March 20 – April 9, 2003 · Central Iraq Theater
March 20 – April 9, 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom opens with 'Shock and Awe' — a night-time cruise missile and precision bombing campaign against Baghdad. Three US Army divisions and the 1st Marine Division drive north from Kuwait simultaneously. The 3rd Infantry Division reaches Baghdad's outskirts in 21 days. On April 5, 'Thunder Run' — a tank column charges straight through the city center — and the Republican Guard collapses. On April 9, a US military vehicle pulls down the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square before a watching world.
Commanders