WrrH THE 1ST MARINE DIVISION IN DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM             79


guarding the Iraqis until 1628 when elements of 1st Battalion, 25th Marines,
arrived to relieve them. By then, the rn~mber of enemy prisoners totaled 1,230
men, with more coming into Marine lines every moment.133
   At 1400 Lieutenant Colonel Mattis  had his "Team Tank" in position and
commenced the battalion's attack to capture the "Emir's Farm.1' A dismounted
infantry company (Company C) and a mechanized infantry company ("Team
Mech") began enveloping the position from west to east while "Team Tank"
covered their movement with fire. "Team Mech" was the main effort and Mattis
intended that it would move in close, dismount, and attack the farm supported
by machine-gun fire from its AAVs. The area of the "Emir's Farm" had already
been swept by artillery fire during Ripper's breaching operations. Hit by a
second barrage covering Task Force Ripper's redeployment against the airfield,
the enemy force stationed at the farm began to disintegrate.    11Team Mech"
moved to within 1 ,700 meters west of the farm, the infantry dismounted, and,
covered by smoke barrage from 8lmm mortars, started the assault. Sweating
profusely in their MOPP  suits the infantry moved slowly. Too slow for
Lieutenant Colonel Mattis, who sensed the farm's defenders wanted only to flee
or surrender. Frustrated, Mattis eventually assaulted the farm from the oppo-
site side using the battalion's headquarters vehicles and directed the final
operations from there. Moving from bunker system to bunker system in each
successive row of trees, the two companies captured about 200 prisoners.
   Mattis then launched the entire battalion on a sweep of the area.   "Team
Tank," CAAT 2, and artillery forward observers, protected the attackers from
distant enemy forces. Using a combination of tank, machine gun, and TOW
missile fire, supported by AH- 1W Cobras firing Hell-fire and TOW missiles, the
Marine armored force engaged Iraqi bunkers, tanks, rocket launchers, trucks,
and armored personnel carriers. As the infantry attack on the farm moved into
its final stages Lieutenant Colonel Mattis directed "Team Tank" to move to
Battle Position 172 northeast of Al Jaber where the remainder of the battalion
would join it for the attack on MEF Objective A.134


                                 Pholograph by 1st Manne Division Combat Camera Unit
An amphibious assault vehicle with 3d Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Mannes,
Task Force Ripper.