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1026
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PUBLICATIONS COMPANY
Copyright © 1992 by CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO, 603-609 Castle Peak Road Kong Nom Industrial Building lO/F, B1, Tsuen Wan New Territories, Hong Kong All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Concord Publications Co, We welcome authors who can help expand our range of books, If you would like to submit material, please feel free to contact us, We are always on the look-out for new, unpublished photos for this series, If you have photos or slides or information you feel may be useful to future volumes, please send them to us for possible future publication, Full photo credits will be given upon publication, ISBN 962-361-026-2
Printed in Hong Kong
Front Cover An M1A 1(HA) of the regiment. Take note of the new style of tracks. The 3rd ACR received their M1 A 1s only hours before the ground war started. The crews of these two vehicles are pointing in the air at attacking U.S. aircraft. (Anderson)
Back Cover This unit of the 3rd ACR marches through ticker tape parade held in Dallas, Texas on the 4th of July, 1991. (Dasing)
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On the 7th of August, 1990 the bugles were blown , the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was alerted for de ployment to Saudi Arabia to take part in Operation Desert Shield (Concord #2003 Operation Desert Shield). The 3rd ACR ,based at FT. BLISS in west Texas next to EI Paso was quite used to the desert. While not in the northern Ch ihuahuan desert the regiment would be training in the Mojave desert of southern California where the National Training Center is located. However the 3rd ACR found out that the Saudi Arabian desert was totally different from the west Texas or Californian desert and over there they would face an enemy that had been seasoned from fighting desert warfare since 1979. At that t ime the Regimental Commander was Col. Douglas Starr. Before the deployment the 3rd ACR was about a 3,900 - man regiment operating at 85 percent strength. By the time the regiment was ready to move out they were at full operational strength of 4,272 soldiers. When the orders came for deployment the 3rd ACR was in the process of rail load ing their vehicles for deployment to FT. IRWIN (N .T.C.) and alltheyhadtodowasto change their destination to the Port of Beaumont on the Texas south ern coast. With their veh icles tied down on rail cars and not available for training or gunnery, the soldiers spent the time remaining at FT. BLISS working on other basic skills like marksmanship, first aid and N.B.C. training . There was still a major logistical issue that must be settled before the trains left FT. BLISS. Should the regiment receive its live tank ammunition and T.O .W. anti-armor missiles at FT. BLISS, or wa it fo r the munitions to be delivered to the regiment once it arrived in Saudi Arabia? Col. Starr and other 3rd ACR staff officers, felt the regiment should travel with its ammuni tion, ready to fight as soon as the tanks rolled off the transport ships. Analysis showed that the ammunition would get to FT. BLISS in time to load the tank and other AFVs shortly before the trai ns w e re due to depart FT. BLISS, the soldiers of the regiment were greeted by several convoys of trucks ,loaded with 1-1/2 million pounds of ammunition . The Defense Department granted waivers for ship ping the hazardous materials, the troops loaded ammo and other supplies on 13 trains carrying 2,160 pieces of equ ipment. The trains departed FT. BLISS between 21-29
