The 3rd Division was inching closer to Baghdad after the invasion started,
and by early April of 2003, the US forces resolved to take the Iraqi capital at any cost.
Soon, they launched an armored advance throughout the city streets. And as the column pressed on
into the center, the soldiers on the highway struggled to distinguish friend from foe.
Eventually, the troops stopped a car on its tracks and found it was carrying an
Iraqi Army Colonel who turned out to be the head of logistics for the Baghdad sector.
This gave them hope - their strategy was working!
Confident, the formation kept moving forward relatively unopposed on their
way to the Baghdad International Airport. But then, the smooth advance that would
become known as the Thunder Run took an unexpected turn for the worse…
Capitulate or Else
At the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the most challenging phase of the ground
campaign was looming; a decisive fight for Baghdad would settle the fate of the war.
The US Army's 3rd Division crossed the Kuwaiti border into Iraq on March 21, 2003.
Three days later, US and British warplanes started
bombing Republican Guard bunkers guided by special forces troops on the ground.
The intense raiding was a preamble for a main assault on the capital city, and US Army 5th
Corps troops soon formed a frontline north of Karbala, 50 miles to the city’s south.
Meanwhile, extensive convoys of tanks and ground forces raced up from Kuwait.
At least 36,000 elite Iraqi soldiers from three divisions waited ahead,
roughly half of the total Republican Guard force. They were armed with the most potent weapons
the Iraqi military had access to, including Russian-made T-72 tanks and heavy artillery.
Soon, the coalition forces would encounter the Medina division north of the frontline,
defending the route to Baghdad. The assault on the capital was brutal, as noted by an earlier
night raid by Apache attack helicopters on the Medina division's second armored Brigade.
At least one helicopter was downed, while the rest were forced to retreat.
The Iraqis, armed mainly with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades,
offered fierce resistance. But as a senior British military source told the Guardian:
(QUOTE) "Before we start moving forward, these people have got to capitulate or be destroyed."
No Doubt
For several days, the coalition airpower made up of B-52s, Harrier GR7 attack jets,
and A10 Warthogs harassed the Republican Guard forces,
conducting high-risk day-and-night bombardments at a rate of 1,000 sorties a day. US aircraft
also dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets warning civilians to stay home.
The Delta Force and the SAS used lasers to identify targets for bombing,
providing forward air control on the ground close to enemy positions.
In addition, US artillery units fired surface-to-surface missiles south of Baghdad.
The US and allied forces would also have to confront the Baghdad division south of the capital
and the Amarra to the east. Each comprised up to 12,000 men at full battle strength.
A few days into the fighting, Washington started to realize that they had underestimated the number
of troops needed. Nevertheless, the allied forces commanded by General Tommy Franks fully committed
to bombing the enemy as accurately as possible, paving the road for the subsequent incursion.
While British forces became entangled in pockets of fierce Iraqi resistance across the south,
the fighting extended into Umm Qasr, Basra, and Nassiriya. Meanwhile, the
Americans endured heavy fire from the Republican Guard and attacks on their supply lines, leading
to the plausible concern that the main force had over-stretched in its advance on Baghdad.
The fighting would only intensify as they advanced closer to the capital,
but as Franks noted: (QUOTE) "Our resolve is great, the morale is good and,
as we always say, there is no doubt about the outcome."
Baghdad International Airport
On the morning of April 3rd, US forces advanced toward an enemy stronghold that turned out to be
the most strongly defended Iraqi position of the entire war: Saddam International Airport.
On the first approach, the Americans lost
two soldiers to mortar fire. And it took the 1st Brigade,
3rd Infantry Division several hours of brutal combat to take control of the crucial target.
But then, just before sunrise, the US troops were subjected to a ferocious counter-attack,
and the Tactical Operations Center became the target of small arms and mortar fire.
Still under cover of darkness and unbeknownst to the Americans,
a handful of T-72 tanks breached their defense and got within a few hundred meters.
A source on the ground later said: (QUOTE) "It was not until a chemical reconnaissance vehicle
was fired on, and a Bradley actually was hit by a T-72 main gun round,
that the battalion became aware of its peril."
The fortunate crew soon found out that the hit was merely a glancing one, and as
they drove their vehicle to safety, a fireteam destroyed two enemy tanks with a Javelin ATGM.
Simultaneously, a passing M1 Abrams battered the remainder of the enemy vehicles.
With dawn approaching, the bold attack on the TOC escalated while rivers of
infantrymen flooded into the area on foot.
In an effort to contain the attack, Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith fought off the
enemy to protect his team, a selfless action that earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor,
the Division's first since World War 2.
Smith's efforts and those of the entire 1st Brigade secured
a critical position and brought the US forces closer to the gates of Baghdad.
A Clever Ruse
By April 4, the 3rd Division had advanced 400 kilometers into the heart of Iraq.
Military planners were aware of the disastrous effects of house-to-house urban combat and sought
to avoid it. In the end, they realized that seizing western Baghdad, or what was later
dubbed the Green Zone, would be one of the main military objectives to secure the entire city.
