbridge 285

InforaPenny 287

7 April, One River, Three Attacks 289

8 April, Closing the Door on Eastern Baghdad 296

Ripper Takes Rasheed Island 298

Inchon Is In 299

Grizzly Goes Long 301

Adventures on the Screen 302

Reconnaissance Battalion's Attack to Baqubah 302

9 April, Getting Permission 304

Shaking Hands across the Tigris 305

Entering the City 305

Recon's Security Zone Operations in Baqubah 313

10 April, On to the Next Fight 315

Downtown Objectives 316

x
10 April, Battle of the Mosque .320

Transition to Security Operations 327

Small Unit Actions Continue on the Baghdad Streets 328

11 April, So What Happened to the Enemy'? 331

Planning for the Kirkuk Operation or Another 333

Chapter 7 — Task Force Tripoli 335

The Iraqis Prepare the Tikrit Redoubt 336

The Operational Design 338

11 April, Task Force Tripoli Assembles 341

12 April, Baqubah Revisited by 2/5 341

Tripoli Launches a Night Attack 344

13 April, Attack on Tikrit 346

Rescue of the US POWs in Samarra 349

Securing Saddam's Palace 350

14 April, Attack on the Palace Compound and Tikrit Bridge 355

15 April, Give Sheikh a Chance 358

16 April, Restoring Civil Control 362

17 April, The Shadow Regime 365

18 April, The 'Attack' to Bayji 368

19-2 1 April, Relief in Tikrit 369

2-5 May, Tripoli Rides Again 373

Chapter 8 — Security and Stabilization Operations 376

SASO in Baghdad 376

Into the Shia Heartland 381

The Seven Governates 384

Rebuilding the Police 386

Supplying Energy Needs 386

Reinventing Local Government 388

Securing Iraq's Territorial Integrity 390

The Northern Babil Province Heats Up 391

The Division Heads Home 395

End of Operations 396

Epilogue 398

Appendix A: Command and Staff List 403

Appendix B: Glossary 405

Appendix C: 1st Marine Division Honor Roll 413

xi

"I want you to get yourself spiritually ready for this fight, and to seek

forgiveness for what we are about to do to the Iraqi Army."

Chapter 1

Planning and Preparation

The 'White House'at Camp Pendleton, Calfornia; Headquarters for the JSI

Marine Division. The Division logo, the 'Blue Diamond' recalls the Division

first campaign in Guadalcanal and its time spent in Australia during World War

II.

Gathering of Commanders

On the quiet afternoon of 2 August 2002, the commanders, sergeants major, and staff

principals of the 1st Marine Division gathered in a conference room on-board Camp Pendleton,

California. That very morning they had seen the Division's change of command, and this

gathering was to be the first opportunity for the new Commanding General (CG) to give his

intent. It became immediately obvious he had gathered them for a single purpose; to provide a

warning order for the invasion of Iraq. The Division had prepared for combat operations on the

Arabian Peninsula for years, and some of these Marines were veterans of Desert Storm. They

had planned hundreds of deployments and exercises using an Iraq scenario before, but it was

clear that this session was different. During this meeting, the CG laid out a vision of the coming

war. By this late date, it appeared that only an unexpected diplomatic cave-in by Saddam could

prevent war, and sharing a common vision for the fight ahead was crucial. The leaders gathered

here would oversee the preparation, training, deployment, and combat victory of the 1st Marine

Division over the Nation's foes in Iraq. The commanders gathered this afternoon were sternly

reminded of their responsibility for the destruction of the Iraqi Army should the President call,

and were challenged to prepare their Marines to live up to the Corp's high standards in combat.

They had no doubt that they would leave a proud legacy for those who came after them.

1
Iraq 2003 with Govern ate boundries depicted. The Division operations were to extend from the ports of

Kuwait all the way to Bayji in northern Iraq.

