Battle of Al Faw (2003)
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The Battle of Al Faw was one of the first battles of the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
; it took place March 20-24, 2003. One of the initial objectives of the Coalition campaign in Iraq was to capture the Gas and Oil Platforms ("GOPLATs") in the Al-Faw Peninsula intact before it could be
sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
d or destroyed by the Iraqi military. This would prevent an ecological disaster similar to the
1991 Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and enable a quicker take over of Iraqi oil production. The British Royal Marines'
3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
would also capture
Umm Qasr Umm Qasr ( ar, أم قصر, also transliterated as ''Um-qasir'', ''Um-qasser, Um Qasr'') is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is sep ...
at the same time so that its port, the only deepwater port in Iraq, could be used to bring in heavy military supplies once the Khawr Abd Allah waterway was cleared by the Mine Counter Measures Task group. The United States Marine Corps placed
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 per ...
under the command of 3 Commando Brigade so that the Brigade had the necessary force to capture both targets.


Order of battle

Coalition forces *
3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
,
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
**
40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet. Their barracks are at Norton ...
, Royal Marines **
42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...
, Royal Marines **
29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery is the Commando-trained unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery, based in Plymouth. The regiment is under the operational control of 3 Commando Brigade, to which it provides artillery support and gunnery ...
**
59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers 24 Commando Royal Engineers is a unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers supporting 3 Commando Brigade. History The regiment, which was formed in April 2008, is one of two British Army units attached to 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, t ...
**
131 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers 131 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers is an Army Reserve unit and part of 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers. It provides engineering support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines (3 Cdo Bde RM) and is the largest Army Reserve Commando unit. The ...
**
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 per ...
,
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
** SEAL Teams 3, 8 and 10, Navy SBT 22 * Fleet support ** HMS ''Ark Royal'' (aircraft carrier & helicopter transport) ** HMS ''Ocean'' (amphibious assault ship) ** HMS ''Richmond'' (
naval gunfire support Naval gunfire support (NGFS) (also known as shore bombardment) is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by th ...
) ** HMS ''Marlborough'' (naval gunfire support) ** HMS ''Chatham'' (naval gunfire support) ** HMS ''Ledbury'' (Mine hunter) ** HMS ''Bangor'' (Mine hunter) ** HMS ''Sandown'' (Mine hunter) ** HMS ''Brocklesby'' (Mine hunter) ** RFA ''Sir Galahad'' (transport) ** USS ''Valley Forge'' (command and control) ** USS ''Rushmore'' (transport) ** ORP ''Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki'' (logistic support) ** HMAS ''Kanimbla'' (Command and control & logistics support) ** HMAS ''Anzac'' (naval gunfire support) * Aviation support ** USS ''Constellation'' ***
F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experi ...
(
combat air patrol Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...
) ***
F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...
fighter-bombers ***
MH-53 Pave Low The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a retired long-range special operations and combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stall ...
(
sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
overwatch for land assault units) *** HH-60H Seahawk (sniper overwatch for
Oil platform An oil platform (or oil rig, offshore platform, oil production platform, and similar terms) is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. Many oil platfor ...
'GOPLAT' assault units) **
A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
(
close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
) ** AC-130U Spectre gunship **
AH-1 Cobra The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake. The A ...
attack helicopters *Royal Air Force **CH-47 Chinook Helicopters ***18 Sqn *** Tactical Supply Wing (TSW) ***Joint Helicopter Support Unit (JHSU) *Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm **
Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...
**Sea King Mk7 AEW ***849 Sqn **Sea King HC4 ***845 Sqn **Lynx Mk7 ***847 Sqn


Background

The main objective for the coalition was to capture the Khawr Abd Allah waterway on the al-Faw peninsula, allowing relief vessels to deliver emergency aid and equipment. During the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, the Iraqis had mined the waterway and the northern Gulf. Coalition commanders suspected they would do the same again, so the coalition dispatched minesweepers to clear the areas of mines. The eastern side of the waterway was part of the al-Faw peninsula and Iraqi-occupied, the mine-sweepers were not heavily armed or armoured and would be vulnerable to the Iraqi defenses on both the bank and from the rest of the al-Faw peninsula, the waterway was shallow and its canals were dry so large warships could not provide an effective defence for the mine-sweepers. So it became necessary to the coalition commanders that the eastern bank of the Khawr Abd Allah waterway and the al-Faw peninsula had to be secured; additionally, the docks at Umm Qasr could only be used safely if the al-Faw peninsula was secured. Another important objective on the al-Faw peninsula was the Iraqi oil infrastructure, coalition analysis of the major Iraqi southern oilfields, the routes of the pipelines and locations of the pumping-stations revealed that they all culminated in the al-Faw peninsula where 90% of Iraq's oil was exported through the peninsula via two gas and oil platforms just a few miles off the al-faw coast.


