January 29 in History
1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the Gulf War, was launched in and around the Saudi Arabian city of Khafji, on this day in 1991 and continued till February 1, 1991.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who had already tried and failed to draw Coalition forces into costly ground engagements by shelling Saudi Arabian positions and oil storage tanks and firing Scud surface-to-surface missiles at Israel, ordered the invasion of Saudi Arabia from southern Kuwait. The 1st and 5th Mechanized Divisions and 3rd Armoured Division were ordered to conduct a multi-pronged invasion toward Khafji, engaging Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti, and US forces along the coastline, with a supporting Iraqi commando force ordered to infiltrate further south by sea and harass the Coalition’s rear.
These three divisions, which had suffered significant losses from attacks by Coalition aircraft in the preceding days, began their attack on this day. Most of the attacks were repulsed by US Marine Corps and US Army forces but one of the Iraqi columns occupied Khafji on the night of January 29–30. Between January 30 and February 1, two Saudi Arabian National Guard battalions and two Qatari tank companies attempted to retake control of the city, aided by Coalition aircraft and US artillery. By February 1, the city had been recaptured at the cost of 43 Coalition servicemen dead and 52 wounded. Iraqi Army fatalities numbered between 60 and 300, while an estimated 400 were captured as prisoners of war.
Although the invasion of Khafji was initially a propaganda victory for the Ba’athist Iraqi regime, it was swiftly recaptured by Coalition forces. The battle demonstrated the ability of air power to support ground forces.
–Wikipedia
Photo Caption – Marines of the US 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines, depicted in the painting Cleaning up Khafji –Wikipedia
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