other supporting commands for immediate re-supply. The maneuver units still needed to

replenish chow, ammo, water and (most of all) sleep. Many of the Marines had not had decent

rest since before crossing the LD, some 48 hours before. The Marines had much fighting yet to

do, and now was a brief opportunity to catch some rest before resuming the attack.

At this point, CSSG-1 1 and its CSSC's demonstrated what organic, integrated logistics

support meant. With precision and foresight, Colonel John Pomfret and the CSSG-ll staff

established RRPs near the tactical assembly areas of RCT-7 and RCT-5 to allow them to quickly

obtain the necessary supplies to sustain their attack. As the Division's objectives quickly fell,

logisticians anticipated the demand for fuel forward, and redirected assets from these RRPs to

British forces from the 16th Air Assault Brigade relieve 51h Marines in the South Rumaylah oilfields.

RRP 7 closer to An Nasiriyah. Now, the entire Division made its way through these pre-staged

RRPs to top off fuel tanks prior to crossing the Euphrates. By the detailed calculations of the

logisticians, the refueling here would allow the Division to continue its attack all the way to the

Hantush Airstrip (the next Division objective) before another RRP was required. With hardened,

fully loaded vehicles consuming fuel at a greater rate than planned, this timely shift in emphasis

enabled units to conduct in-stride refit, refuel, and rearm for the attack up Highway 1. CSSG-11

had met its first real battlefield challenge and overcome it handily, and the affirmation of the

principle of organic, mobile CSS elements was a confidence builder for the RCTs. One concern

167
remained, however, as repair parts and other support required from the fixed supply points were

not making it to the combat forces at all. This would be a significant logistics shortfall that

would plague the Division for the entire campaign.

On 22 March, RCT-5 completed a RIP in the South Rumaylah oil fields with the 16th Air

Assault Brigade, 1st UK Division. Following the relief in place, the RCT conducted a road

march on Highway 8 to near the Euphrates River at crossings west of An Nasiriyah. The RIP of

artillery was the simplest of all. As the artillerymen had already established both US and UK

firing positions in support of operations in the Rumaylah area, the US firing battalions were able

First UK Division relief in place of F1 Marine Division. They UK forces would assume control

of Basrah and the Ruin aylah Oil Fields, enabling Blue Diamond's rapid attack west.

to quickly disengage with no loss of fire support capability. The 7th Royal Horse Artillery,

supported by its own counterbattery radar and supporting elements, seamlessly picked up the

fight when Marines rolled to the west.

Ripper Cleans House at the Shaat Al Basrah

Although the Division's objectives were secured, the Iraqis that had fled into the Al Basrah

urban area still had fight left in them. Repeatedly, they attempted to sortie across the Shaat a!

Basrah bridges and counterattack the Marines.

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Through the morning of 22 March, RCT-7 continued to block the bridges over the Shaat al

Basrah, meeting sporadic resistance and periodic poorly organized counterattacks by uniformed

and non-uniformed enemy forces. First Tank Battalion and 3/4 were continuing to use indirect

and direct fire against targets on both sides of the waterway. Battle damage reports from the

morning included at least two artillery pieces and one BMP destroyed. Although many of the

Iraqi conscripts had fled the previous day, it was clear that many of the remaining enemy

hardliners were willing to fight to the death. Technical vehicles, T-55's, and paramilitary

fighters in civilian clothes continued to attack Tiger's lead elements, its headquarters, and support

areas. With the fight continuing and its units spread across its zone, Tiger had not yet

consolidated since crossing LD. The combat trains, command group, and TOW Platoon (-) had

co-located at a crossroads near Az Zubayr. Shortly after staging at this location, the Marines in

the vicinity of the command group heard the 'zip' of an anti-tank missile and an M-88 Tank

retriever was rocked by a blast. Three Marines had been wounded (Master Guimery Sergeant

Guadalupe Denogean, Sergeant Eric Percy, and Lance Corporal Phillip Rugg). Captain Ruben

Martinez, the 1st Tank Battalion S-4, recalls:

"As I completed shaving, I saw an RPG smoke trail out of the corner of my eye originating

from about 175 meters to the south of the M-88. As I turned to look at the M88, I saw Sergeant

Percy standing in the vehicle commander's cupola. The explosion rocked the M88, causing a

fireball to come out of the vehicle and smoke to begin billowing from the vehicle. Corporal

Rugg, a crewmember, began to exit the M88, standing just outside the hatch and turned toward