Plan

The plan for the assault and eventual capture of the al-Faw peninsula was that US Navy SEALs from SEAL Team 3 would make the initial assault on the MMS (monitoring and metering station) and the pipelines that allowed Iraq to export its oil from the southern fields to the Gulf, landing via 8
MH-53 The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a retired long-range special operations and combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stall ...
helicopters. After 30 minutes the Royal Marines would take over whilst the SEALs would depart. The main objective for 800 marines from
40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet. Their barracks are at Norton ...
as part of the brigades objective was to secure the MMS, B and C company and the MSG (Maneuver Support Group) would land by helicopters (that had previously taken in the SEALs), on the eastern bank of the Khawr Abd Allah waterway to secure it and then set up a defensive perimeter around the MMS. An hour later, A and D company would be flown in by Chinook and Sea King helicopters and the rest of 40 commando would then move out and capture the rest of the peninsula and the town of al-Faw. 3 ships from the Royal Navy and 1 from the Royal Australian Navy were assigned to provide fire support, as well as an
AC-130 The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, attack aircraft, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticate ...
. 800+ commandos of
42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...
, would land via 37 RAF CH-47, Royal Navy Sea King and US Marine Corps CH-46 helicopters, and north of 40 commando to create a blocking force against Iraqi forces to the north, they would be led in by USMC Cobra's teams of US troops were attached to the Commandos to liaise with US air support. A
B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
bomber would drop 16
JDAM The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs", into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Pos ...
's on Iraqi positions 17 minutes before the SEAL insertion, a flight of A-10s and an AC-130 gunship would also be in support, predator drones provided surveillance. The Royal Marines BRF (Brigade Reconnaissance Force) would also deploy to support 42 commando, a few minutes after 40 commando landed, Royal Marine artillery and British Army self-propelled guns would fire on Iraqi artillery positions on the peninsula According to coalition intelligence, The Iraqi 6th Armoured Division equipped with 100
T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...
tanks were stationed to defend the approaches to Basra and could be sent to intervene, some of its units were based on the peninsula itself and were just a few hours away from the coalition objectives, at least 150 aircraft were ready to launch support operations against them.


The Assault


20 March

Following days of bad weather, the assault on Al Faw was set for 2200 hours (local time) on 20 March 2003, US gunships and fighter-bombers attacked the known Iraqi positions on the peninsula in a short bombardment prior to the operation. The B-52 arrived on time and they released their bombs on various Iraqi bunkers, trenches and dugouts around the oil facilities on the al-Faw peninsula, 5 minutes later A-10s arrived to destroy any anti aircraft guns or missiles, however they couldn't see their targets due to the dust cloud created from the JDAMs, so they went into a holding pattern until it cleared. A and D company of SEALs and other special forces units would assault on the MSS and the pipelines was successful, after a brief firefight they killed 1 Iraqi soldier and captured 13 more. At the same time B and C company would commence air and sea landings, securing the gas and oil platforms out at sea. Special Boat Team 22 inserted SEAL Teams 8 and 10 to capture the Mina Al Bakr Oil Terminal and Polish GROM commandos captured the Khor Al-Amaya Oil Terminal. 32 Iraqi prisoners were also captured. Explosive Ordnance Disposal were then landed on the platforms to search for and remove explosive booby traps and demolition charges. An AC-130 guided in the RAF Chinook helicopters carrying the Commando's from 40 Commando, the helicopter insertion was successful and the Commandos secured the MSS and the pipelines, whilst assaulting buildings at the MSS, the Commandos killed 2 Iraqi soldiers. Resistance was light: D company came under sporadic fire from an Iraqi Bunker, two 1000 and 500-pound bombs released from an
F-18 The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...
as well as 40mm and 105mm shells from an AC-130 destroyed the bunker. The Iraqi POW's captured by the SEALs were given over to the commandos. The MSG moved out to the town of al-Faw to take control of its access points, on the way, they attacked two Iraqi-occupied trenches and a gatehouse. The firefight lasted for an hour, eventually securing the position. With the support of the AC-130, the MSG killed 8 Iraqi soldiers and captured 25. There were still a further 200 Iraqi soldiers in other trenches and they began calling in mortars on the MSS, AC-130 gunfire silenced the mortars and demoralised the Iraqis; B company was locked in a sporadic firefight with an Iraqi bunker, which they eventually cleared, whilst A company assaulted an Iraqi-occupied trench, bunker and mortar position with AC-130 support, killing the occupants. D company neutralized another Iraqi bunker with naval gun fire; without taking any casualties, 40 Commando took over 200 Iraqi prisoners. A second assault by 42 Commando followed at 2225 hours. The second assault was preceded by artillery and naval bombardment, the artillery fire came from three British and one US artillery batteries positioned on
Bubiyan Island Bubiyan Island ( ar, جزيرة بوبيان) is the largest island in the Kuwaiti coastal island chain situated in the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf, with an area of . Bubiyan Island is part of the Shatt al-Arab delta. The Mubarak Al ...
, the naval component from HMS ''Richmond'', HMS ''Marlborough'', HMS ''Chatham'' and HMAS ''Anzac''. The Marines were preceded by USMC
AH-1 Cobra The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake. The A ...
helicopters gunships and flown in by USMC helicopters to land just north of the town of Al Faw, destroying Iraqi artillery. The insertion began badly with appalling visibility, worsened by fires and sand. The Headquarters of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force crashed in a US
CH-46 Sea Knight The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem-rotor transport helicopter powered by twin turboshaft engines. It was designed by Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol following Vertol's acquisition by Boeing. Development of th ...
as the assault formation turned over the Brigade assembly area, killing the seven Royal Marines, one Royal Navy operator and four US marine Corps aviators aboard. The cloud base dropped even further and the commander of the US Marine Air Wing decided to call off any further landings. A new insertion was planned, using RAF Chinook and Puma helicopters, for dawn. The landings finally took place, six hours late and onto insecure landing zones, all the objectives were taken and secured. 42 Commando became the most forward unit in the al-Faw peninsula. They came under friendly fire from a USMC Cobra but no casualties occurred.


