On 2 April we moved off the demarcation line in Iraq, the Basra district and returned south to perform some maintenance. We are preparing for a redeployment, hopefully soon. Over the next few days, I will attempt to chronicle the events of the war and establish an informal record of 'A' Battery 40th Field Artillery, MLRS, 3rd Armored Division, with regard to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
The Battery departed Francois Kaserne in Hanau, Germany at 1500 hours, 28 December 1990 en route to Rhein Main Air Force Base. The soldiers waited in several large German fest tents until the C141 Starlifter departed at 0100 hours, 29 December. It was an 8 hour flight to King Fahd Airport north of Ad Dammam.
We arrived in Ad Dammam, Saudi Arabia on 29 December 1990. The weather was sunny with a brisk 65 degree temperature and a fresh wind. It was a pleasant change from the dreary European winter. After in-processing at the port we were transported on buses to tent city area. We waited on the ships to arrive from Amsterdam with our vehicles and equipment. The plan was to receive the vehicles and move into the desert south of the town Hafar al Baten and east of the Wadi al Batin. We were going to confuse Saddam by massing east of the Wadi during the air war, and moving west to attack through Iraq to destroy the Republican Guard in northern Kuwait.
About 4 January 1991 I commandeered a UH-1 helicopter and flew out to Tactical Assembly Area Henry to recon the route and the site. By getting the flight we totally upstaged the Division Artillery (DIVARTY) Staff. The had been unable to get a flight for the Colonel. I invited Colonel Michitsch, the DIVARTY Commander, but he elected to drive and remain overnight. I took Major Riddle, the DIVARTY S-3.
It was a 4 hour flight up the Tapline Road and then south to TAA Henry. We stopped twice to refuel, first with the 101st Airborne and then at an ARAMCO oil airfield. The desert was painted in soft pastel colors on the cool winter morning. Flying at 50 feet to avoid enemy missiles we scattered herds of camels and nomadic Bedouins. I was amazed that the Arabian desert had several cities as well as mountains and vegetation. We flew into a phenomenon known as desert fog. We were so close to the Tapline Road that I could read the bumper numbers on convoys heading west. We had to skirt around the unmapped microwave towers. As we approached TAA Henry, the fog cleared and it was plain to see, nothing. TAA Henry was on a high plateau and pancake flat and the sand was 'reddish' in color. The helicopter dropped us at the location of the advance party and left. Although I knew it would return for me in 3 hours, I still felt deserted as it flew west to King Khalid Military City (KKMC). The S-3 and I carried our chemical protective suits and live rifle ammunition on the trip. At this time, our forces were picking up Iraqi recon patrols as far south as the Tapline Road.
The majority of our vehicles arrived by the 9th of January, so I moved the Battery out to TAA Henry on 11 January. We left the port of Ad Dammam at 0700. We traced the same route I flew over the week before. We stopped 10 miles south of Hafar al Baten at 2000 hours. The soldiers were exhausted and I did not want to chance an accident with the crazy Arab drivers so close to our destination. We slept on cots next to our vehicles. Local MP's urged me to drive the remaining distance because terrorists were operating out of Hafar al Baten.
I did not want to do this for the safety reasons, but more importantly, I did not want to exit the hard top road into the open desert at night looking for an empty spot I had only flown to. The night passed uneventfully and in the morning, we rolled into our new desert home.
At TAA Henry we set up camp life. We had two hot meals per day and also had crude showers and latrines. The excrement was mixed with diesel fuel and burned every morning. During this period of time, up until early February, we picked up ammunition and received new equipment. Two new inventions were provided. The first minor miracle was 50 pair of PVS-7 night vision goggles. They were vast improvements over the older type and made the night stand out almost as day. The second device was the Global Positioning System. Working off of satellites, it told me my grid 23 hours out of a day. I could also enter check points and destinations and have the small device point me in right direction and give course corrections. Most importantly, I could establish survey control for a rocket launcher to enable it to hit the target with great accuracy. Without GPS and the PVS-7, we could not have won the war.
A humorous event occurred when the trucks carrying the rocket launchers arrived. They were unloaded at the hard top road about 20 km from the Battery location. I went in my HMMWV to lead them back to position. I forgot to notify the troops that we would be coming in. On the way back we opened up the formation to a tactical wedge and picked up the speed to 40 mph. What I did not realize is that the troops in the Battery thought it was an Iraqi armored attack! They heard the thunderous rumble and saw the dust, many ran for cover. I laughed quite hard when I arrived and heard the story.
