Task Force Tarawa
Encyclopedia
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)
The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade is a formation of the II Marine Expeditionary Force . It advertises itself as a "middleweight" crises response force of choice in the European and Southern Command Areas of Operation. It is able to "operate independently, as a service component, or to lead a...
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. They were a Marine Air-Ground Task Force
Marine Air-Ground Task Force
The Marine Air-Ground Task Force is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander that...
commanded by Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Richard F. Natonski
Richard F. Natonski
Richard F. Natonski is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general whose last assignment was as the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command. He assumed the post in August 2008, having previously served as the United States Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and...
that was attached to the I Marine Expeditionary Force during the course of the invasion and were most notable for their participation in the heavy fighting in the city of an-Nāṣiriyyah
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
. During their time supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, the task force suffered 23 Marines killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
.
Deployment
The 7,100 Marines and Sailors of TFT departed Marine Corps Base Camp LejeuneMarine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a United States military training facility in North Carolina. The base's of beaches make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports allows for fast deployments.The main base is supplemented by five satellite...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
on January 15, 2003. They were transported on seven United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ships that together formed Amphibious Task Force East (ATF East); otherwise nicknamed the 'Magnificent Seven'. The ships were the , , , , , , and the . ATF East arrived in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
on February 15, 2003 and quickly debarked their aircraft and ships then headed into the northern Kuwaiti desert.
The Task force’s equipment consisted of 81 aircraft, 26 Amphibious Assault Vehicle
Amphibious Assault Vehicle
The Assault Amphibious Vehicle —official designation AAV-7A1 is a fully tracked amphibious landing vehicle manufactured by U.S. Combat Systems .The AAV-7A1 is the current amphibious troop transport of the United States Marine Corps...
s, 24 LAVs, 14 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 18 M198 howitzer
M198 howitzer
The M198 howitzer is a medium-sized, towed artillery piece, developed for service with the United States Army and Marine Corps. It was commissioned to be a lightweight replacement for the WWII era M114 155mm howitzer. It was designed and prototyped at the Rock Island Arsenal in 1969 with firing...
s, and 4 M9 Ace's
Operation Iraqi Freedom
TFT crossed into IraqIraq
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 March 21, 2003 with the missions of securing Jalibah Airfield and then securing the 3 bridges over the Euphrates River at An Nasiriyah to allow the 1st Marine Division to continue its attack north. From March 23 to March 29, 2003, Task Force Tarawa was engaged in heavy fighting in and around the city of An Nasiriyah as they came in contact with Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
’s Fedayeen
Fedayeen
Fedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
and members of the Iraqi 11th Infantry Division
11th Division (Iraq)
The 11th Infantry Division is a formation of the Iraqi Army. Its headquarters is located in the former Ministry of Defence building in Baghdad.Division units:...
.This was the heaviest fighting seen since the Vietnam war. Not even the battle of Fallujah could surpass the intensity of An Nasiriyah. TFT lost 18 Marines in the fighting and were involved in a 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 in which two A-10 Warthog aircraft killed a number of Marines in the when they strafed their Amphibious Assault Vehicle
Amphibious Assault Vehicle
The Assault Amphibious Vehicle —official designation AAV-7A1 is a fully tracked amphibious landing vehicle manufactured by U.S. Combat Systems .The AAV-7A1 is the current amphibious troop transport of the United States Marine Corps...
s. The A-10 pilots were not prosecuted.
During this time the original task force grew with the additions of the 15th
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel...
s. The Marines of TFT were the first U.S. unit to come in contact with the remnants of the 507th Maintenance Company
507th Maintenance Company
The 507th Maintenance Company was a unit of the U.S. Army which provided maintenance support to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery , based at Fort Bliss, Texas...
after they were ambushed and later on were on standby to assist with the rescue of prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
PFC Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch
Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
.
After leaving An Nasiriyah, the Task Force was tasked with securing the highways to the rear of the 1st Marine Division and on April 3, 2003 they secured the town of Ad Diwaniyah. They continued to move and on April 7, pushed into Al Amarah and finally ended the invasion outside of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
after conducting security and stabilization operations in Al Kut on April 11.
On May 14, 2003 Task Force Tarawa turned its Area of Operations over to the 1st Marine Division and returned to the United States via Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
.
Order of battle
- 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
- 2nd Marine Regiment
- 1st Battalion 2nd Marines1st Battalion 2nd Marines1st Battalion, 2nd Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 900 Marines and Sailors...
(1/2) - 2nd Battalion 8th Marines2nd Battalion 8th Marines2nd Battalion, 8th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 900 Marines and Sailors...
(2/8) - 2nd Battalion 6th Marines2nd Battalion 6th Marines2nd Battalion, 6th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and...
(2/6) - 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines3rd Battalion 2nd Marines3rd Battalion 2nd Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors...
(3/2) - 1st Battalion 10th Marines1st Battalion 10th Marines1st Battalion 10th Marines is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a headquarters battery. The battalion is stationed at Camp Lejune, North Carolina and falls under the command of the 10th Marine Regiment, part of the 2nd Marine Division...
(1/10) - Company C, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a mechanized infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 and they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and II Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base...
- Company A, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion2nd Reconnaissance BattalionThe 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. Located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina the battalion falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force .2nd Recon is a battalion of men...
- Company A, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion is a mechanized battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the Amphibious Assault Vehicle and they are part of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force...
(Attached to 1/2) - Company A, 8th Tank Battalion (Attached to 1/2) (deactivated currently Company E, 4th Tank Battalion]]
- Company A, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion2nd Combat Engineer Battalion2nd Combat Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force....
- 1st Battalion 2nd Marines
- Marine Air Control Group 28Marine Air Control Group 28Marine Air Control Group 28 is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point that is currently composed of 5 squadrons and a battalion that provide the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing with airspace coordination, air control, immediate air...
- 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion is an air defense unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are part of Marine Air Control Group 28 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and are currently based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.-Early years:On February 26, 1969, an official table...
- Marine Air Support Squadron 1Marine Air Support Squadron 1Marine Air Support Squadron 1 , callsign "Chieftain," is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit that provides the Direct Air Support Center capability for the II Marine Expeditionary Force...
- 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion
- Combat Service Support Battalion 22Combat Logistics Battalion 22Combat Logistics Battalion 22 is a logistics battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are part of Combat Logistics Regiment 27 and the 2nd Marine Logistics Group...