First Battle of al-Faw
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First Battle of al-Faw | |||||||||
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Part of Iran–Iraq War | |||||||||
Al-Faw peninsula, Iraq | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Iraq | Iran | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Amin Shariati | |||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
126 infantry battalions 33 armoured battalions 23 mechanized battalions 29 commando battalions 20 Republican Guard battalions |
140 infantry battalions 16 artillery battalions | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
Beginning: 1,000–5,000 troops Height of battle: 82,000 troops (Three mechanised divisions) 400+ aircraft 200+ helicopters |
Beginning: 22,000–25,000 troops Height of battle: 133,000 troops Several tank companies 70 aircraft 70+ helicopters | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
3,000 killed 9,000 wounded[1] 2,105 captured Destroyed: 74 aircraft 11 helicopters 400 tanks 200 APCs 500 military vehicles 20 field artillery pieces 55 anti-aircraft artillery pieces 7 fast attack craft 5 engineering vehicles destroyed Captured by Iran: 80 tanks 40 APCs 250 vehicles 35 field artillery pieces 150 anti-aircraft artillery pieces 3 radars 34 engineering equipment[1][2] Other claims: 10,000 killed (February–March) 40–55 aircraft 100+ tanks[3] |
10,000 killed 25,000 wounded[4] (10,000 casualties of chemical attacks)[5] |
The First Battle of al-Faw was a battle of the Iran–Iraq War, fought on the al-Faw peninsula between 10 February and 10 March 1986. The Iranian operation is considered to be one of Iran's greatest achievements in the Iran–Iraq War. The Iranians were able to capture the al-Faw peninsula, cutting off Iraqi access to the Persian Gulf in the process; this in turn hardened Iraqi attitudes to prosecute the war. The Faw peninsula was later recaptured by Iraqi forces near the end of the war.
On 9 February 1986, Iran launched Operation Dawn 8, a sophisticated and carefully planned
The First Battle of al-Faw was a major success for Iran who now held an important strategic position, but worried other states in the region, primarily in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who increased their support for Iraq. The battle damaged the prestige of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government, who began extensively improving defenses for the threatened major city of Basra. Although the battle officially ended in March 1986, intermittent clashes continued for two years until April 1988, when Iraq recaptured the al-Faw peninsula at the Second Battle of al-Faw.
Prelude
The
In the face of increasing Iraqi armament and manpower, as well as increasing problems on their own side, Iran could no longer rely on outnumbering Iraqi troops.[51] While the infantry and human wave assaults would remain key to their attacks throughout the war, Iran began to rely more heavily on infiltration and surprise attacks, as a part of limited light infantry warfare [50]. In contrast to Iraq's static defences and heavy armour, Iran began training troops in
Iran began to plan for a major offensive. While deceptively making it seem like the attack was to be against the southern Iraqi city of
Preparations
The operation was planned by Iran's army chief of staff and the Iranian defense minister. It was planned entirely by professional military officers, but the battlefield commanders were a mix of regular army and Revolutionary Guards officers. The Iraqis were taken by surprise, as they had not expected the Iranians to be able to land troops on the peninsula. The Iranians hoped to cut off Iraq from the Persian Gulf, making the country
Iranian attack
Operation Dawn 8 | |||||||||
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Part of Iran–Iraq War First Battle of al-Faw | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Belligerents | |||||||||
Iraq | Iran | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Hossein Kharrazi | |||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
5,000 killed or wounded 1,500 captured[4] |
600 killed 2,000 wounded[4] |
On 9 February 1986, the Iranians launched Operation Dawn 8 (
Peninsula landings
Taking place between 9 and 25 February, the assault across the Shatt al-Arab achieved significant tactical and operational surprise, allowing the Iranian forces to initially gain a quick victory over forces of the Iraqi Popular Army in the area. Considered a turning point in the war, unlike the tactics of human wave assaults used elsewhere at the front, the operation was a sophisticated and carefully planned amphibious operation.
