Battle in the US-Iraq war
The
Battle of Samawah
took place during the
2003 invasion of Iraq
as American troops fought to clear the city of Iraqi forces. The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving the task of clearing it to American paratroopers of the
82nd Airborne Division
with mechanized infantry and armor provided by units of the 1st Battalion,
41st Infantry Regiment
, and 2-70th Armor Battalions, along with 3rd platoon 59th Chemical Company tasked with finding and removing any potential chemical or biological weapons. The battle was the largest sustained urban combat that paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne had been involved in since World War II.
Before the battle
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As the U.S.
3rd Infantry Division
advanced northwards to Baghdad, they avoided getting bogged down in urban combat by bypassing heavily defended Iraqi towns. Keeping to the south of the
Euphrates River
, they planned to cross the river directly south of Baghdad, in the
Karbala Gap
.
Outside of
Samawah
from 22 ? 25 March, the 3rd Infantry Division made contact with Iraqi forces outside Samawah, using artillery and airstrikes. Iraqi forces attacked the American armored columns and were pushed back. It is estimated that 120-200 Iraqis died in this action, in which no Americans were killed.
[3]
The city was bypassed and did not seriously impede the 3rd Infantry Division's advance on
Baghdad
, but irregular forces based inside the city staged attacks on American supply lines. On 25 March, the 2nd Brigade of the
82nd Airborne Division
received the order to clear
Samawah
and by 28 March they had re-deployed to
Talil Air Base
in southern Iraq.
[4]
Battle
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The 2nd Brigade reached Samawah at 3:00 AM on 30 March, expecting to assault a trench line on the eastern outskirts of the town. Instead, they discovered a sand berm surrounding a landfill, which Bravo Battery 2/319th used as their first artillery position since no enemy forces were defending it. At dawn, the Americans began to advance towards the cement factory and received heavy small arms, mortar, and RPG fire. A sharp firefight developed between the Americans hiding behind the berms in the landfill and railroad track, and the Iraqi forces around the cement factory. An Iraqi sniper fired from the top of the factory's smokestack until an American soldier fired a
TOW missile
into the smokestack, collapsing the structure. Lacking smoke shells for their mortars in order to screen their movements, American forces were unable to advance and pulled back to the east.
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
helicopters arrived and attacked enemy mortar and RPG teams, and destroyed several
technical
vehicles. At around 3:00 PM, Navy
F/A-18 Hornets
arrived on station and bombed a warehouse attached to the cement factory. Fighting around the cement factory died down at nightfall.
[4]
That night, elements of the 3rd Battalion of the
325th Infantry Regiment
launched a feint attack against the bridges in the town over the
Euphrates River
. The purpose was to draw the attention of
Iraqi Republican Guard
forces on the other side of the river, preventing them from attacking the 3rd ID's rear areas and fixing their positions so they could be destroyed by American air power. At the start of the assault,
A-10 Thunderbolt II
attack aircraft and
105 mm M119 howitzers
from 2/319th AFAR bombarded the north bank of the Euphrates. Raining smoke and high explosive rounds. 1st Battalion then attacked, seizing the bridges, crossing the river, and establishing a bridgehead on the north bank. Having achieved their objectives, the battalion pulled back at dawn. During this operation, an SUV attempted to run across the bridge at the Americans. After being hit with fire from a .50 caliber machine gun, the vehicle exploded into a fireball. It had been loaded with propane tanks for use as a suicide car bomb.
[1]
Snipers and recon
forward observers
from the 82nd Airborne's 2/319
COLT
team located approximately 17 armed combatants staging along the outskirts of Samawah. They radioed for artillery/mortar support and killed most of the insurgents after directing and adjusting fire unto their location (
31.303165, 45.307851
).
At 7:00 PM on 2 April, Bco 1st Battalion of the
325th Infantry Regiment
launched an attack on the cement factory with the support of an
AC-130
gunship,
[4]
and an M1 Abrams Tank. They took the factory unopposed. Over the next two days, 2nd Brigade cleared the rest of the city, securing the south side of the bridges, followed by an assault on the headquarters of an Iraqi paramilitary group on 4 April.
[5]
Rather than taking and holding ground, the Americans launched probing attacks into the city, engaged enemy forces, and then pulled back. High explosive rounds fired by 2/319th were used against the Ba'ath Party Headquarters, a school used as a headquarters building, and a soccer field used as a rallying point. It was later said there was nothing left standing. A hospital was also being used as a headquarters by Iraqi forces, however this was not bombed due to civilians in the area. By 4 April, resistance had ceased and the city was declared cleared.
[1]
1-41 Infantry, 1st Armored Division, and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division would be awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for their performance during combat operations.
Notes
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External links
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Further reading
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31°19′00″N
45°17′00″E
/
31.3167°N 45.2833°E
/
31.3167; 45.2833