February 26, 1991 · Iraq Theater
February 26, 1991
In a featureless expanse of Iraqi desert named only by its map grid coordinate, nine M1A1 Abrams tanks of Eagle Troop, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, commanded by Captain H.R. McMaster (later a four-star general and National Security Advisor), encountered the Iraqi Republican Guard's Tawakalna Division. In 23 minutes, Eagle Troop destroyed 28 tanks, 16 personnel carriers, and 30 trucks. Not a single American was killed. The M1A1's thermal sights could see and engage targets at 2,500 meters in the blinding sandstorm; Iraqi T-72 crews were effectively blind. The battle became one of the most studied engagements in armored warfare history.
Commanders