The Iranians launched their assault on the peninsula at night, their men arriving on rubber boats.[10]: 240 Iranian Navy SEALs spearheaded the offensive despite a shortage of gear.[11]: 56, 66 Prior to this action Iranian Naval Commandos performed reconnaissance of the Faw peninsula.[11]: 56 The Iranian SEALs penetrated an obstacle belt and isolated Iraqi bunkers whose troops had taken cover from the heavy rains inside or were sleeping. Iranian demolition teams detonated charges on the obstacles to create a path for the Iranian infantry waiting to begin their assault.[11]: 66
The Iranian command was fortunate in taking advantage of torrential rain during the initial 24 hours that made it impossible for Iraq to bring to bear its superior air and artillery firepower. Not only did the
The first Iranian attack used
Iran's second simultaneous attack was aimed at the foot of the peninsula. Using a division size strike force of the Revolutionary Guard's amphibious forces on small boats and large
Due to being taken by surprise, and poor weather, the Iraqis were unable to launch a major counterattack, but began to fight back as early as 12 February. Iran quickly in the meantime set up
After taking the Faw, the Iranians built a pontoon bridge and began to dig in.[10]: 240
Iraqi counteroffensive
Initial attempts by Iraq to dislodge the Iranian troops made little impression due to lack of coordination, but cost Iraq 20-25 aircraft lost.
On 12 February 1986, the Iraqis began a counter-offensive to re-take the Faw, which failed after a week of intense fighting.
Unsurprisingly, the Iraqi counterattack failed after a week of heavy fighting.[20] [43]
The force led by General
Thus a new round of heavy fighting took place.[20] The Iraqi offensives were supported by
To make matters worse for the Iraqis, on 4 March, they suffered another heavy blow when two Iranian
Iraq's desperate attempts to retake al-Faw again ended in failure, costing them many tanks and aircraft:[20] their 15th Mechanised Division was almost completely wiped out.[12] The capture of al-Faw and the failure of the Iraqi counter-offensives were blows to the Ba'ath regime's prestige, and led the Gulf countries to fear that Iran might win the war.[20] Kuwait in particular felt menaced with Iranian troops only 16 km (9.9 mi) away, and increased its support of Iraq accordingly.[21]:241
Iraq launched another counterattack on 10 March, which was unsuccessful. On March 1986, the Iranians tried to follow up their success by attempting to take Umm Qasr, which would have severed Iraq from the Gulf and placed Iranian troops on the border with Kuwait.[20] However, the offensive failed due to Iranian shortages of armor.[20] Thus as a result, fighting on the peninsula stabilized, and became a stalemate.
Kuwait
Iranian troops succeeded in reaching the Khor Abdullah waterway opposite Kuwait, creating reports in the local media that Iranian forces had surrounded the Umm Al-Qasr Iraqi naval base. Iraq's main air control and warning centre located north of the Al Faw peninsula that was covering the Gulf area of operations, was also captured by Iran. This created a state of near panic in neighbouring Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Aftermath and impact
The fall of al-Faw and the failure of the Iraqi counter-offensives were huge blows to the prestige of the Ba'ath regime, and led to fears all over the persian Gulf that Iran might win the war.[8] In particular, Kuwait felt menaced with Iranian troops only ten miles away, and increased its support of Iraq accordingly.[10]: 241 During the Second Battle of al-Faw in April 1988 Iraq re-captured the peninsula.
The First Battle of al-Faw "officially" ended in March, however heavy intermittent clashes and combat operations continued on the peninsula until the end of 1986 and even as late as 1988, with neither side being able to displace the other. The battle bogged down into a World War I-style stalemate in the marshes of the peninsula.[39] 17,000 Iraqi troops and 30,000 Iranian troops fell victim on the peninsula.[39] On 3 September, Iran launched Operation Karbala 3 against two Iraqi oil platforms around Umm Qasr and Kuwait's Bubiyan Island, the latter of which hosted Iraqi troops. If successful, early warning radar sites on the platform would be destroyed. Iranian amphibious commandos and Revolutionary Guards landed on the first platform (al-Amayeh), defeating the Iraqi troops while Iranian artillery destroyed the second (al-Bakr). Iraq then launched air attacks and drove the Iranians off the al-Amayeh platform.[citation needed]
The occupation of al-Faw placed the city Basra at risk of being attacked, rumors of a final Iranian offensive against Basra proliferated. To help defend itself, Iraq had built impressive fortifications and Iraq devoted particular attention to the southern city of Basra. It built concrete-roofed
The Iranians put their foothold in the Al Faw peninsula to good use. They used the peninsula as a launch pad for
During the battle, Iranian Ah-1J Cobra helicopters downed one Iraq MiG and 5 helicopters in air-to-air combats.[1]
Losses
The intense fighting cost Iraq an estimated 17,000 losses; Iran lost about 10,000 during the two weeks.[9] An attempt to exploit the breakout from the captured territory, to completely sever Iraq's link to the Persian Gulf, was contained.
In a panic move, several Persian Gulf states lobbied Syria to influence Iran from further attempts to cut off Iraq's oil export facilities which would have had deleterious effect on world oil prices.
