page_title: Battle of Phase Line Bullet
section_title: Surprising contact
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Phase Line Bullet / Surprising contact
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Одна бригада американской 3-й бронетанковой дивизии находилась на севере Саудовской Аравии при подготовке вторжения в Ирак во время войны в Персидском заливе, в феврале 1991 года.English: One Brigade of the U.S. 3rd Armored Division masses in northern Saudi Arabia in preparation for the invasion of Iraq during the Gulf War, February 1991.
context_page_description: The Battle of Phase Line Bullet was one of a series of clashes which led to the destruction of the Tawakalna Iraqi Republican Guard Division, on the 26 February 1991, by a simultaneous attack of the 1st and 3rd armoured divisions, the 1st Infantry Division, and the 2nd Armoured Cavalry Regiment.
  The battle was one of the rare examples of an American armoured force being repulsed by a screen of Iraqi entrenched infantry, APCs, and Iraqi T-72 tanks during Desert Storm. The incident also involved American friendly fire casualties.
context_section_description: At 03:00pm, the reconnaissance troop of 14 Bradleys received information from the GHQ of the 3rd Armoured Division that no enemy unit remained between them and the Kuwaiti border. Suddenly, they found a screen line of Iraqi APCs straight ahead, barely 300 metres (330 yd) to the east. The poor weather, along with burning oil fumes, reduced the visibility conditions to almost zero. The enemy screen line was part of the 9th Armored Brigade of Tawakalna Division. 
  A burst of small-arms and heavy machine gunfire, RPGs and Sagger missiles erupted.  Initially, the American commander thought they were engaging dismounted infantry supported by BMPs, but later he realized that they were also receiving main-gun tank rounds. The US vehicles retaliated by firing TOW missiles, 25 mm cannon and machine guns. The contact lasted for about two hours, until the Bradleys, battered by enemy and friendly fire and running out of ammunition, were forced to withdraw.
  American M1 Abrams tanks from TF 4-34, positioned in the rear echelon, fired in support of the IFVs, destroying at least one T-72 and several Iraqi APCs. They also hit three Bradleys (A-24, A-31 and A-22), causing two American deaths. The 2 ACR also became entangled in the fighting from the rear right.
  Another Bradley (A-36) was first disabled by a 12.7 mm round from an NSVT heavy machine gun which penetrated the transmission and later shattered by a large caliber shaped charge impact in the turret's front. Bradley A-35 also took some damage from a mix of ricocheting 12.7 mm bursts and indirect fire, but was able to drive out, while A-33 suffered two injured and its radio station hit by 12.7 mm fire. During the process of rescuing casualties from A-24, Bradley A-26, commanded by Sergeant Major Ronald Sneed, was near-missed by a T-72 main round, which spattered the vehicle with splinters. While providing cover for A-21 who was attempting to assess the situation with A-36, Bradley A-22, commanded by Staff Sergeant Meyers, was struck in the turret by an M-1 tank from TF 4-34, killing one of the crew. The gunner of A-24 was also killed by a tank round fired by a friendly tank.
  The disabled A-22, A-36 and A-24 were left abandoned on the battleground, while A-31, although heavily damaged, was able to pull back. All the remainder Bradleys were raked by machine gun fire and shell splinters, but they remained operational.
caption: Tanks from 3rd Armored Division Brigade along the Line of Departure
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