August, 1990 for the port of Beaumont. Preparations had to be made in order for the vehicles of the 3rd ACR to be made seaworthy. Vehicles were prepared for shipping by taping windows , removing flammable items and draining fuel tanks . The regiment loaded on six ships which departed the port of Beaumont on the following dates: 1. Gu lf Banker, 1 September, 1990 2. Ashly Lykes , 1 September, 1990 3. Cape Horn , 4 September, 1990 4. Gulf Trader, 4 September, 1990 5. Cape Ducato , 6 September, 1990 6. Honduras, 8 September, 1990 The Gulf Banke r transloaded onto the American Condor in Jacksonville, FL. due to maintena nce difficul ties. Three weeks later, the ships began to arrive at the Saudi Arabian port of AL JUBAYL. Two more weeks fol lowed before the last of the ships would arrive. Soldiers of the 3rd ACR began arriving between September 19th and October 3rd , 18 aircraft in all flew 4,272 troops from FT. BLISS to Saudi Arabia. Organization
Upon arrival, the regiment washoused in fourdockside warehouses w hi le unload ing its vehicles. The regiment spent the next few weeks (Sept 20 - Oct 15) assembling atthe port site. The 3rd ACR was assigned to the XVIII (18) Airborne Corps which was a total surprise to the reg iment who had always been associated with III Corps located at FT. HOOD, TEXAS, Working with the XVIII Airborne Corps was indeed a new challenge . The surprise continued , upon arrival to Saudi Arabia, the regiment was informed by the XVIII Airborne Corps Commander Lt. Gen . Gary Luck that the 3rd ACR was being attached to the 24th Infantry Division (mechanized) at the part of AL JUBAYL. For the record armored cavalry regiments usually work independently as a self contained fighting unit. Desert Shield
On the 22nd of October, 1990,the 3rd ACR wastaken from the 241D. (mech .) and made a subordinate com mand of the XVIII Airborne Co rps, by that time the 3rd ACR had almost completed its move from the port of AL JUBAYL to the Saudi Arabian town of AN NU 'AYRIYAH . The 3rd ACR was positioned in the strategic town of
AN NU'AVRIVAH becausetheattacking IraqiArmywould have to travel southeast down tapeline road until they reached AN NU'AVRIVAH. At that time the Iraqis would be able to decide to go on or not, in which they had not chosen this route after all because of the U,S. and coalition forces didn't give them time to make a major decision, When the 3rd ACR reached its defensive line in Saudi Arabia the 24 I.D. Cmech.) felt a bit of relief be cause up until the arrival of the regiment, the only heavy armor in Saudi Arabia was those of the 24 I.D. Cmech .) whom still had the standard M1 (105mm) lacking the necessary firepower that was needed. The 3rd ACR, on the other hand, was equipped with M1A 1's that could handle any major Iraqi threat. The regiment was re positioned In early December to the Saudi town of ASH SHU' BAH (known as Camp Cactus) located some 560km northwest of AN NU'AVRIVAH. First contact with the enemy It was during a scouting mission when elements of the 3rd ACR first encountered the Iraqi Army, and the first U.S. troops to engage in combat and also take Iraqi POW's.
The action occurred on the afternoon of January 22nd, 1991 when 3rd Pit, I Troop, 3rd Sqn. and 'rhe commander of the 3rd ACR Col. Starr came upon a Saudi Border Patrol unltflghting a reinforced Iraqi platoon sized unit. At that time they had taken a small number of Iraqi prisoners of war. During the skirmish, only two U,S, troops were slightly wounded. The next engagement with the Iraqi Army wouldn't come for another month. During that time the 3rd ACR continued to train and run screening missions on the Iraqi border. Finally the word had come the 3rd ACR was being relieved by elements of the 101 st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the 24 I.D, (mech.), it was time forthe regiment to begin swapping (trading) all of its M 1A l' sand M3A 1 cavalry fighting vehicles for the new and more heavily armored M 1A 1(HA) and M3A2 Bradley's. The M 1A 1 Heavy has improved survivability through its heavier armor made with depleted uranium and bigger tank tracks for improved maneuverability. All of the Iraqi AFV's with Chinese or Soviet origin were proved to be no match for the M 1A l' s, The M3A2 Bradley has improved armor and an Improved fire control system and new tracks for better maneuverability. The 3rd Sqn. was the last unit to swap out Its tanks, only 36 hours before the start of the ground war.