2
'Blue Diamond' (the collective call-sign for the 1st Marine Division, adopted from the

Division logo) had been sharpening its blade in preparation for combat operations in Iraq for

some time, and the Marines shared the CG's vision. The vision of this fight was one of speed

and lethality, accompanied by the highest moral principles. The Division would wreak havoc on

those who opposed it, yet extend a helping hand to those liberated by its actions. The motto, 'No

Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' captured the essence of how 1st Marine Division would defeat

the Iraqi Regime and liberate its people. Blue Diamond would fight with unprecedented

lethality, guided by a strong moral compass and relying on the core values inherent in every

Marine. Marines would be ruthless with the enemy, yet retain their humanity. In combat, the

Division would fight with an entire faith; each with a faith in himself, and all with a faith in each

other. The commanders understood the value of ideals, and would blend the psychology and

tactics of war into a single whole. If Napoleon was correct, and the 'moral was to the physical as

three is to one,' then the 1st Marine Division would overwhelm their foes with aggressiveness,

endurance, and moral courage.

Tactically, the Division would fight

lean. This meant eliminating

unnecessary logistical drains. All

members of the Division would live

frugally and with the same quality of life

standard as an infantry Lance Corporal.

The Division deployed with fuel test kits

and funnels to enable them to utilize

captured enemy fuel supplies. The

Marines would not run vehicles when

stationary in order to conserve fuel, and

would install special 'gypsy racks' that

enabled their vehicles to carry

additional fuel and water, Hanging

F/excel/s (fuel bladders) on M1A1

tanks and FAST fuel storage devices on

Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV5)

provided commanders with even

greater range and decreased reliance on

combat trains. These measures and

more would extend the Division's

logistics culminating point closer and

closer to Baghdad.

The Division would fight swiftly

towards its ultimate objectives, taking

calculated risks along its flanks and rear

to strike at the heart of the enemy. Some

of these risks would receive criticism to

be sure, but the Blue Diamond vision

All Marines oftheDivision were going tohave the same living

conditions as a basic rifleman. Pictured here are Marines

manning fighting positions during the operational pause

along Highway 1.

To extend the Division logistical culminating point, vehicles

were fitted with external fuel reserves, such as these

FLEXCELL fuel bladders on an MJA1.

3
saw beyond the risks of individual tactical engagements to the lives of those saved by a rapid end

to the conflict. The commanders pictured a map, with thin blue lines representing maneuver

forces, moving in a continuous and relentless attack toward Baghdad, bypassing major urban

areas and the enemy's prepared defenses. The commanders pictured support forces, tethered to

their supported commands, capable of fighting their way up through bypassed enemy units to

deliver supplies. The vision included boundaries that would rapidly snap up as follow-on forces

relieved 1st Marine Division of battlespace. This would have the dual impact of keeping Lines of

Communication (LOCs) open and sustaining massed combat power at the point of impact.

Speed was to be the order of the day; speed of information flow, speed of decision making, and

speed of maneuver.

As part of the vision, the Division planned to be the most 'air-centric division in history?,

crushing the Iraqi indirect fire capability with air power, preserving artillery ammunition for the

fights it could not win by air alone. The Division would be well trained and confident in its

abilities to operate in a Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) environment, able to continue the

attack under the worst of scenarios. The Division would have integrated logistics capabilities,

anticipating demands and maneuvering logistics to the right place and time. Perhaps most

importantly, the vision included a Division that had a well-understood commander's intent, from

the Commanding General to the youngest Sailors and Marines. This intent would allow the

Division to continue the attack in an extended command and control environment under the most

arduous of circumstances. The CG's guidance went out to every Marine in the Division, "I want

you to get yourself spiritually ready for this fight, and to seek forgiveness for what we are about

to do to the Iraqi Army."

Orienting on the Enemy: The Iraqi Battlespace

By the CG's design, operations would be based on sound intelligence. During this early

planning stage, the Division G-2, under Colonel Jim Howcroft, provided a detailed

understanding of the enemy that enabled the Division to focus its combat power to devastating

effect on the vulnerabilities of the Iraqi Army. The Division's intelligence team led the effort to

provide a sound basis for planning, allowing the enemy (through the lens of intelligence) to drive

the Division's operations. This theme would ring true to the completion of combat operations, as

the CG and Commanders refused to become wedded to a single plan, retaining a flexibility that

would ensure their success as conditions changed. The Division was unwilling to prioritize the

synchronization of operations, preferring a looser construct that used commander's intent to take

advantage of opportunities that could be exploited through rapidity of action.

