by Daniel L. Davis
When Army Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster was elevated to locomote PresidentTrump’s national safety advisor in 2017, the media was awash amongst references to his purpose inwards the biggest tank struggle of Desert Storm, the Battle of 73 Easting. While these stories conveyed the basic effect of the fight, they did lilliputian to illuminate how the battle unfolded or what laid the phase earlier the start cannon shot screamed out of his tank. What turned out to locomote an amazing in addition to thrilling victory, could easily take away maintain been the biggest disaster of Desert Storm. Twenty-eight years agone this calendar month I was at the Grafenwoehr preparation core in Deutschland where my unit, Eagle Troop of the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR), was conducting a serial of champaign maneuvers in addition to alive burn exercises. The 2nd ACR was i of iii cavalry regiments in addition to thence providing frontline defense strength against the Warsaw Pact,patrolling the borders between West in addition to East Deutschland inwards the due north in addition to West Deutschland in addition to Czechoslovakia inwards the south. The Warsaw Pact nations, anchored past times the Soviet Union, had to a greater extent than than 50 thou tanks in addition to millions of troops. Based on the terrain inwards Central Europe, at that spot was e'er the run a endangerment communist forces could come upwards flooding across a large evidently known equally the Fulda Gap and potentially defeat the nations of Western Europe. The 2nd ACR was charged amongst defending the fundamental component of the border, in addition to equally such, equipped amongst hundreds of M1A1 Abrahms Tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, mechanized artillery cannons, in addition to onset helicopters.
On August 2, 1990, I in addition to my Eagle Troop brothers were at Grafenwoehr preparing for a major practise inwards which nosotros would maneuver our ix M1 tanks in addition to twelve Bradleys throughout the High German countryside against some other armored U.S. unit of measurement role-playing equally a Russian Federation tank brigade, followed past times firing alive ammunition from the displace on a huge firing range. The preparation was realistic in addition to closely replicated the actual combat atmospheric condition nosotros would human face upwards had the Russians ever crossed the edge in addition to attacked the West.
Before nosotros left our assembly areas for the operation, however, something happened halfway across the basis that distracted us from our preparation. Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, had genuinely done what nosotros feared the Soviets mightiness do: he sent hundreds of tanks in addition to other armored vehicles flooding across their southern edge amongst State of Kuwait inan unexpected onset and chop-chop subdued the State of Kuwait military. At the destination of the functioning Iraqi tanks were a mere iii miles from the Saudi border—representing a dagger at the pharynx of the oil provide on which most of the Western basis depended.
Almost instantly then-Captain McMaster, commander of Eagle Troop, in addition to Squadron operations officer, then-Major Douglas A. Macgregor, adjusted our preparation to reverberate the possibility we—as i of the forward-deployed armored cavalry organizations tasked amongst making start contact against enemy armored formations—would locomote called upon to struggle Saddam’s troops.
Prior to the maneuver, McMaster addressed his troops in addition to solemnly said, “Men, nosotros must take away maintain real seriously what nosotros are nigh to do. It is possible that the adjacent operations fellowship I give volition locomote inwards the sands of Iraq.” There was an eerie feel of foreboding equally he spoke because nosotros all realized that what had precisely a few days agone seemed similar some other routine armed forces maneuver mightiness at nowadays locomote a in conclusion preparation for actual combat operations.
In Nov 1990 the potential turned into reality equally the Secretary of Defense ordered the 2nd ACR to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to potentially Pb the U.S. VII Corps into battle. Within a calendar month nosotros were unloading our tanks in addition to other armored vehicles off huge carry ships inwards the Saudi Arabian port of Al Jubayl. As presently equally the vehicles were ready, the regiment began the displace towards the Kuwaiti edge to commence in conclusion preparation prior to the onset day, known equally “G-Day.” In a stunning mishap during i such exercise, McMaster came inside a hair’s breadth of missing the onset altogether!
Since nosotros had trained almost our entire careers inwards the forests in addition to rolling hills of Europe, nosotros had to rapidly adapt our techniques for the desert. Shortly after arriving inwards the edge region, Macgregor had directed the squadron to acquit a faux in addition to complex nighttime assault. Nighttime inwards the desert on a moonless nighttime is thence black you, quite literally, cannot reckon your manus inwards front end of your face. Using early on generations of nighttime vision goggles, nosotros began the challenge of navigating inwards the black when nosotros could reckon no terrain in addition to entirely amongst difficulty reckon our ain vehicles.
I was the Eagle Troop burn back upwards officer, which meant I worked hand-in-hand amongst McMaster to reinforce his battle plans amongst artillery, mortar, in addition to air support. On this practise I was inwards my armored burn back upwards vehicle next direct behind his tank. At a critical moment, he began giving radio instructions for the troop to alter the conception in addition to displace towards a novel objective. Then from nigh seventy-five yards behind McMaster I saw the silhouettes of ii Bradleys driving direct into his path from the left. I tried inwards vain to warn him over the radio, but because he was inwards the middle of giving instructions, he didn’t listen me.
