Battle of 73 Easting

Battle of 73 Easting
Part of the Persian Gulf War
Destroyed Iraqi Type 69 tank
Date 26–27 February 1991 Location southeastern Iraq 29°32′41″N 46°37′33″E / 29.54472°N 46.62583°E / 29.54472; 46.62583Coordinates: 29°32′41″N 46°37′33″E / 29.54472°N 46.62583°E / 29.54472; 46.62583 Result Decisive Coalition victory
Belligerents
United States United Kingdom	Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Gen.Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. Gen.Frederick M. Franks, Jr. Maj. Gen Thomas G. Rhame H.R. McMaster (E Troop) Joseph Sartiano (G) Dan Miller (I) Ashley Haszard (K) Maj. Gen Rupert Smith	Salah Aboud Mahmoud Brig. Gen Saheb Mohammed Alaw General Ayad Futayyih Al-Rawi Brig Gen. Bassil Omar Al-Shalham
Units involved
2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment 3rd Armored Division 1st Infantry Division 1st Squadron, 4th Armored Cavalry Regiment 1st Armored Division British 1st Armoured Division 2nd Armored Division (Forward) 210th Field Artillery Brigade	Tawakalna Republican Guard Division 10th Armored Division 12th Armored Division 52nd Armored Division 25th Infantry Division 26th Infantry Division 31st Infantry Division 48th Infantry Division
Casualties and losses
1 Bradley from enemy fire. 1 Bradley from fratricide.	600–1,000 killed and wounded 1,300+ prisoners 160 tanks 180 personnel carriers 12 artillery pieces 80 wheeled vehicles several anti-aircraft artillery systems

The Battle of 73 Easting was a battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between United States armored forces of the VII Corps and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard and its Tawakalna Division. It was named for a UTM north-south coordinate line (an "Easting", measured in kilometers and readable on GPS receivers) in the featureless desert that was used as a phase line to measure progress of the offensive as they were going through what the Iraqis thought was trackless desert. The battle was later described in a documentary of the battle as "the last great tank battle of the 20th century." This battle took place several hours after another key tank battle known as the Battle of Al Busayyah.

The main U.S. unit in the battle was the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR), a 4,500 man reconnaissance and security element assigned to VII Corps. It consisted of three ground squadrons (1st, 2nd and 3rd), an aviation (attack helicopter) squadron (4th), and a support squadron. Each ground squadron was made up of three cavalry troops, a tank company, a self-propelled howitzer battery, and a headquarters troop. Each troop comprised 120 soldiers, 12–13 M3 Bradley fighting vehicles and nine M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks.Task Force 1-41 Infantry breached the berm on the borders between Saudi Arabia and Iraq which was the initial Iraqi defensive positions and performed reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance missions prior to the 2nd ACR's actions. This generally includes destroying or repelling the Iraqi's reconnaissance elements and denying their commander any observation of friendly forces. The corps' main body consisted of the American 3rd Armored Division (3rd AD) and 1st Infantry Division (1st ID) and 2nd Armored Division (Forward) and 1st Armored Division (1st AD), and the British 1st Armoured Division (1 AD).

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