A significant planning consideration was the large size of the Iraqi Army itself. The initial

planning efforts called for the 1St Marine Division to attack through the historic Mesopotamian

plain of southeastern Iraq, including the strategic city of Al Kut. The Iraqis defended this zone

with six divisions of the Iraqi Regular Army and the Baghdad Infantry Division of the

Republican Guard. In addition to these conventional forces, the Iraqi Regime could call upon a

significant number of Baath party militia, paramilitary troops from the Saddam Fedeyeen (a

Regime-loyal group known for its suicide tactics) and Iraqi Special Forces units. Before combat

operations were complete, the 1St Marine Division would defeat or bypass elements of nine Iraqi

divisions, and would destroy thousands of these paramilitary fighters.

4
General disposition oflraqiforces, Fall 2002. The Regular Army (Red) was planned to absorb many of the initial

blows of the Coalition assault, while the Republican Guard Divisions (Yellow) were arrayed to protect the Regime

in Baghdad and the surrounding urban centers.

Even though only a third the size of the Iraqi Army during the first Gulf War, this force

posed a significant conventional combined arms challenge. The Iraqi Army during the first Gulf

War fought poorly, but had been defending ground seized by an unjust aggression. This time,

the Iraqi Army would be fighting in defense of their homeland. Perhaps even more threatening,

the 1t Marine Division would be attacking to remove potential Weapons of Mass Destruction

(WMD). It was considered likely that the Regime would use these weapons at some point as

Division forces advanced into Iraq. Given the Regime's previous use of these weapons against

Iranians and Kurds, the Division was not willing to 'wish away' this capability.

A second major planning factor for the Division's operations was the terrain in southern Iraq.

Although the first 50 km of Iraqi territory was the same desert terrain the Division had

encountered in the first Gulf War, the marshes of the Fertile Crescent lay just to the north. This

5
terrain had repeatedly stymied British forces attacking north during World War I, and left a

British Division stranded in Al Kut (where it was eventually besieged and captured by Turkish

forces.) Well-thumbed copies of The Siege by Jonathon Braddon (which chronicled the British

disaster) were passed around the staff, providing a solid appreciation for the effects of terrain and

weather on the British Expeditionary Force. The area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

had once been a vast reed marshland, and the home of the Shiite 'Marsh Arabs'. Because of the

insurgent threat posed by these people and the terrain, the Iraqi Regime had conducted a massive

engineering effort during the 1980s to drain the marshlands. What had been marsh before was

now a dense network of drainage canals, muddy fields, and untrafficable terrain. Planning to

fight in this terrain would quickly become a challenge to the Division, as the day after the

Combined Forces Land Component Commander's (CFLCC) staff assigned I Marine

Expeditionary Force (MEF) its battlespace, they also released a mobility study describing almost

the entirety of the 1st Marine Division's zone as 'untrafficable.'

By draining the marshes of Mesopotamia, Saddam 's engineers had transformed Marshland to Wasteland

throughout Southern Iraq. The Division would be limited to movement along major roads in it's zone.

6
This difficult terrain posed a significant challenge to off-road maneuver, and served to

canalize the Division's attack to the north. The identification of alternative cross-country

mobility corridors became a major intelligence challenge. Little was known about trafficability

over the vast swaths of former marshland, and even less about the load-bearing capacities of the

few roads and bridges through this terrain. In any serious defensive effort, the Iraqis would

certainly take maximum advantage of this terrain; destroying bridges, mining culverts, and using

inundation warfare to delay the Division advance. During planning, this fight was often

characterized as the 'war of the bridges', and nearly every stage of the Division's plan was tied

to a water obstacle in some way.

The most pronounced feature in southern Iraq was Jabal Sanam, also known as 'Safwan

Hill,' or 'Hill 451' for its map designation. The dominating heights of this hill, only 3 km north

of the Kuwaiti border, provided near continuous line of sight well into northern Kuwait. It was

known to hide several Iraqi observation posts and a signals intelligence gathering facility. This

particular terrain feature was also to dominate a great deal of the Division staff's attention later,

when faced with the almost impossible task of pre-staging large scale ground forces in Kuwait

without giving clear signals of the Division's tactical intent to the enemy.

JabalSanam or 'Safwan Hill' was the dominant terrain feature in Southern Iraq, giving the Iraqis

a line of sight that extended 30 Kilometers into Kuwait. The Division placed heavy emphasis on the

destruction of the Iraqi forces occupying these heights.

7