What turned out to locomote an amazing in addition to thrilling victory, could easily take away maintain been the biggest disaster of Desert Storm. (Part i of a ii component series.)
I helplessly watched inwards horror spell McMaster continued talking into the radio equally the armored hulks shut inwards on him. My hopes the Bradley driver or commander would reckon the tank in addition to plough away were dashed when all of a precipitous I saw a hail of sparks wing equally the gun subway scheme on McMaster’s tank literally speared into the side of the Bradley, causing both vehicles to lurch to the side in addition to come upwards to petroleum stop.
My start idea was that, “Oh my God. We’ve killed American soldiers!” I was afraid that the gun subway scheme had penetrated into the crew compartment of the Bradley in addition to killed someone inwards the cabin—or that the jounce had seriously wounded McMaster or his crew. I raced to the scene of the accident in addition to discovered that miraculously, no i inwards either vehicle had gotten thence much equally a scratch.
In the confusion of the Squadron’s start large scale nighttime maneuver, ii vehicles from a sis Troop had gotten misoriented in addition to locomote separated from their unit of measurement in addition to had stumbled into McMaster’s path inwards an effort to discovery their headquarters. It is sobering to consider that if that gun subway scheme had hitting precisely a fraction of a 2nd after it would take away maintain killed some of the troops in addition to probable ended McMaster’s career earlier the start shot was fired—or that the touching could take away maintain caused his tank ammunition to explode, perhaps killing him in addition to his crew. The human nosotros know equally the victorious commander at the Battle of 73 Easting came inside seconds of existence lost earlier the state of war had began!
Once he confirmed at that spot were no casualties in addition to that his vehicle was soundless able to move, McMaster called maintenance personnel to retrieve the Bradley (we discovered the gun subway scheme had genuinely speared the engine compartment in addition to disabled the vehicle), in addition to thence continued the practise equally if nil had happened. As nosotros would presently see, McMaster would react precisely equally rapidly in addition to decisively nether burn equally he had done inwards training.
With each practise the troopers of 2nd ACR grew inwards confidence despite the fact nosotros knew our mission would locomote to brand initial contact amongst enemy tanks. Some experts predicted the United States would win the state of war because of our superior engineering scientific discipline in addition to lineament soldiers—but they soundless suggested that the elite Republican Guards Corps would fight fanatically and that Pb U.S. cavalry units could hold off upwards to 10 per centum casualties inwards the start battles.
More than i time i scream back looking some at my beau Eagle Troopers in addition to wondered which twelve or xiii of our 135-man troop mightiness never come upwards home—or if I would ever come upwards home. Despite this sobering expectation, however, at that spot was no fearfulness or timidity inwards Cougar Squadron (as 2nd Squadron was known). Macgregor in addition to McMaster had prepared us thence good that when the fourth dimension to onset came, nosotros were non but “willing” to engage enemy armor, nosotros thirsted for it.
After weeks of Allied air-and-missile attacks, G-Day was laid to locomote Feb 23, 1991. Prior to moving out of our assembly areas for the assault, Macgregor went to see every troop to give them in conclusion instructions inwards person. He felt it was necessary for the men to reckon their leaders oculus to oculus earlier battle. When he arrived at Eagle Troop headquarters, McMaster assembled all the unit’s key leaders to encounter him. Macgregor had a reputation for existence an inspirational speaker in addition to nosotros were eager to listen what he had to say.
He started off past times setting upwards a battle map in addition to going over the Squadron plans in addition to reiterated Eagle Troop’s purpose inwards it. Next, he reminded us that nosotros would succeed because nosotros had superior equipment, nosotros were good trained at both the private in addition to unit of measurement level, and—he emphasized—because nosotros were elite cavalrymen, nosotros were the ones sent into frenzied, uncertain situations convey a feel of fellowship to the chaos to laid upwards follow-on forces for success.
Finally, he said, at that spot was i overriding component that would score the divergence betwixt success in addition to failure on the battlefield. “Leadership,” he bellowed. “Rommel—who was the commander of the entire High German Army inwards Africa—led from the front. Gentlemen, our men deserve nil less. There is no substitute for leading this way. I volition locomote upwards front end in addition to I hold off you lot to locomote at that spot equally well!” Days after nosotros saw first-hand the chaos in addition to unpredictability of war—and nosotros witnessed Macgregor in addition to McMaster both living out every give-and-take of their combat gospel: at the front, nether enemy fire, in addition to inwards charge!
Daniel L. Davis is a retired U.S. Army colonel who served multiple tours inwards Afghanistan. He is a senior beau amongst Defense Priorities. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1
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