Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search

vehicles seen to brew-up at a distance when hit by fixed~wing
aircraft and attack helicopters.     The Task Force sustained no
vehicle or personnel casualties in the battle.    The enemy force
was identified through EPW interrogation as the 501st Brigade
of the 8th Infantry Division.

      Concurrently, 1/1 was involved in its own engagement.    At
0730, 1/1 received orders from the-Task Force to clear the
Burqan Oilfield north to Gathering Center 4    (vic QS 885980).
1/1's plan was to sweep the zone with two companies up (B Co
on the left and A Co on the right) and D Co in trace as the
battalion reserve.   Both A and B companies engaged several
company-sized units of the 15th Brigade, 3rd Armored Division
during the course of their movement north.     D Co 1/1, vice
following in trace, found themselves east of the hardball
road (89 gridline) and engaged several enemy companies of the
22nd Brigade, 5th Mechanized Division while moving north.     By
1800, 1/1 was positioned along the 03 gridline, with B.Co on
the left flank (vic QT 8603), A Co on hill 114    (vic QT 8802)
and D Co on hill 12-7 (vic QT 8903).    During the day's fighting,
1/1 accounted for at least 43 vehicles destroyed and over 500
EPW's.   Of note is the fact that, due to the heavy smoke, most
of the vehicle kills came from infantry anti-armor weapons.
The smoke precluded the use of CAS aircraft.     Several artillery
missions were fired in support of 1/1 by 1/11, who had been
positioned forward of the Task Force and were reguired to
reorient to the aast in order to support 1/1's attack.      1/1
sustained (3) WIA when an RPG hit one of its STA vehicles.

      During the afternoon of the 25th, 1st Tank Bn located and
engaged, with fixed-wing air and artillery, a dug-in armored
unit (vic QS 867863).   While clearing one of these missions, TF
Taro came on the net to inform TF Papa Bear these fires were
close to another armor unit which was apparently trying to
surrender.   The TF shifted fires to the north to accoinodate TF
Taro's attempt to use a PsyOps helicopter in order to
facilitate this surrender.   At 1630, Division passed
responsibility of the PsyOps mission to TF Papa Bear.     However,
the Psyops helicopter failed to arrive and the opportunity was
missed.

      TF X-Ray landed south of the second Obstacle belt at
approximately 1500 and came ~nder operational control of TF
Papa Bear.   By 1830, it had moved north of the second obstacle
belt   and into BP X-Ray.

      A continual problem throughout the course of the day was
the handling of the large number of EPW's which were being
collected.   By 1600, the Task Force had gathered over 1500
EPW's.   The lack of transportation hindered the ability to
evacuate the EPW's to the central collection point in TF
Ripper's zone.   Throughout the day, the EPW's were guarded by A
Co 7th Engineer Support Battalion.     The task of guarding the
EPW's was eventually passed to a platoon from I Co 3/9.      By
1830, transportation arrived to commence the transfer of EPW's
to the ~iVisiofl:Co1lec-ti0n:point.   This evolution was completed
by .O2OO~26 Feb~ary andthe~1atoanfr~~ifldia company rejoined
its battalion.

Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search