21 March

A few hours after the Commandos landed, a group of Iraqi soldiers approached the commandos position, the commandos' machineguns and an AC-130 fired on them killing all but one, who was captured. A company moved out to the town of al-Faw and set up blocking positions to the south east, whilst D company cleared an Iraqi barracks and bunker, following intelligence received from Iraqi locals, the 105 members of A company moved into the town. Whilst in the waste ground in the eastern part of the town the commandos were ambushed, they returned fire killing 7 Iraqis, as they withdrew the commandos came under fire from Iranian border guards. A company halted in the centre of town and prepared to continue their attack when it got dark, they attacked a Ba'athist party headquarters killing 7 Fedayeen fighters, 3 commandos became casualties, in the night the rest of the Fedayeen and Iraqi troops surrendered. 42 Commando, engaged and called in artillery on Fedayeen SUV vehicles entering their battle area, destroying 2, as they moved north, J company came under artillery fire they were attacked by a troop of Iraqis and a T-55 tank, Iranian border guards fired on them, the commandos called in British artillery which destroyed the Iraqi tank and troops. Plans to land British armour by hovercraft were abandoned once
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
discovered extensive
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
of the beaches near Al Faw which posed too great a danger to heavy U.S. Navy hovercraft carrying UK
Scimitars A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...
. The 12 Scimitars of C Squadron
Queen's Dragoon Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and ...
, which had been loaded onto Hovercraft aboard the USS ''Rushmore'' for the landing were instead landed back in Kuwait and finally crossed the waterway north of Umm Qasr twenty-four hours late.


22 March

Fedayeen Saddam Fedayeen Saddam () was a paramilitary Fedayeen organization loyal to the Ba'athist Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000–40,000 members. Irregular force ...
paramilitaries continued scattered fighting around Umm Qasr. Two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters collided, killing 7 people.


23 March

15 MEU (later relieved by 42 Commando) achieved their main objectives of securing Umm Qasr ahead of schedule, within 48 hours of crossing the Iraqi border. They then pushed north along the west bank of the Khawr Abd Allah waterway encountering stiff resistance from
Fedayeen Saddam Fedayeen Saddam () was a paramilitary Fedayeen organization loyal to the Ba'athist Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000–40,000 members. Irregular force ...
.


24 March

40 Commando were tasked to move up the al-Faw peninsula towards Basra; the operation was codenamed Operation Leah. The 14 Challenger 2's of C squadron The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards linked up with 40 Commando and the BRF, with the majority of the force moving along Highway 6 whilst others set up observation posts; the highway from Umm Qasr to Basra was guarded by the Iraqi 6th Armoured Division, 18th Infantry Division and the 51st Mechanized Division with 220–250 tanks. The forward observation posts soon detected Iraqi troops and tanks setting up a defensive line north of highway 6. West of the highway, c/s 30 came under fire from an Iraqi T-55; the CR2 destroyed it with its main armament APFSDS round. An Iraqi armoured brigade attempted a counterattack on al Faw, the force was made up of 60 T-55 tanks, a troop of 4 tanks fired on the Cr2 so the crews called in A-10s and they destroyed the 4 Iraqi tanks. Throughout the day repeated troops of Iraqi tanks attacked C Squadron's CR2's who called in F-18 and A-10 air support to destroy them, A company boarded 6 Sea King helicopters and flew to a forward position to protect 8 Battery, 29 Commando, Royal Artillery as it moved its 105mm guns to within firing range of the Iraqi armoured brigade's attack. 8th Battery artillery guns, the A-10s and the F-18s airstrikes, as well as by 40 Commando had destroyed over 20 T-55s, the rest retreated back to Basra. 42 Commando relieved the 15th MEU in Umm Qasr.Rossiter, Mike, '' Target Basra '', Corgi, 2009 , p219,p245-251 With the route to Umm Qasr declared safe and the Al Faw Peninsula largely in Coalition hands, this allowed the British
7th Armoured Brigade 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
to press on to Basrah and US forces to advance on Baghdad without the threat of Iraqi forces near Basrah flanking through Al Faq and attacking Coalition supply lines.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Al Faw, Battle of Conflicts in 2003 2003 in Iraq Battles of the Iraq War in 2003 Battles of the Iraq War involving the United Kingdom Battles of the Iraq War involving the United States Battles of the Iraq War involving Australia Battles of the Iraq War involving Poland United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War March 2003 events in Iraq