Breaching the berm - the war begins
At 7a.m. February 22nd, 1991, after a 14 minute artillery barrage on Iraqi positions along the border, vehicles of the 2nd Sqn. breached the eight foot berm and entered Iraqi soil. The 2nd Sqn, drove 40km into Iraq without any resistance and returned by 3p.m. Mean while, the 43rd Engineer company equipped with the M9(ACE) and the M728(CEV) made 73 holes in the berm for the vehicles of the regiment to pass through. On the morning of February 24th, Col. Starr got a call from the XVIII Airborne Corps asking when he could be ready to attack, The word came about twenty minutes later that he would begin his decent into Iraq around 3p.m. that afternoon, The regiment advanced into Iraq with the 2nd Sqn. on the left and the 1st Sqn. on the right and the 3rd followed in the rear keeping track of the regiments boundary lines while coordinating with the 241. D. (mech.) and the 1st U.S. Armored Division, They moved through the Iraqi countryside during the night finding out how difficult night maneuvers can really be. At times platoons lost contact with their troop and troops with their squad rons, if they would have encountered any opposition that night it could have been a real challenge. The next day (Feb . 25th) the regiment had traveled same 80km into Iraq, before halting for refueling and to regain some type of composition. On February 26th, the regiment which had been placed back under the control of the 24 I.D. (mech.), advanced to and occupied a location In the desert east of the Saudi town of AL BUSAVVAH where It refueled. After a couple of hours the regiment moved east, two squadrons abreast and one in reserve as they had done before, this time the objective was AL BUSAVVAH N.E. airfield. Following a brief artillery barrage the 3rd Sqn. attacked the airfield while the 2nd Sqn. scouted forthe enemy. Upon arrival to the airfield the 3rd Sqn. found it to be deserted. The regiments next target was a gas-oil separation plant at Qalib AI Luhays, about 75km norrh-east of AL BUSAVVAH, in the southernmost portion of the regiments sector. The attack was launched with the 2nd Sqn. coming down from the north whole the 3rd Sqn. seized the airfield to the west of the separation plant. The 1st Sqn. advanced from the south through a minefield. Later that day Etroop, 2nd Sqn. began taking heavy weapons fire from a series of Iraqi bunkers. The 'rroop returned fire with 120mm tank rounds and 25mm
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Bradley chain-gun rounds, destroying one Iraqi truck and killing several Iraqi soldiers. At 7:30a.m. on February 28th, 1991 the regiment received word that a cease-fire would take affect at 8a.m. Two hours later word came for the regiment to move out to secure a downed UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, a medivac one. It was shot down about 20km east of the regiment's position, close to the AR RUMAYLAH airfield under the control of Iraqi forces (Tawakaina Mech . Div. and the Nebuccnezzer Div. of the Republican Guards). As an M 1A 1 mineplough was breaching a chain link fence surrounding the airfield several ZSU-23-4's opened up on Etroop , and were quickly destroyed by 20 or more Bradley's having a hey day on the Iraqi vehicles. The Bradley's only live fire 1 or 2 times a year so the crew members really took advantage of a live target. "It was quite a firepower demonstration ." Moments later E troop encountered small arms and RPG fire that was quickly suppressed by the fire from M 1A1's & M3A2's. Then they began to receive tank fire from Iraqi T-55 and other dug in vehicles of the Republi can Guard. A couple of the ZPU's and T-55's were taken out by the 120mm rounds of the M 1A l' s. Shortly after the brief firefight the Iraqi soldiers started emerging from fo x holes and bunkers. The battle was over in 20 minutes, when the smoke cleared the Iraqi loss was quite heavy that day with over 50 vehicles knocked out and 165 E.P.W.'s captured. Upon inspection of the area numer ous bunkers with ammunition of all types, including artil lery rounds, small arms, AAA and aviation rockets were discovered. The 3rd ACR fought a war in Southwest Asia and never lost a life in combat, some would say that would be a miracle but others say that's what hard training in the hot Texas desert does to a soldier and it is how "Brave Rifles" are made. Redeployment to home station:
