Battle for Jalibah Airfield
Encyclopedia
The Battle for Jalibah Airfield took place when the U.S.
2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division
attacked the heavily defended Jalibah Southeast Air Base
military airfield in Iraq
on February 27, 1991, during the Gulf War
.
. At 6 a.m. the morning of 27 February, following an intensive artillery barrage, about 200 vehicles of the 1st Brigade, under the command of General Paul J. Kern
, charged into the airfield and secured it after four hours of fighting.
According to 2nd Lieutenant Neal Creighton, Iraqi soldiers "tried to hide in shallow bunkers and some tried to surrender. Most that moved were quickly cut down under a swath of machine gun fire. The burning helicopters, jets and dead soldiers seemed almost unreal. ... My soldiers were alive. It was the happiest moment of my life." Major David S. Pierson, who served as a task-force intelligence captain in the 1st Brigade, said he eventually felt "guilty that we had slaughtered them so; guilty that we had performed so well and they so poorly; guilty that we were running up the score. ... They were like children fleeing before us, unorganized, scared, wishing it all would end. We continued to pour it on."
Only one U.S. soldier was wounded by enemy fire during the battle. In the confusion, however, three U.S. M2 Bradley
infantry fighting vehicles of C Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment were accidentally hit with depleted uranium
rounds fired by the tanks of C Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment
. This friendly fire
incident resulted in the 10 additional American casualties: two deaths and eight injuries.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division
2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division (United States)
The 2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division was an infantry brigade of the United States Army. Before its most recent deactivation in 2006, it was based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It was a divisional brigade of the 24th Infantry Division.- History :...
attacked the heavily defended Jalibah Southeast Air Base
Jalibah Southeast Air Base
Jalibah Southeast Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Thi Qar Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.-Iraqi Air Force base:...
military airfield in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on February 27, 1991, during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
Battle
Satellite and aircraft reconnaissance indicated the presence of 20 enemy tanks and more than 1,000 dug-in Iraqi soldiers at the airfield, 80 miles east of BasraBasra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. At 6 a.m. the morning of 27 February, following an intensive artillery barrage, about 200 vehicles of the 1st Brigade, under the command of General Paul J. Kern
Paul J. Kern
General Paul John Kern became President and Chief Operating Officer of AM General LLC on August 1, 2008. His unique career blends technical expertise, combat operations, program management, policy development, and advisory roles to senior political leaders.Kern held numerous leadership positions...
, charged into the airfield and secured it after four hours of fighting.
According to 2nd Lieutenant Neal Creighton, Iraqi soldiers "tried to hide in shallow bunkers and some tried to surrender. Most that moved were quickly cut down under a swath of machine gun fire. The burning helicopters, jets and dead soldiers seemed almost unreal. ... My soldiers were alive. It was the happiest moment of my life." Major David S. Pierson, who served as a task-force intelligence captain in the 1st Brigade, said he eventually felt "guilty that we had slaughtered them so; guilty that we had performed so well and they so poorly; guilty that we were running up the score. ... They were like children fleeing before us, unorganized, scared, wishing it all would end. We continued to pour it on."
Only one U.S. soldier was wounded by enemy fire during the battle. In the confusion, however, three U.S. M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...
infantry fighting vehicles of C Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment were accidentally hit with depleted uranium
Depleted uranium
Depleted uranium is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium . Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3...
rounds fired by the tanks of C Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment
3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment is a United States Army combined arms battalion based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. 3–69 AR was the first conventional US unit to enter Iraq in 2003, and among the first units to serve four tours in Iraq...
. This friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
incident resulted in the 10 additional American casualties: two deaths and eight injuries.