page_title: Task Force 1-41 Infantry
section_title: Formation
hierarchical_section_title: Task Force 1-41 Infantry / History / Formation
caption_attribution_description: English: Battery C, 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Division(FWD) moves into position to conduct fire missions during the Battle of Norfolk, February 1991.
context_page_description: Task Force 1-41 Infantry was a U.S. Army heavy battalion task force which took part in the Gulf War of January – March 1991. Task Force 1-41 Infantry was the first coalition force to breach the Saudi Arabian border on 15 February 1991 and conduct ground combat operations in Iraq engaging in direct and indirect fire fights with the enemy on 17 February 1991. It was the spearhead of VII Corps. It consisted primarily of the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, and the 4th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment all being part of the 2nd Armored Division, based at Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, 24 kilometres north of Bremen, in the Federal Republic of Germany. Task Force 1-41 was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James L. Hillman.
context_section_description: The 2nd Armored Division (Forward) arrived in Saudi Arabia in early January 1991, with 1-41 Infantry arriving on 8 January.
  After arrival in Saudi Arabia, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry, was task organized (effectively merged in parts) with 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment. This 'task organization', routine before combat, was designed to ensure that infantry and armour were present in balanced organizations so that they could provide mutual support. The task force's higher headquarters, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division, was itself attached to the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) to make up for a missing brigade of that division. The brigade became known as Task Force Iron. It would become the spearhead of VII Corps.
  The 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment was equipped with M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and formed part of the 2nd Armored Division (Forward). The other combat battalions of the brigade were the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 66th Armor Regiment (equipped with M1A1 Abrams tanks) and the 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (equipped with M109 howitzers). During exercises the battalion regularly exchanged combat elements with the other combat units in the division, with B company of 3-66 Armor being frequently attached to 1-41 Infantry.
  After receiving their equipment and moving to a forward area near the border with Iraq, 1-41 Infantry and 3-66 Armor exchanged companies on 31 January to task organize for combat; A and D companies of 1-41 Infantry were attached to 3-66 Armor, and the infantry battalion received A and B companies of 3-66 Armor. Task Force 1-41 also comprised two companies of engineers, a platoon from the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment and a fire support element from the 4-3 FA. While technically not part of the Task Force, ten U.S. Army Special Forces ODAs performed reconnaissance operations for the Task Force and other elements of VII Corps. 4-3 FA relied on its Field Artillery Advance Party Teams to perform its reconnaissance operations.
caption: Battery C, 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Division(FWD) moves into position to conduct fire missions during the Battle of Norfolk, February 1991.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "MG6100 series", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "MP Navigator EX 4.0", "Image DateTime": "2011:01:02 05:28:49", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "210", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "452", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "2800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:01:02 05:28:49", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2552", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3160", "EXIF FileSource": "Reflection Print Scanner", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto"}