British operations of the 1991 Gulf War
Operation Granby
|
---|
|
|
Operational scope
| Strategic offensive
|
---|
Location
| |
---|
Objective
| Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait; Emir
Jaber III
restored
|
---|
Executed by
|
United Kingdom
|
---|
|
|
Operation Granby
, commonly abbreviated
Op Granby
, was the code name given to the British military operations during the 1991
Gulf War
. 53,462 members of the
British Armed Forces
were deployed during the conflict.
[1]
Forty-seven British personnel were killed during Op Granby and many more were injured during the hostilities there.
[2]
The total cost of operations was £2.434 billion (1992), of which at least £2.049 billion was paid for by other nations such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; £200 million of equipment was lost or written off.
[3]
The Joint Commander Gulf Forces, based in the United Kingdom at
RAF High Wycombe
, was
Air Chief Marshal
(ACM)
Sir
Patrick Hine
1 October 1990 ? 31 March 1991, and Air Chief Marshal Sir
Michael Graydon
from 31 March 1991. His political adviser was
Andrew Palmer
. The Commander British Forces Middle East, the in-theatre commander, based in
Riyadh
, was initially
Air Marshal
(AM)
Andrew Wilson
(September?October 1990), then
Lieutenant-General
Sir
Peter de la Billiere
6 October 1990 ? March 1991, and
Air
Vice-Marshal
Ian Macfadyen
from March 1991.
The Air Commander British Forces Middle East, initially Arabian Peninsula, was Air Vice Marshal
Andrew Wilson
from August to 17 November 1990, then Air Vice Marshal
William (Bill) Wratten
from 17 November 1990.
The Senior British Naval Officer Middle East was
Captain
Anthony McEwen,
Royal Navy
until September 1990, on
HMS
York
, then
Commodore
Paul Haddacks
from September to December 1990. Finally, Commodore Christopher Craig, on
HMS
Brave
and
HMS
London
, was in command from 3 December 1990 to March 1991.
Royal Air Force
[
edit
]
Within nine days of the
invasion of Kuwait
on 2 August 1990, 12
Panavia Tornado F3 interceptors
from
5 (AC) Squadron
and
29 (F) Squadron
from
RAF Coningsby
had arrived in
Saudi Arabia
, alongside aircraft of the
United States Air Force
(USAF). Later,
Jaguar GR1
aircraft from
RAF Coltishall
, and
Tornado GR1s
, redeployed from service in
RAF Germany
deployed to the theatre.
Buccaneer
aircraft from
RAF Lossiemouth
were also deployed in order to
laser designate
ground targets for the Tornado and Jaguar.
[4]
This action had the effect of maintaining the confidence of friendly nations, and limiting the potential for further Iraqi expansion. When an economic
embargo
was placed on Iraq, these aircraft also helped maintain it. The force of Tornado F3s was expanded to 18, drawn from the three British bases then housing F3s (
RAF Leuchars
,
RAF Leeming
, and RAF Coningsby), with 27 air crew and 350 ground personnel. RAF ground personnel and aircraft weapons technicians were also taken from TWCU at RAF Honington and operated Tornados out to Tabuk airfield.The first SCUD missile attack launched against a coalition airbase was at Tabuk, it was a conventional missile and only caused minor damage.They were based at the
Royal Saudi Air Force
airbase at
Dhahran
, from where they flew patrols inside the range of Iraqi
ground radar
systems. Before the launch of the operation to liberate Kuwait, they flew over 2000 sorties.
Victor tankers
based at Jubail Naval Base provided AAR support to all the coalition aircraft.
Hercules
,
VC10
, and
TriStar
aircraft supplied both the Royal Air Force and other military endeavours;
Nimrod MR.2P
aircraft assisted naval operations. At bases in
Tabuk
,
Dhahran
, and
Muharraq
, the RAF deployed
Rapier missiles
as part of surface-to-air defences. In total, around 6,000 RAF personnel were deployed to the Gulf.
[5]
RAF commanders, along with the other partners in the
coalition
, deemed it necessary to prevent the
Iraqi Air Force
(IrAF) operating to any significant degree. Believed to have around 700 combat aircraft, as well as
Scud ballistic missiles
and chemical weapons, they could not be left to help support Iraqi ground forces, now entrenched in positions on the border. Because of the level of supplies coming from Iraq to forces in Kuwait, it would have been impossible to separate targets merely in Kuwait from an offensive into Iraq. Coalition forces outnumbered the IrAF 3-to-1.
[5]
The first part of the
Gulf War air campaign
was directed against the IrAF. Early on 17 January, RAF Tornado GR1s flew into Iraq, with air-to-air refuelling tanker support. The first targets were Iraqi
airbases
, which housed a variety of defence systems and aircraft. These attacks were co-ordinated in
Riyadh
by the Joint Allied Headquarters, with Wratten now leading the British command; aircraft were almost totally integrated into a single coalition force. Support aircraft in raids, therefore, could be from any coalition power. Within 24 hours, a hundred sorties had been completed. After seven days, the RAF's focus, like the rest of coalition air forces, was moved to targets related to the support of Iraqi forces in Kuwait. These included
oil refinery
, and strategic bridges over the
River Euphrates
. During operations, civilians were killed when the sophisticated guidance systems on the weaponry used failed, and buildings close to these bridges (many in populated areas) were hit instead. On the whole, many pilots were frustrated by the lack of combat.