The 3rd ACRs redeployment began on 10th March 91. The regiments tracked vehicles were transported, in the same fashion as Desert Caravan, from TAA CACTUS to the port of AL JUBAYL. The 3rd ACR conducted port operations from 10th-30th March, loading eight ships total. The regiment, being the first XVIII Corps unit desig nated to redeploy, faced several problems stemming from the hastily assembled redeployment plan. Lack of an established infrastructure, needed to wash the 1,800+
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vehicles, sustain life support, and questions over customs inspection standards hampered the redeployment ef fort, however as these problems were overcome the process became more efficient. Lessons learned from being the first unitto undergo redeployment were passed on to follow on units. The airflow of personnel out of theater occurred simultaneously with port operations. Over 3,600 personnel departed in a period of 96 hours, leaving over 1,000 personnel to complete the port op erations. By 5th April 91, the last remaining personnel arrived at Biggs Army Airfield, FT. BLISS, TX for a reception they will never forget. At that time the regiment was detached from the XVIII Airborne Corps and returned to the control of the III Mobile Armored Corps. I would like to thank the following people for making this book possible: 1. FREDDIE LEUNG 2. TONY CHIN 3. S.F.C. RICK (HAVE A BETIER DAY!) HUNT 4. S.SGT COLYER 5. MICKIE MILLER 6. S.SGT KEVIN DASING 7. MAJOR JIM ANDERSON 8. HEADQUARTERS 3rd ACR 9. JEFF BRUSTLE 10. CPT. JIM SILSBY Photo Credits S.F.C. HUNT
MAJOR ANDERSON
SSG COLYER
SSG DASING
SSG SANDERS
SSG MOSER
SGT KLANG
SPC LAI\JG
SPC SCARUFFI
PFC LANGEN
Troops of the 3rd ACR are being loaded onto Saudi buses for the trip to Camp Manley, Saudi Arabian buses were used to transport U,S, troops due to shortages of U,S, vehicles, (Oasing)
Oct, 10th, 1990 Saudi port of ALJUBAYL,an M1A1 of the 3rd ACR uploading , The port of AL JUBAYL was one ofthe larger ports that was capable of handling larger loads, (Oasing)
This M1A1 at Camp Manley receiving a fresh set of hubs, The 3rdACR was the first unitto arrive in Saudi Arabia equipped with the more powerful M 1A 1, (Oasing)
An M3A 1 Bradley being pushed by another. Notice the first M3A 1 is missing its right track. The tracks on some Bradleys were removed in order for the AFV's crews to practice busting through berms. (Hunt)
An M88A1 from a 3rd ACR support unit is in the process of pulling a pack. The M88A 1 has been in use for 20 years by the U.S. military. (Dasing)
Looking through a TOW sight at another Bradley. The Bradley is equipped with an I.S.U. (Thermal-imaging Integrated Sight Unit) that allows the crew members to seek out and destroy its enemy under any circumstances. (Sand,ers)
Desert training, troops running and doing P.T. while wearing a gas mask. The Iraqi threat of chemical warfare forced the U.S. troops to carry their gas masks at all times. (Dasing)
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An M1 A 1 cresting a hill while training for an Iraqi attack. The 3rd ACR 's M1A 1s were stationed at Camp Manley, Saudi Arabia. (Dasing)
3rd ACR M1 A 1s on a desert training mission. Notice the spool of barbed wire hanging off the rear of the tank. The M1 A 1s of the 3rd ACR are that of an earlier production model. They are superior to the M 1 Abrams because of their 120mm smooth bore gun and its new N.B.C. system. (Anderson)
An M 1A 1 during maneuvers. Noticethe spare roadwheel hanging from the rear stowagebin/basket. (Dasing)
This M1 A1, vehicle E-43 is in the process of being stripped for spare parts. Note that crew member has removed the outer shell from his tanker helmet (CVC). (Dasing)
A Bradley and crew at a campsite south of Kuwait, Oct. 90 . This Bradley has its side skirts folded in the up position, to help prevent the drive train from getting clogged by sand and mud. (Sanders)
This M3A 1 Bradleywon't be seeing much more action. The fire on board this Bradley was caused by a crew heater. No one was injured from this Bradley's mishap. Under intense heat the Bradley can suffer a meltdown because of its all aluminum design. (Hunt)
SFC Rick "Have A Better Day" Hunt, posing with a M3 grease gun. SFC Hunt, who is a M 1A 1 co mmander is seen here with fellow cavalry members.