Sgt Percy to ask what happened. Sergeant Percy shouted that he couldn 't see. I could see

Corporal Rugg 's lower legs badly injured with many bleeding lacerations. Corporal Rugg then

jumped down from the vehicle, obviously not realizing the extent of his wounds. He landed on

his feet and immediately fell over yelling "Oh my legs!" I could hear sporadic small arms fire

being fired at our position and being returned by the Marines. After washing Sergeant Percy

eyes out with water, I called in the contact report and the number of injured Marines. As I was

on the radio, I observed Sergeant Jones pulling Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean 's limp body

out of the burning M88, assisted by Corporal Rodriguez. We would later learn that Chief Lugo

was inside the M88 passing the Master Gunnery Sergeant out of the vehicle. All three injured

Marines were consolidated near the BAS vehicle and prepared for evacuation. Sergeant Jones

returned and entered the burning M88 to remove AT-4 missiles that might have gone off due to

the heat. Marines from the Bravo Command and combat trains secured afield on the west side

of the AA for use as a landing zone."

Forward at the center Al Basrah bridge, Lima Company, 3/4, (attached to 1st Tank battalion)

assessed enemy casualties had reached 100 fighters killed, but had encountered only feeble,

mounted counter-attacks. This was about to change. Just as the command group's situation

began to stabilize, Lima reported observing numerous BMPs and T-55's on the far side of the

bridge, apparently preparing to attack. Delta Company, 1t Tanks, under Captain Greg Poland,

relieved Lima Company at the bridge. A four-man British team, who had intended to cross into

Al Basrah, now realized the bridge was too hot. Instead, they co-located with the Delta

Company commander, providing intelligence from sources within the city. Delta Company's

Red Platoon was maintaining the blocking position, awaiting the Iraqi attack, which soon came.

An apparent suicide charge by a 'tecimical' with a mounted machine-gun, and two beat-up Sport

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Utility Vehicles, was engaged and destroyed approximately 500 meters from the platoon's

positions. The Red Platoon Commander, Lieutenant Vincent Hogan recalls:

"Any illusions ofkeepingfriendlies clear of tank main gun surface danger zones during this

war quickly evaporated as the enemy was mixed in throughout the Battalion 's elements. The

Marines of the command group, combat trains, and TOW platoon immediately engaged the

enemy, and cleared buildings in the area with tank main gun fire. Captain Martinez and Major

Keith completed coordination for the air CA SE VA C [Note: For the injured crew of the M-88],

and the choppers were on the deck within minutes of being called. We were about a half hour

into the blocking mission, and it had calmed down considerably. We first observed the three

vehicles when they stopped about 1500m to our front; the lead vehicle was clearly a MGmounted 'technical'. As we went to REDCON-1, we observed 10-12 armed personnel on the

'technical ', the gunner put on a ski mask. Suddenly they were hauling ass towards our position.

Red-2 shouted, 'RPG!' seeing one passenger lift an RPG out of the vehicle bed. We engaged

with coax and .50 cal. In a minute or so, two vehicles were burning, with one remaining on the

road. No one was moving. A couple minutes later, people started picking up weapons scattered

from the 'technical ', we continued to engage. The whole engagement lasted maybe 10 minutes.

After the fight, some of the gunners were able to observe through their powered sights 'TV'

sloppily taped on the sides of the SUVs. I decided to inform the S-2 about this potentially useful,

enemy vehicle marking. It didn 't even occur to any of us that journalists would try to participate

in an Iraqi suicide charge."

Upon completion of the engagement, it was ascertained that the two trail SUVs were, in fact,

foreign journalists from the UK who had participated in the charge against the US blocking

position. Whether this participation was voluntary in pursuit of a good story, or against their will

at gunpoint, was never determined. Their resulting death was an unfortunate accident of war.

Journalists, intermingled with the enemy combatants, were not identified as non-combatants until

after the enemy attack had been repulsed. Subsequent investigations confirmed that the actions

of Delta Company were consistent with established rules of engagement. This was scant solace

to the families of the journalists or to the Marines who deeply regretted any noncombatant

casualties.

The unfortunate action involving the journalists was just one of the many disorganized

attempts by the enemy to cross the bridges. Those that tried were quickly and ruthlessly reduced.

