2003 attack on Karbala The 2003 attack on Karbala was an unsuccessful strike on the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Division by the U . S . 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq . The Medina Division was mostly deployed along the Karbala gap , west of the city of Karbala itself . The Iraqi Division was targeted as it was the best equipped Iraqi unit , and its destruction would negatively affect Iraqi military morale . The Medina Division sustained only limited damage during the engagement , and it is considered Iraq ' s only victory of the invasion . The defeat for the Americans resulted in one AH - 64 Apache being shot down intact . The two pilots were captured and shown on television along with the helicopter . Pentagon officials stated the captured Apache was destroyed via airstrike the following day , while Iraqi officials claimed a farmer with a Brno rifle shot down the Apache , who denied any involvement after the invasion . Background . Iraqi morale was riding high after putting up stiff resistance at the Battle of Nasiriyah . The U . S . sought to continue the shock and awe campaign by crippling the elite Medina Republican Guard division , thus demoralizing the enemy . In the aftermath of the Gulf War , the Iraqis learned from the no fly zones over their country . The threat of small arms fire from Iraqi soldiers was gravely underestimated by the U . S . attack helicopters participating in the attack . Difficulties . The AH - 64 Apache s of the U . S . Army ' s 11th Regiment , 3rd Infantry Division , faced several problems before the operation . The terrain around Baghdad was not desert , but an urban environment caused by urban sprawl . Experience from the Battle of Mogadishu of 1993 showed helicopters were extremely vulnerable over urban areas . In addition , the urban area still had electricity as infrastructure had been spared to hasten post - war recovery . Intelligence was inadequate . The information on the enemy ' s disposition was sketchy , forcing the helicopters to search the target area themselves . Some targets , like 30 T - 72 s , were actually not present at all . Finally , an accelerated timetable caused coordination issues . The Third Infantry Division moved ahead of schedule , causing the mission to be pushed up 24 hours . Suppression of enemy air defences occurred to the accelerated schedule even though the Apaches were not yet ready . The Apaches arrived only after a three hour delay ; the fighter - bombers had left the area by then and the helicopters were without support . The three hour interval allowed Iraqi air defences to recover . Engagement . The 31 AH - 64 Apaches of the American 11th Regiment took off from Rams Base . One crashed immediately after takeoff when its pilot became disoriented . As they turned north toward Karbala , signals intelligence picked up over 50 Iraqi cell phone calls alerting the enemy ' s forward units of the Apaches . As the strike neared Karbala , the Iraqis signaled their troops to open fire by turning off and then , a few second later , on the area ' s lights . Ground troops , having recovered from the suppression air strike , opened up with small arms and other weapons . Lieutenant Jason King , pilot of Apache " Palerider 16 " , was hit by AK - 47 fire in the neck and suffered a severe hemorrhage , but he never lost consciousness . He was later evacuated to Germany for surgery , but returned to his unit a few weeks later . The Apaches were reluctant to return fire ; most enemy fire was coming from houses and the risk of collateral damage was high . The helicopters scattered in search of the Medina Division , but were hampered by poor intelligence . Apache " Vampire 12 " , flown by Warrant Officers David S . Williams and Ronald D . Young Jr . , was forced down after gunfire severed the hydraulics . The air commander ' s radio was also hit , preventing communication with the other helicopters . The Apaches turned for home after a half - hour of combat . Most were without functioning navigation equipment or sights . At least two narrowly avoided a mid - air collision . Post - battle analysis indicated the American gunships were targeted in a deliberately planned ambush with cannon fire , RPGs , and small - arms all combining from multiple camouflaged fireteams . Aftermath . Of the 29 returning Apaches , all but one suffered serious damage . On average , each Apache had 15 - 20 bullet holes ; one Apache even took 29 hits . Sixteen main rotor blades , six tail blades , six engines and five drive shafts were damaged beyond repair . In one squadron only a single helicopter was deemed fit to fly . It took a month until the 11th Regiment was ready to fight again . The casualties sustained by the Apaches induced a change of tactics by placing significant restrictions on their use . Attack helicopters would now be used to reveal the location of enemy troops , allowing them to be destroyed by artillery and air strikes . Thomas E . White , the U . S . Secretary of the Army , felt disappointed by the outcome of the battle , quipping " we were very fortunate we didn ' t lose more aircraft . "