If the US forces managed to seize only critical nodes and infrastructure, the targeted assaults
would eventually weaken Saddam Hussein's regime, hastening its collapse. Just as important,
the strategy did not demand the deployment of troops to clear every single block in the city.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi military prepared for the impending attack,
organizing hybrid groups of paramilitary and regular units. They also assembled improvised
barriers and dismantled the easter Diyala River bridges to block the invaders' mechanized units.
However, the invaders had no clear picture of the state of the Iraqi defenses in the city,
and US intelligence had little clues to offer.
The uncertain circumstances led the Commander of the 3rd Division,
Major General Buford Blount, to plot an armored raid into the capital to test the response.
The US Army's Official History detailed: (QUOTE) "Imagery and other reports inexplicably showed
almost no preparations within the city. There were numerous small fighting positions but none
of the deliberate defenses that common sense and Iraqi doctrine indicated. Intelligence and field
reports painted a picture of mixed units thrown haphazardly into the fray with little command and
control. It was unclear whether Baghdad was a trap, a clever ruse, or a hollow shell."
The Thunder Run
Major General Blount met with Colonel David Perkins,
who commanded the 2nd Brigade, and presented him with the outline of the upcoming raid.
An armored Task Force would advance through Highway 8 into central western Baghdad and
loop towards the airport to rendezvous with the 1st Brigade. Perkins assigned Lieutenant
Colonel Eric Schwartz and his 1st Battalion of the 64th Armored Regiment to execute the mission.
By the following morning, Schwartz had assembled a Task Force of 29 M1 Abrams
tanks and 14 M2 Bradley armored fighting vehicles.
Task Force 1-64 Armor then began the raid that would go down in history as the "Thunder Run."
Starting in southern Baghdad, the armored vehicles advanced through the main roads,
assessing what remained of the enemy defenses.
A Company was to spearhead the party, and C Company would follow closely behind.
At the rear, an attachment of C Company of the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry would tail the advance.
The raid into the suburbs began at 6:30am. Not long after, numerous enemy positions on both
sides of the road opened up on the column. Making matters worse, civilian activities did not cease,
and the Americans tried their best to separate the hostile forces.
Whenever a vehicle joined the highway, the troops would fire warning shots,
forcing the unassuming drivers to turn around. But traffic on the opposite
side was a different matter, as the vehicles had to be assessed and trail units advised.
The Official History noted: (QUOTE) "Avoiding harm to civilians,
who had no idea that the Americans had arrived in Baghdad, proved impossible."
Knock-Out
The column continued to press on toward the center against the defenders, who proved disorganized.
But suddenly, an Abrams tank commanded by Staff Sergeant Jason Diaz was hit and immobilized.
Schwartz was hesitant. If he risked recovering the tank, the entire Task
Force would be vulnerable in a vital overpass. However, he couldn’t just abandon the tank.
Over the next 20 minutes, the Task Force offered cover but
became easy targets for the defense, who were now firing at static forces.
Immediately, hundreds of infantrymen arrived to capitalize on the circumstances.
On top of that, the crew was unable to extinguish the flames,
and they had to be rescued by a fellow Armored Personnel Carrier.
Then, to prevent the Abrams from being seized by the Iraqis, the Air Force bombed the tank.
Even so, the Iraqi Information Ministry would later claim credit for destroying it.
On The Frontline
After resuming the advance, the Task Force encountered
increasingly stiff opposition from infantry fighting vehicles and tanks.
Staff Sergeant Stevon Booker was aboard an Abrams tank dubbed "Another Episode" that
fired at the enemy with a .50-caliber machine gun. However, it suddenly malfunctioned.
Booker then grabbed his M4 Carbine and jumped out of the hatch, crawling into the top of
the turret and re-engaging the enemy. From his position, he spotted an armored personnel carrier,
and after relaying the enemy's position to his men, they were able to put it out of action.
The leader stayed on top of the turret for several kilometers, fearlessly guiding his
crew and firing at the enemy until he was hit. Booker would posthumously receive the Silver Star,
which would later be upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the Task Force advanced toward the objective,
covering the final stretch to the airport.
In a desperate attempt, the Iraqis placed concrete blocks on the road to stop the
column, but the superior Abrams, equipped with front-mounted plows,
rammed into the obstacles and smashed them. Having breached the improvised barrier,
the remainder of the Task Force passed through and finally reached the airport.
In merely 2 hours and 20 minutes, the force finished the Thunder Run and linked up with
the 1st Brigade. Two days later, the entire 2nd Brigade would conduct a second Thunder
Run through the same route. But the path had been fortified in the intervening period.
Senior leaders feared a more aggressive resistance than in the first encounter,
and Perkins led his men through the original route north into Baghdad.
However, he then veered east into the government district, and he and his men took control of the
so-called Green Zone within a day, dramatically speeding up a critical phase in the Iraq War.
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