The Battery departed Francois Kaserne in Hanau, Germany at 1500 hours, 28 December 1990 en route to Rhein Main Air Force Base. The soldiers waited in several large German fest tents until the C141 Starlifter departed at 0100 hours, 29 December. It was an 8 hour flight to King Fahd Airport north of Ad Dammam.
We arrived in Ad Dammam, Saudi Arabia on 29 December 1990. The weather was sunny with a brisk 65 degree temperature and a fresh wind. It was a pleasant change from the dreary European winter. After in-processing at the port we were transported on buses to tent city area. We waited on the ships to arrive from Amsterdam with our vehicles and equipment. The plan was to receive the vehicles and move into the desert south of the town Hafar al Baten and east of the Wadi al Batin. We were going to confuse Saddam by massing east of the Wadi during the air war, and moving west to attack through Iraq to destroy the Republican Guard in northern Kuwait.
About 4 January 1991 I commandeered a UH-1 helicopter and flew out to Tactical Assembly Area Henry to recon the route and the site. By getting the flight we totally upstaged the Division Artillery (DIVARTY) Staff. The had been unable to get a flight for the Colonel. I invited Colonel Michitsch, the DIVARTY Commander, but he elected to drive and remain overnight. I took Major Riddle, the DIVARTY S-3.
It was a 4 hour flight up the Tapline Road and then south to TAA Henry. We stopped twice to refuel, first with the 101st Airborne and then at an ARAMCO oil airfield. The desert was painted in soft pastel colors on the cool winter morning. Flying at 50 feet to avoid enemy missiles we scattered herds of camels and nomadic Bedouins. I was amazed that the Arabian desert had several cities as well as mountains and vegetation. We flew into a phenomenon known as desert fog. We were so close to the Tapline Road that I could read the bumper numbers on convoys heading west. We had to skirt around the unmapped microwave towers. As we approached TAA Henry, the fog cleared and it was plain to see, nothing. TAA Henry was on a high plateau and pancake flat and the sand was 'reddish' in color. The helicopter dropped us at the location of the advance party and left. Although I knew it would return for me in 3 hours, I still felt deserted as it flew west to King Khalid Military City (KKMC). The S-3 and I carried our chemical protective suits and live rifle ammunition on the trip. At this time, our forces were picking up Iraqi recon patrols as far south as the Tapline Road.
The majority of our vehicles arrived by the 9th of January, so I moved the Battery out to TAA Henry on 11 January. We left the port of Ad Dammam at 0700. We traced the same route I flew over the week before. We stopped 10 miles south of Hafar al Baten at 2000 hours. The soldiers were exhausted and I did not want to chance an accident with the crazy Arab drivers so close to our destination. We slept on cots next to our vehicles. Local MP's urged me to drive the remaining distance because terrorists were operating out of Hafar al Baten.
I did not want to do this for the safety reasons, but more importantly, I did not want to exit the hard top road into the open desert at night looking for an empty spot I had only flown to. The night passed uneventfully and in the morning, we rolled into our new desert home.
At TAA Henry we set up camp life. We had two hot meals per day and also had crude showers and latrines. The excrement was mixed with diesel fuel and burned every morning. During this period of time, up until early February, we picked up ammunition and received new equipment. Two new inventions were provided. The first minor miracle was 50 pair of PVS-7 night vision goggles. They were vast improvements over the older type and made the night stand out almost as day. The second device was the Global Positioning System. Working off of satellites, it told me my grid 23 hours out of a day. I could also enter check points and destinations and have the small device point me in right direction and give course corrections. Most importantly, I could establish survey control for a rocket launcher to enable it to hit the target with great accuracy. Without GPS and the PVS-7, we could not have won the war.
A humorous event occurred when the trucks carrying the rocket launchers arrived. They were unloaded at the hard top road about 20 km from the Battery location. I went in my HMMWV to lead them back to position. I forgot to notify the troops that we would be coming in. On the way back we opened up the formation to a tactical wedge and picked up the speed to 40 mph. What I did not realize is that the troops in the Battery thought it was an Iraqi armored attack! They heard the thunderous rumble and saw the dust, many ran for cover. I laughed quite hard when I arrived and heard the story.
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