page_title: Battle of 73 Easting
section_title: 74 Easting and beyond
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of 73 Easting / 74 Easting and beyond
caption_attribution_description: English: The desert lights up with burning Iraqi Type 69 tanks after an attack by the 1st United Kingdom Armored Division during Operation Desert Storm.
context_page_description: The Battle of 73 Easting was fought on 26 February 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between the armoured forces of the United States as well as the 1st Armoured Division of the United Kingdom and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard and its Tawakalna Division. It was named for a UTM north-south coordinate line in the featureless desert that was used as a phase line to measure progress of the offensive as they were going through what the Iraqis thought was trackless desert. The battle was later described in a documentary as "the last great tank battle of the 20th century." This battle took place several hours after another, smaller, tank battle known as the Battle of Al Busayyah.
  The main U.S. unit in the battle was the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, a 4,500 man reconnaissance and security element assigned to VII Corps. It consisted of three ground squadrons, an aviation squadron, and a support squadron. Each ground squadron was made up of three cavalry troops, a tank company, a self-propelled howitzer battery, and a headquarters troop. Each troop comprised 120 soldiers, 12–13 M3 Bradley fighting vehicles and nine M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks.
context_section_description: By 22:30, the battle at 2nd ACR's front, at 74 Easting, was ending with most of the engaged Iraqi elements burning or destroyed as the 1st Infantry Division began its forward passage of lines. The 1st Infantry Division passed through the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment's line in total darkness and continued to advance on Objective Norfolk, an area encompassing the intersection of the IPSA Pipeline Road, several desert trails, and a large Iraqi supply depot. Now, instead of three armored cavalry squadrons, the Iraqi 18th and 37th Armored Brigades faced six heavy battalions of American tanks and infantry fighting vehicles and another six battalions of 155 mm field artillery. At approximately 23:30, yet another encounter took place: Lt Colonel Taylor Jones's 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor, ran into an Iraqi tank battalion equipped with T-55s. As before, the Iraqis did not run or surrender, but manned their vehicles and weapons to face the advancing Americans. Initially, many American units advanced past Iraqi tanks and crews, who were in shelters or had not yet turned on their engines and so did not appear to be threats in the American crew's thermal sights.
  A slightly disoriented Bradley platoon, attempting to follow the M1 tanks, moved across the front of these Iraqi positions, illuminated by burning vehicles behind them. The Iraqis took advantage of this excellent target and opened fire from three directions. The initial volley hit a Bradley, killing three American soldiers. An American tank company trailing the lead units observed the Iraqi fire and joined the melee, quickly destroying three T-55s before they could get off another shot. At the same time, several small antitank rockets hit the Bradley platoon. From the perspective of the tank gunners looking through the thermal sights of the approaching M1 tanks, these flashes appeared to be T-55 tanks shooting at them. The young and exhausted American gunners, convinced they were fighting against a determined enemy, opened fire and hit three more Bradleys. The brigade commander, Colonel David Weisman, decided to pull the battalions back, consolidate, and use his artillery to destroy the aggressive Iraqi infantry.
caption: Burning Iraqi Type 69 tanks after an attack by British troops from the 1st Armoured Division during Operation Desert Storm
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