Battle of 73 Easting

Overview

The Battle of 73 Easting was fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between Coalition armored forces and Iraqi armored forces. It was named for a UTM north–south coordinate line that was used as a phase line by Coalition forces to measure their progress through the desert. The battle was later described by Lt. John Mecca, a participant, as "the last great tank battle of the 20th century." This battle took place several hours after another, smaller, tank battle at Al Busayyah.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of 73 Easting on 26 February 1991 was a major armored engagement between Coalition and Iraqi armored forces during the ground phase of the Gulf War. Named for the UTM north–south grid line used by Coalition forces as a phase line to measure their advance through the desert, the battle illustrated the operational momentum that Coalition armored units sustained across the theater. The engagement took place several hours after a smaller tank battle at Al Busayyah, indicating the intensity and tempo of armored contact during this phase of the campaign. Iraqi forces suffered approximately 1,000 casualties against a Coalition force of around 4,000. A participant later characterized it as 'the last great tank battle of the 20th century,' a description that points to its scale relative to subsequent conflicts and to the decisive conventional armored warfare that defined the Gulf War's ground campaign.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)