Gunnery Sergeant Steven Heath, Delta Company, 1st Tanks describes another action:

"I saw two 'technical' vehicles come across the bridge with a T-55. On the near side of the

bridge, about 2700 meters away, the vehicles had formed a wedge with the tank in the lead, two

'technicals 'flanking. We saw them at an angle. The tank had guys riding all over it, World War

Il-style. Our first shot, sabot, went through the chest of a tank rider, and destroyed the

'technical' on the far side. The tank stopped and everyone jumped off Ifired the second shot:

through a berm, in front of the tank, a hull shot. Then, a guy in black jumped in the driver's hole

and started it. There was just enough time to see the white puff as the engine started and the

tank began to move. Red-3 put a shot square in the turret, causing immediate 'secondaries'.

Good section gunnery. It was almost like the Iraqis tried to adapt Soviet tactics to 'technicals',

like a Combat Recon Patrol. It wasn 't working out too wellfor them."

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Tiger used air to continue to hammer the forces on the other side of the bridges. Captain

Anthony Muralt, Delta Company's FAC recalls the response of one Cobra pilot when asked for

BDA as, "too much to get an accurate count on." According to the British teams working with

Tiger (receiving battle damage via cell phone), eight to ten tanks, twenty to thirty trucks/SUVs,

and three APCs were destroyed in these strikes.

Also on the morning of 22 March, Tanks captured a group of Iraqi soldiers dressed in

civilian clothes, one of whom was alleged to be the Commanding General of the 51St Mechanized

Division. (This was the first of many times the 'commander' of the 515t

was reported captured,

as the confusing Iraqi rank structure and multiple Regime agencies on the battlefield resulted in a

large number of captured Iraqi General Officers.) Among this group's possessions were

weapons and uniforms in bags identifying them as Republican Guardsmen, and a white powder

substance in a sealed bag with instructions in Arabic for the employment of anthrax. A Sensitive

Site Exploitation team was brought in to test the contents. Although tests revealed the powder

was not anthrax, RCT-7 remained vigilant and prepared to encounter WMD. As 1t Tank

Battalion began its displacement to the north, mortar rounds began to fall on their position.

Lieutenant Popielski and his TOW platoon, while covering the command group's move, were

attacked by an RPG team. The vehicle closest to the attacker, a HMMWV (TOW-variant)

responded with the only weapon system available, a TOW missile. The missile was erratic, but

successfully scared the attackers off. The TOW platoon quickly attacked south and destroyed

several additional weapons caches. Upon relief by the UK's 7th Armoured Brigade, Tiger moved

to its Assembly Areas (AA5) in preparation for the march west. Upon anival in the AA, all

battalion elements refueled and began catching what sleep they could.

The battle to isolate Al

Basrah was largely concluded by

midday on 22 March. At BIA,

the focus for 3/4 shifted to

logistical operations and the RIP,

which was planned to take place

immediately after the Marines

secured the area. The First

Fusiliers, of the 7th Armour

Brigade, 1St U.K. Division,

wasted no time in settling into

positions and making the

transition. Elements of 3/4

consolidated in the vicinity of the

RCT-7 Main CP and conducted

resupply operations throughout

the night in preparation for

Captured Iraqi Regular Army Officers. movement. By this time, fatigue

began to play a dominating role,

as exhaustion from over two days

of continuous combat operations

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An Iraqi traffic jam. It was not uncommon to see droves of camels or former Iraqi soldiers in civilian clothing

walking alongside Marine convoys.

made the relatively simple tasks of road marches, link-ups, and refueling operations very

difficult. It took Kilo Company, for example, many additional and frustrating hours in a black

night to navigate out through British defenses at BIA and find the battalion's resupply point. The

Marines were very ready to settle into an assembly area to rest and refit.

Many enemy vehicles were destroyed and personnel were captured during this first

operation. In the largest capture of the day, First Lieutenant John Dyer accepted the surrender of

64 EPWs at a location near the Main CP where suspected rocket fire had come from. The party

was surprised when one of the vehicles that was found at the location was an armored persoimel

carrier with the red crescent symbol

painted on it (the Iraqi equivalent to

the Red Cross), but with an 82mm

mortar mounted and ready to fire in

the back. As anticipated, Marines

would encounter this tactic

repeatedly in the coming weeks.

Schools, mosques, and hospitals

were some of the protected-status

sites used to store vast quantities of

ammunition and weapons. In

the garrisons of the Iraqi RA,

Marines found functional enemy

equipment simply abandoned.

RCT-7 had embedded a British

Army Major Liaison Officer (LNO),

Major Andy Flay, into its staff in late First Marine Division moves west along Route Tampa toward February to facilitate coordination the Euphrates River.

