Battle of Norfolk

Battle of Norfolk
Part of the Persian Gulf War
A dug-in Iraqi T-72 Asad Babil tank at the Battle of Norfolk, 26 February 1991
Date February 27, 1991 Location Muthanna Province, Iraq (now Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq) Result 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 Maj.Gen Rupert Smith	Salah Aboud Mahmoud Brig. Gen Saheb Mohammed Alaw General Ayad Futayih al-Rawi Brig Gen. Bassil Omar Al-Shalham
Units involved
2nd Armored Division (Forward) 1st Infantry Division 3rd Armored Division 1st Cavalry Division (United States) British 1st Armoured Division 210th Field Artillery Brigade 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment (United States)	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 9th Armored Brigade 18th Mechanized Brigade 50th Armored Brigade 29th Armored Brigade
Casualties and losses
American Sector 6 killed 25 wounded 5 tanks destroyed 4-5 AFVs destroyed Objective Dorset: 15 killed 3 tanks damaged British Sector Dozens killed and wounded.	Ba'athist Forces American Sector Heavy casualties 937 soldiers captured 550 tanks destroyed 480 other vehicles destroyed 396 artillery pieces destroyed Objective Dorset: Heavy casualties 250 tanks destroyed 2,500 Iraqi soldiers captured British Sector Heavy casualties 200 tanks destroyed/captured AFVs heavy losses

The Battle of Norfolk was a tank battle fought on February 27, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States and United Kingdom, and those of the Ba'athist Iraqi Republican Guard. The primary participants were the U.S. 2nd Armored Division (Forward),1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), and the Iraqi 18th Mechanized and 9th Armoured Brigades of the Republican Guard Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division along with elements from eleven other Iraqi divisions. The 2nd Armored Division(Fwd) was assigned to the American 1st Infantry Division as its 3rd maneuver brigade due to the fact that one of its brigades was not deployed. The British 1st Armoured division was responsible for protecting the right flank of VII Corps. It's main adversary being the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division and multiple infantry divisions. It was the final battle of the war before the unilateral ceasefire took effect. Two more battles occurred at Objective Dorset and near the oil field at Rumaila after the ceasefire. The Battle of Norfolk has been recognized by some sources as the second largest tank battle in American history and the largest tank battle of the 1st Gulf War. No fewer than 12 divisions participated in the Battle of Norfolk along with multiple brigades and elements of a regiment. American and British forces destroyed approximately 750 Iraqi tanks and hundreds of other types of combat vehicles. This goes without even taking into consideration the destruction of two additional Republican Guard divisions at Objective Dorset by the 3rd Armored Division on 28 February 1991. During this action the 3rd Armored Division destroyed 250 enemy vehicles and captured 2,500 Iraqi soldiers. Over a decade passed after the conflict before quality references became available on most of the battles that took place during the 1st Gulf War. Many of the land battles during Operation Desert Storm were larger than the majority of the battles that took place in southern and western Europe during World War Two, at least as far as the quantity of equipment involved.

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