[5]
In every combat role, the RAF was second to USAF involvement, but ahead of other members of the coalition. Of the around 55 Allied aircraft lost, eight were RAF Tornados; these aircraft types flew a total of 2,500 sorties. Five air crew were lost in operations, and three in preparations.
[5]
British Army
[
edit
]
A single
British Army
armoured brigade was initially dispatched to the Gulf, later augmented to a two-brigade division, which became the
British 1st Armoured Division
. The decision was made that the relatively new
Challenger tank
be sent, rather than the older and more reliable
Chieftain tanks
, which were being superseded.
[6]
The
Prime Minister
,
Margaret Thatcher
, "insisted on Challenger's reliability in the Gulf. In consequence to this demand
BAOR
regiments became 'a scrap yard' of [tank hulls] without spares, sitting on wooden blocks. Everything else was being sent to the Gulf as spares in support of
7th Armoured Brigade
."
[7]
The entire British Army's power pack repair facility was deployed to the Gulf with the division.
[8]
The ground forces had a maximum strength of 28,000 men comprising 7,000 vehicles including 179 Challenger 1 tanks, 316 Warriors, 79 artillery pieces and 16 MLRS.
During the ground phase, the 1st Armoured Division took part in the "left-hook" which outflanked Iraqi forces.
[9]
It participated in the
Battle of Norfolk
. British
Challenger 1
tanks destroyed approximately 300 Iraqi tanks, including achieving the longest-range tank-kill in the war from three miles away.
[10]
The British Army also inflicted heavy artillery and various other combat vehicle losses on the Iraqi Army.
[11]
The British Army destroyed approximately five Iraqi divisions in 48 hours of combat.
[12]
A
friendly fire
incident, when an American
Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt
aircraft attacked two British
Warrior
vehicles, resulted in the deaths of nine British service personnel, this incident was featured in a edition of The Cook Report entitled "Death by Maverick".
Royal Navy
[
edit
]
The
Royal Navy
made a significant contribution to Allied efforts in the early stages of the war. In particular, Royal Navy
Westland Lynx
helicopters were responsible for the destruction of almost the entire
Iraqi Navy
in the
Battle of Bubiyan
(also known as the Battle of the Bubiyan Channel).
[
citation needed
]
Additionally, Royal Navy
minehunters
cleared Iraqi mines near the Kuwaiti coast, allowing the US battleships
Wisconsin
and
Missouri
to move in close enough to launch devastating bombardments against Iraqi ground forces.
HMS
Gloucester
intercepted an Iraqi
Silkworm
missile heading towards
HMS
London
,
mine countermeasures vessels
, and the US battleships.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"1990/1991 Gulf Conflict"
.
MOD.uk
.
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
. Retrieved
25 March
2011
.
- ^
https://www.forces.net/news/gulf-war-everything-you-need-know-about-conflict-30-years#:~:text=Forty%2Dseven%20British%20personnel%20were,direct%20result%20of%20enemy%20action
.
- ^
"Gulf war cost taxpayer 615m pounds"
.
Independent.co.uk
.
The Independent
. 2 December 1992.
Archived
from the original on 24 May 2022
. Retrieved
1 February
2018
.
- ^
Grp Cpt Bill Cope, RAF.
"Gulf War Buccaneer Operations"
.
RAF.mod.uk
.
Royal Air Force
. Retrieved
24 February
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Air Vice-Marshal R.A. Mason (1991). "The Royal Air Force".
Britain's Gulf War: Operation Granby
. London: Harrington Kilbride. pp. 35?43.
- ^
Simon Dunstan, Peter Sarson, Challenger Main Battle Tank 1982-1997. (London: Osprey Publishing 1998), 37, cited in Cronin 2014, 21.
- ^
McManners, Hugh (2011).
Gulf War One
(2nd ed.). Reading: Ebury Press. p. 48.
in Cronin, P., 2014.
The Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars in the desert on Operation Granby, and the issues constraining their deployment 1990-1991,
MA in Military History thesis,
University of Buckingham
, 2014, p25.
- ^
Cronin, p24.
- ^
"1st Armoured Division"
.
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
.
House of Commons
. 4 March 1991.
- ^
Tucker, Spencer (8 October 2010).
The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts
. ABC-CLIO. p. 271.
ISBN
978-1851099474
.
- ^
*
Bourque, Stephen A. (2001).
Jayhawk! The 7th Corps in the Persian Gulf War
. Center of Military History, United States Army.
LCCN
2001028533
.
OCLC
51313637
.
- ^
Bourque P.319
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Allen, Charles.
Thunder & lightning: the RAF in the Gulf: personal experiences of war
(HM Stationery Office/Tso, 1991).
- de la Billiere, Peter. "The Gulf Conflict: Planning and Execution."
The RUSI Journal
136#4 (1991): 7?12.
- Hayr, Kenneth. "Logistics in the Gulf War."
The RUSI Journal
136#3 (1991): 14?19.
- Newell, Clayton R.
The A to Z of the Persian Gulf War 1990 ? 1991
(2007).
- Smith, Rupert. "The Gulf War: The land battle."
The RUSI Journal
137#1 (1992): 1?5.
- Bourque, Stephen A. (2001).
Jayhawk! The 7th Corps in the Persian Gulf War
. Center of Military History, United States Army.
LCCN
2001028533
.
OCLC
51313637
.
External links
[
edit
]