172
with the 7th Armoured Brigade of the lS UK Division ('Desert Rats'). The RIP began close to

first light, as the 7th Brigade staff co-located its CP with the Ripper Main, to ensure coordination.

As with the 7th RHA, the 3d RHA was already in their firing positions, and seamlessly picked up

the fight where th Marines left it. Additionally, the British Signals Intelligence Units were

already in-place, having gained an appreciation of the signals environment by crossing the LD

with Marine Radio Battalion elements. The RIP of units in the RCT-7 zone took place from

south to north and then west to east. The 'Black Watch' Regiment assumed 3/7's positions at

Shuaybah barracks and 1/7's positions at Az Zubayr. The 'Royal Fusiliers' Regiment relieved

3/4 at BIA. The RIP took most of the day to complete, with RCT-7 units, one by one, pushing

west to set up in a new AA. By 1 948Z, the Brits and TF Ripper completed the relief in place,

and RCT-7 was on the move. CSSC-117 established RRPs for each of the battalions as they

withdrew toward Highway 8. Once replenished, RCT-7 consolidated in Tactical Assembly Area

Seven (TAA-7), and prepared to follow the rest of the Division's movement west along Highway

8 toward An Nasiriyah.

23 March

Blue Diamond Maintains the Tempo

The RIP with the 1st UK Division was complete, and the Division now looked only to the

west. The cohesive relationship cultivated between 1st Marine Division and their comrades in

the 1st UK Division — developed over weeks of close coordination at all command levels — had

allowed for a timely and seamless RIP. There was a tremendous lifting of a burden for staff

officers in every unit, and a firm sense of confidence on the part of the Marines. For months,

they had trained for the missions in South Rumaylah and near Al Basrah. They had pored over

maps, reviewed imagery, and memorized every detail of the terrain and enemy situation. They

had visualized how they would execute the attack, each man preparing himself to perform under

fire. Now all of these issues had been settled. The tremendous success enjoyed by the Marines

in seizing the strategic oil infrastructure intact was now fact. The performance of these Marines,

most in combat for the first time, was proven. In dozens of different units, Marines spent quiet

minutes contemplating their victory. Soon, however, Staff NCOs across the Division were

coming down the line shouting that it was time to move out again.

The Division accomplished

some important tasks during this

brief respite. With Secretary of

Defense authority, the CG

frocked Colonel John F. Kelly,

the Assistant Division

Commander (ADC), to the grade

of Brigadier General at the

Division Forward COC located

in the South Rumaylah oil fields.

The last known promotion of a

Marine Brigadier General in an

active combat zone was that of

an earlier 1St Marine Division

Colonel Kelly, P' Marine Division's ADC, is promoted to Brigadier

General in the vicinity ofAz Zubayr.

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ADC — then Colonel Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller in Korea.

Elements of 3d AA Battalion were in control of the western bridge site over the Euphrates

River. The rest of the Division started to approach the crossing, passing through the Task Force

Tarawa battlespace along MSR Tampa. 3d AA Battalion established traffic control points to

speed the movement. The Division soon neared the 'hourglass', that key chokepoint south of An

Nasiriyah that had been the subject of so many sand table exercises, Lego Drills, and Jersey

Drills. Getting the 1st Marine Division through this chokepoint rapidly would become the new

priority of effort.

While most of the

Division's combat power

moved along the Highway 1

and Highway 8 corridors to

the west side of An

Nasiriyah, the Marines of

R.CT-1 began planning for

their own crossing. RCT-1

was prepared to accomplish a

variety of missions, and

staged at the rear of the

Division's column waiting its

turn at the eastern bridge.

The RCT was prepared,

however, to move directly

through the An Nasiriyah Objects in mirror are larger than they appear. Embedded reporters area to reach Hi hwa 7 to moved alongside Marines as they approached the Euphrates. g ' the north, if the enemy

situation allowed it.

At the western bridge, the

Lego and Jersey drills had

only partially prepared the

Division for the tremendous

backlog of men and

equipment trying to make

their way across the river.

Under the eyes of the TMCC, 8th Engineer Support

Battalion engineers worked

diligently to improve the

approaches to the two bridges

at the site. The TMCC Marines captured this bridge over the Euphrates, supporting the rapid . . movement of mechanized and armored forces across the river. Marines tried to keep the site

clear. Lieutenant Colonel

Abbott described the scene

174
that awaited his Marines at the crossing site:

"Marine columns of vehicles were heading north on both sides of highways 1 and 8. On the

west side of An Nasiriyah a huge traffic jam was backing up at the river. It seems that the 6-8

paved lanes were going down to one dirt road trying to scrape across one unfinished bridge to

continue up highway 1. Headquarters Battalion 's MP Company was on the scene, prioritizing

movement, per the Division Ground Transportation Order (GTO). Tempers were high, as every

commander was hot to get into the fight across the Euphrates River. Clearly the sense of

urgency and the tactical situation

would not tolerate the bottleneck.