Order of battle
Iran
Khatam-ol-Anbiya Headquarters
- Karbala Headquarters
- 25th Karbala Special Division
- Commanded by Morteza Ghorbani
- 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division
- 7th Vali-e-Asr Division
- Commanded by Mohammad Raoofi-Nezhad
- 41st Tharallah Division
- Commanded by Qassem Soleimani
- Commanded by
- 31st Ashura Division
- Commanded by Amin Shari'ati
- 5th Nasr Division
- 8th Najaf Ashraf Division
- Commanded by Ahmad Kazemi
- 14th Imam Hossein Division
- Commanded by Hossein Kharrazi
- Commanded by
- 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division
- Commanded by Gholamreza Jaafari
- 32nd Ansar-ol-Hossayn Independent Brigade
- 15th Imam Hassan Independent Brigade
- 44th Qamar-e Bani-Hashem Independent Brigade
- Nooh Headquarters
- 19th Fajr Division
- 33rd Al-Mahdi Independent Brigade
- Commanded by Jaafar Asadi
- 33 artillery battalions of Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces
- Yunes 1 Headquarters
- Kowsar Flotilla of Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
- Yunes 2 Headquarters
(belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy) - Raad Headquarters
(air support and air defence; belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) - Shahid Soleiman Khater Headquarters
(air assault, medevac, heliborne and transportation; belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation) - Qods Headquarters (diversionary operations)
- Najaf Headquarters (diversionary operations)
- Jihad of Construction from Khorasan, Fars, Isfahan, and Khuzestan provinces
Source:[14]
Iraq
7th Corps: (the brigades are mostly from 15th and 26th divisions)
- 414, 29, 702, 704, 442, 502, 111, 110, 104, 47, 501, 419, 48, 39, 22, 23, 2, 602, 603, 703, 96, 95, 108, 421, 424, and 5th Infantry Brigades
- 440th, 441st, 443rd Coastal Infantry Brigades
- 30, 16, 34, 42, 26th Armored Brigades, 17th Tammuz, al-Rafidin, Dhu al-Noorain Tank Battalions, 43rd Battalion of 5th Division
- 25, 20, 15, 8 and 24th Mechznized Brigades
- 65th, 66th, and 68th Special Forces Brigade
- Republican Guard
- 1st Mechanized Brigade
- 2nd Commando Brigade
- 3rd Special Forces Brigade
- 4th Mechanized Brigade
- 10th Armored Brigade
- 1 commando battalion
- Commando units:
- Commando brigades from 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th Corps
- 73rd Brigade of 17th Division
- Hattin Battalion
- 5th Battalion of 26th Division
- Commando Battalion of 15th Division
- Popular Army
- 6 qati's under command of 26th Division
- Iraqi Navy
- Iraqi Air Force
- Iraqi Army Air Corps
Source:[14]
In popular culture
The Season One of the war documentary Ravayat-e Fath depicts Operation Dawn 8.
Legacy
The
See also
- Battle of Mehran
- Second Battle of al-Faw
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0674915718.
- ^ "آشنایی با عملیات والفجر ۸" [Familiarity with Operation Dawn 8]. 24 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-9762550-1-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0674915718.
- ISBN 9781851094905.
- ^ Stephen C. Pelletiere, The Iran-Iraq War: Chaos in a Vacuum, ABC-CLIO, 1992, p.142
- ^ "Iran-Iraq War | Causes, Summary, Casualties, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Karsh, Efraim The Iran-Iraq War 1980–1988, London: Osprey, 2002 page 48
- ^ a b c Karsh, Efraim The Iran-Iraq War, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008, p. 46
- ^ a b c d Bulloch, John & Morris, Harvey The Gulf War, Methuen: London, 1989
- ^ ISBN 978-1913118532.
- ^ Mohiaddin Mesbahi, The USSR and the Iran-Iraq War: From Brezhnev to Gorbachev, in Farhang Rajaee, ed., The Iran-Iraq War: The Politics of Aggression, University Press of Florida, 1993, p.83
- ^ Kenneth M. Pollack, Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991, University of Nebraska Press, 2004, p.217
- ^ a b "سایت تخصصی و اطلاع رسانی دفاع مقدس | والفجر 8". www.fatehan.ir. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013.
Bibliography
- Woods, Kevin; Murray, Williamson; Elkhamri, Mounir. "Saddam's War: An Iraqi military perspective on the Iran-Iraq War" (PDF). Institute for National Strategic Studies.
- "Phase Five: New Iranian Efforts at "Final Offensives",1986-1987" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- Pollack, Kenneth M. (2004). Arabs at War: From the Ottoman Conquest to the Ramadan War. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803206861.