76                                 U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, 1990-1991


battalions fanned out to establish the breach-head.  The     1st Battalion, 7th
Marines, took the right side to protect the task force's eastern flank until Task
Force Papa Bear made its breach a few hours later. The 1st Battalion, 5th Ma-
rines, moved to the left side while the 3d Tank Battalion with its M6OA1 tanks
held the center of the breachhead. The enemy chose not to actively contest the
crossing of their first obstacle belt. However, the Iraqis did employ passive
defensive measures such as a surface scattered, or "hasty,  minefield which the
1st Battalion, 7th Marines, encountered soon after emerging from the first
          minefield.'~
    Leaving the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, to link up with   Task Force Papa
Bear, Colonel Fulford moved 3d Tank Battalion and 1st Battalion, 5th Marines,
to battle position 17 near the second obstacle belt. The 3d Battalion,   11th
Marines, moved with them. After arriving at battle position 17, Task Force
Ripper's Marines used the time required for their artillery to set up, to clear the
position of possible enemy threats, to process enemy prisoners, and to rearm the
obstacle clearing detachments for the next assault. At 0755 Task Force Ripper
began receiving a steady stream of Iraqi soldiers wanting to surrender. That
continued for about 40 minutes until Iraqi artillery fired on a group of soldiers
in front of 3d Tank Battalion in an attempt to prevent their    surrender. An
American forward observer managed to find what he believed to be the enemy
artillery's observation post for the sector, a metal tower located on a rise in
front of the second minefield. The forward air controller with Company C, 3d
Tank Battalion, called in an AH-lW which destroyed the tower with a Hellfire
missile.129
    That missile shot significantly damaged Iraqi artillery capabilities, evident in
an immediate slackening in the volume of enemy fire. Whereas, before, Iraqi
artillery appeared to follow the movement of Ripper's battalions, afterward the
enemy fired blindly. Sporadic fire continued through the day, but without
inflicting any losses to the task force. At 1055, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines,
rejoined the task force after linking up with Task Force Papa Bear. Five minutes
later the assault on the second obstacle belt began with a 22-minute mixed
barrage of 550 rounds of HE and DIPCM from the howitzers of the 3d
Battalion, 11th Marines. Task Force Ripper attacked at 1125 and encountered
more enemy resistance than experienced so far in the offensive.
    In its attack, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, received a combination of mortar
and artillery fire which wounded two combat engineers riding in an AAV. As
the battalion drew closer to the minefield, it also came under machinegun fire
from  its right flank. The  1st Battalion, 7th Marines,      countered with a
combination of tank and heavy machine gun fire. Tank fire from "Team Tank"
also took out an 82mm mortar position. After this, the obstacle clearing
detachments moved to the minefield and commenced lane clearing operations to
establish the right flank of Ripper's breachhead.1~
    Meanwhile, the 3d Tank Battalion engaged to its front. The Iraqis had
constructed the second obstacle belt differently from the first. It proved to be
deeper and lacked the barbed wire fences marking the front and rear edges.'31