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April 6 - 12
Monday, 07 April 2008
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3ID Captures Baghdad in OIF I
The culminations of OIF I came five years ago this week in April 2003 when the Third Infantry Division captured Baghdad. Earlier, on 4 April elements of the 1st Brigade, 3ID had taken Saddam International Airport west of the city and renamed it Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). And on 5 April, in two Thunder Runs, 3ID Task Forces had entered downtown Baghdad before withdrawing to the west and linking with the 1st Brigade.
The decisive engagement of OIF I came during 7-9 April. On the 7th the 3ID’s 2d Brigade advanced into central Baghdad and occupied several buildings, including Saddam’s Republican Palace. The key decision made at this time was to remain in the city overnight, in spite of a devastating missile attack on the brigade’s TOC, heavy fire against resupply operations, and especially heavy contact at Objective Curly on Highway 8, now more commonly called the Airport Road.
Objective Curly was one of three overpasses (with Objectives Moe and Larry) at east-west intersections over the north-south Highway 8 from brigade objectives south to OBJ SAINTS. TF “China” of the 3-15 Infantry, commanded by LTC Stephen Twitty, had the mission of seizing and keeping these intersections to protect lines of communication in order to support the 2d Brigade’s main effort to destroy Saddam’s Medina Division. A/3-15 IN seized Objective Moe, the most northern, B/1-64 AR seized Objective Larry in the center, B/3-15 IN (-) was opcon to the Brigade, and Team Zan took Objective Curly. All the teams had to fight their way into position and quickly under intense direct and indirect fire. On OBJ Moe the Gators fired 6 danger close mortar and artillery missions, destroyed more than 60 vehicles and as many as 200 enemy infantry. On OBJ Larry Team Rage fired 2 danger close 155 artillery missions, destroyed more than 60 vehicles and 250 enemy infantry.
On Objective Curly Team Zan, a pick-up team consisting of a single Mech Infantry platoon, an Engineer squad, the mortar platoon, a Scout section, and the TF Command Sergeant Major with an M88 and a HMMWV, was commanded by CPT Zan Hornbuckle. The enemy at CURLY turned out to be Jihadists, who attacked incessantly for 12-14 hours, firing small arms and RPGs from buildings, trenches, bunkers, and rubble along side the cloverleaf intersection. They charged the US positions in taxis, cars, trucks with heavy machine guns mounted, and even in motorcycles with recoilless rifles tied to the side cars. They drove cars loaded with explosives at high speed towards the US positions, hoping to take Americans with them when they exploded. Team Zan used the TF 120mm mortar platoon in direct lay mode, called for 3 danger close 155 artillery missions, destroyed dozens of vehicles and 100 enemy infantry. Had OBJ Curly been overrun, the rest of TF 3-15 IN and two armor task forces further north would have been isolated deep within the city.
After 8 hours of fighting TF “China” regained control of B/3-15 and the Barbarians moved to Curly to assume control of the fight. Quick counterattacks and the surge of combat power pushed the enemy back, allowing the TF to accomplish its mission. Objectives Moe, Larry and Curly continued to be held for the next few days.
On 9 April Baghdad fell. US Marines advanced into the city and linked up with the 3ID, and in the most famous picture from that time, a huge statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down from its base. This all would have happened eventually, but the tenacity of TF 3-15 at Objectives Moe, Larry and Curly abbreviated the strategic time line of the war by days, if not weeks, and showed them to be true successors to the 3ID soldiers who held the line of the Marne in World War I, stormed through the Siegfried Line in World War II, and secured Line Kansas this week in 1951 in Korea.
