To their west, on the left flank, crouched an equally eager First Armored Division and to the east, on the right flank, were elements of the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment. When the moment was finally ripe on February 24, the command came down to attack. In essence, the war had already commenced on the ground. All along the front, scouts had been conducting probing operations to seek out enemy weak points and exploit them. Scouts from 4th Bn., 8th Cav. of Second Brigade had in fact crossed the berm on the afternoon of the 23rd just after 1500 hours. Less than two hours later, they had penetrated several miles into Iraq and managed to capture over 200 prisoners.

When an armored division enters battle, one of the favored formations is the wedge. This formation, which is comprised of one brigade out front with two more following closely behind, one on each side and slightly to the rear, looks on paper like a spearhead. It is exactly the type of formation that earned the division its fame in WWII, because it was the Third Armored Division that spearheaded so many drives against the enemy.

The corridor through which the division was to attack was too narrow for this formation, and so another was employed. It involved the use of two brigades abreast, with the third in reserve. Although not its first choice. Third Armored used the formation to plow through the opposition and flatten a surprised and shaky foe.

When word to cross the berm and attack finally arrived on the afternoon of February 24, the Spearhead Division wasted no time. Within half an hour, lead elements of 1st and 2nd Brigade were across and had moved to contact in the attack. Since the defenders of Iraq were caught off guard, resistance was light. The first day of battle was marked by the advance of the division some 18 miles into Iraq, and the taking of over 200 prisoners.

By day two, the word was out that this was no feint and resistance began to stiffen. Early that morning, at 0300 hours, elements of 4/7 Cavalry took over 50 prisoners. But by first light, battle logs were to note that enemy reinforcement had been spotted moving south and west, to meet the attackers. The new day would bring first battle to most of the division's soldiers.

At 1115 hours, with all elements across the berm, an order came making it official. ". .. attack abreast, with 2nd Brigade in the north and 1st in the south, 3rd in reserve." Elements of the Combat Aviation Brigade, which supported the operation throughout, were given the task of screening the southern boundary along the attack route, since this is where the bulk of the enemy was expected to be.

The day was marked by hard pushing to penetrate as deeply and as fast as possible. Objective Collins, an area just south of Basra, where the western Kuwaiti border turns east towards the gulf, had been designated at the outset as the first goal to be reached. As Iraq responded to the invasion of its own territory, what had started as skirmishes rapidly escalated into full-scale engagements and later, battles.

In their rush to gain as much territory as possible, it was sometimes necessary to bypass areas. This happened late in the afternoon when 3rd Brigade, following in reserve, swept a town bypassed by First and Second Brigades. The sweep turned up 270 startled enemy prisoners. By the time the sun set on day two, the division's thrust had pushed another 53 miles into Iraq and put it just outside Objective Collins, a feat that came much sooner than anyone had anticipated. Day two's activities had seen impressive numbers of enemy soldiers and vehicles destroyed and the capture of almost 250 additional prisoners.

The 26th dawned clear and windy. By early morning, the two leading brigades were rapidly closing on Objective Collins, and the enemy was changing. As the Spearhead Division drew near its objective, they found themselves facing a much tougher foe, the first units of the highly-touted Republican Guard. These troops showed much less inclination to turn and run when the fighting got tough. As the day wore on, tanks of these two opposing armies rushed each other like medieval jousters, main guns spewing fire and death. There was more than enough action for everyone.

Nor did darkness bring a halt to the death dance. By 1840 hours, First Brigade was able to call in the destruction of 23 tanks during the day, including a number of T-72s, the Iraqi "big gun." Shortly thereafter, as the weather worsened and a windstorm commenced, Combat Aviation Brigade Apaches reported their tally for the day; 14 AMP'S, two trucks and some artillery. But the evening also brought sorrow. At 1927 hours, 4th Bn., 32nd Armored reported the loss of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle to tank fire. The division's first combat loss included two killed, three wounded.