A Bradley crew member with an M-60 machine gun equipped with a night vision scope. The scope is AN/PVS-4 Starlight scope which entered service in the late 1960's. (Hunt)
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M1 A 1 tanker taking a quick rest during the harsh desert training. Take note that the tanker is wearing a sweater with his body armor over it. He is also equipped with a bayonet. (Anderson)
An M1 A1 with mineplough . Notice the pair of eyes that are painted on the hydraulic cylinders. (Langen)
A column of early production M1 A 1s have stopped during a patrol to tie down equipment. Notice that these M1 A 1s have spare track and roadwhee l on them , they also seem to be carrying large spools of barbed wire. (Anderson)
This M1A1, nicknamed the "SLAYER", on maneuvers in the northern Saudi desert. In the background is what appears to be a M977 HEMTT (Heavy Expandable Mobile Tactical Truck) transport. (Anderson)
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An M1A1 is leaving a trail of dust in its wake . Notice that one of the M1 A 1 armored skirts is in the opened position. (Anderson)
A 3rd ACR M3A 1 Bradley being recovered by an M88A 1. The M88A 1 and the M578A 1 were the only recovery vehicles capable of retrieving the M3 Bradleys during Desert Shield/Storm. (Anderson)
One of the main prob lems with the M 1 ABRAMS deployment to Saudi Arabia was the constant clogging of its filtering system as seen in this photo . A M 1A 1 crew member is in the process of cleaning its air filters . (Anderson)
This M1 A 1 nicknamed "Hard to Kill" as seen on a training mission. Notice that this M1 A 1 has a large numberof7.62 ammo cans hanging from its stowage racks . (Anderson)
This M1 A 1 is receiving fuel from a M978 HEMTT refueling tanker truck. (Anderson )
A pair of U.S. Army fuel bladders. These fuel :.;:. ders were located throughout the Saudi desert - rder to cut down on major refueling times and to " minate bottlenecking at refueling depots . .:. erson)
A 3rd ACR AH-1 (Cobra) helicopter is taking off after the crew landed the Cobra to relieve themselves. (Hunt)
.:,. 3rd ACR airfield located in the northern Saudi desert. Take note that all of the UH-60s in this photo seem to be MEDEVAC helicopters. (Anderson)
A MEDEVAC UH-60 (Blackhawk) is seen here picking up patients. The Blackhawks cou ld handle a larger load than the older UH-1 (Huey). (Anderson)
A trashed AH-1 after being recovered from the Saudi desert. This Cobra crashed because of its lack of fuel. (Anderson)
An M977 HEMTT is seen here transporting a downed UH-1 (Huey). (Anderson)
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A U.S. Army vehicle scrap yard somewhere in northern Saudi Arabia . The scrap yard has a large number of armored vehicles in it including a M577A 1 and a .1981 (FIST-V). (Anderson)
- .1 ese M3A 1 Bradleys while on patrol discovered the remains of a Kuwaiti pick up truck. (Anderson)
Aconvoy of tank transporters. The M911 HET (Heavy EquipmentTransport) was the main tank transporter used by the U.S. Armyduring Desert Storm. (Anderson)
Hummv Avengers, notice the M.R.E. (Meals Ready to Eat) boxes located on the roof of these vehicles. (Anderson)
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A U.S. Army desert field station located in northern Saudi Arabia. Next to the field station is a desert Hummv that has crudely hand-painted Black Crossl (Anderson)
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.A 3rd ACR M 113A2 on patrol. Notice the spare Stinger boxes on the roof of the APC. The M113A2 is an improved version of the M113A 1. (Anderson)
An M93 N.B.C. reconnaissance vehicle which is a German manufactured vehicle also known as the Fuchs (Fox). The U.S. Army received these vehicles during Desert Storm , because the U.S. Army did not have a vehicle capable of performing the duties that the Fox COUld. (Anderson)
3rd ACR Hummv's (Hummer) are on patrol in the Saudi Arabian desert. Noticethatthe M-60 machine gun has a scope mounted to it. Alsotake note of the unusual : )sition of the spare tire mounted on the roof of the far Hummer. (Anderson)
This M88A1 ARV (Armored Recovery VehiclE is pictured here with a thrown track. Notice that th vehicle still retains the original European style pair scheme. (Anderson)
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