The MP Company was quickly

reinforced with the Tactical

Movement Coordination Center

(TMCC) and more Marines from

the 3d AA Battalion Combat

Trains. An artillery D7

bulldozer was coaxed off its

trailer and the operator made

short work of a high berm that

was blocking traffic. Marine

engineers were already at work

repairing the ramped approaches

up to and down from the large

The old construction bridge over the Euphrates. Light vehicles heavy vehicle bridge on the right

crossed this bridge while armored vehicles crossed the new bridge, side. There was a smalle,;

fragile bridge to the left that was

inexplicably not being used at all. The AA Battalion commander used the 'method of

bridge classUlcation and drove across. Sergeant Danny Hamler asked, "What does 'TLAR' stand

for?" He was told, "That Looks About Right. If the bridge doesn't hold the Hummer, than we

won't use it anymore." It held the weight and was deemed good enough. The TMC Marines ran

engineer tape and concertina wire to create two lanes up to the two bridges. All Hummers were

routed left and everything else went to the right. After about two hours offrenzied activity and

pandemonium, traffic really started moving smoothly without delay."

The recently completed Highway 1 Bridge itself was an impressive structure, rising high

above the river, but the approaches to the bridge were unfinished. The concrete bridge

abutments dropped off steeply onto the dirt approaches. With Lieutenant Colonel Abbott's

Marines looking on, Marine engineers worked rapidly to fill in the 'step' on either end of the

new bridge, while light vehicles used the adjacent construction bridge. Getting the engineers to

the water's edge through the tightly congested traffic was tough. From the southern bank,

Division Marines watched the reduction of this last obstacle to forward progress. Over the

previous months, Marines of the Division had (via imagery) 'watched' this bridge as it slowly

grew across the river. The Marines had cheered the progress of the Iraqi engineers all the way

from Camp Pendleton months before the attack. When the Division's plans were originally

formulated, there was only a small construction bridge at this spot. Now, more than a year later,

the small construction bridge was still there, but the shiny new concrete monster next to it

175
dwarfed it. Every day that the attack had drawn nearer, Marines of the Division joked that it

would sure be a shame for the Iraqis to destroy the new bridge now, after having spent to much

time building it. Inexplicably, both bridges had been captured intact, and now all that remained

was for the Division to work its way through the inevitable traffic delays it had foreseen in

getting across the Euphrates

River.

While the engineers

worked to get the bridge site

fully operational, units from

across the zone began to

queue up for their crossing of

the Euphrates. The last of the

Division's combat units had

disengaged from the 1st UK

Division's new zone, and the

Division Forward CP was the

last to leave. The Division

Forward CP, however, would

have to be one of the first

units across the Euphrates at A typical mud-walled family farm in Southern Iraq. Small compounds like

the western bridge to these housed large families or clan groups.

maintain the Division's

operational tempo. Starting

on the far eastern side of the Division as it spread out across southern Iraq, the Division Forward

CP displaced from Az Zubayr, and rushed across the entirety of the Division battlespace to take

its place behind 3d LAR in the column. The Forward CP would eventually set up 30 km north of

"As I'm riding past a crowd of people who are waving cheering despite the fact that we

have weapons pointed at them I'm struck by the fact that I am, for some reason or another

trusted by peoples that have never seen me, don 't share my language, customs, or religious

beliefs, and know nothing about me except that I'm from the United States ofAmerica."

- Corporal Deymond Lashley

Weapons Platoon, 1 3/5

the River to allow the Division Main to leapfrog forward. This preplanned repositioning of

Division command and control elements forward was critical to sustaining momentum

throughout the campaign, and it was a especially a tribute to the communications Marines who

were able to continually support these long-distance leapfrog movements without loss of

communications. Their ability to do so was the result of careful planning and preparation by the

Division G-6, Colonel Nick Petronzio, who had faced similar challenges during the last Gulf

War (when he had been the G-6 Operations Officer for the 2d Marine Division.)

As the convoys of the Division continued their way west, dozens, and then hundreds of Iraqi

young men in civilian clothes, most with only combat boots or no shoes at all, were seen walking

176