G + 1 Feb. 25, 1991
All units reported refuel operations completed by 2:06 a.m. and
there was no significant enemy contact during the remainder of
the night.
The division continued the attack at 6:30 a.m. with 1st Brigade crossing PL Louisiana and making initial contact with elements of the 26th Iraqi Infantry Division as expected. Displaying exceptional agility, the brigade's easternmost battalion task force, TF 4-7 Infantry, handed off the battle to the 3rd Brigade as the remainder of the Phantom Brigade shifted west to bypass the pocket and continue the attack north ahead of the 2nd Brigade. At 7:37 a.m. the coordinated fire line (CFL) shifted to PL Grape. 3rd Brigade quickly destroyed one T-62 tank, eight armored personnel carriers (APC), and three artillery pieces.
The division crossed PL Melon at 8:15 a.m. when the 1st Brigade, led by the 1-1 Cav, made contact with additional elements of the 26th Division between PL Colorado and PL Arizona. After 2-41 FA put effective indirect fires on the Iraqis, TF 1-7 Infantry used psyops loudspeaker teams to flush out a large group of prisoners. During the TF 1-7 fight 26 year old SSgt. Todd Wright, a scout section sergeant, and his crew quickly destroyed an Iraqi BMP and a tank in rapid succession. 1-1 Cav continued moving, reporting its crossing of PL Kansas at 8:38. To ease fire control coordination, Corps shifted the CFL twice during the next hour to PL Arkansas (8:42) then PL Arizona (9:30). At 10:32 a.m. 3rd AD reported its lead units were crossing PL Melon. After the CFL was again shifted to PL Pear, Force Artillery initiated an MLRS fire mission against an enemy multiple rocket launcher (MRL) in the 3rd AD sector. At 1:22 p.m. the 2nd Brigade reported crossing PL Arkansas. After destroying eight APCs, four artillery pieces, several trucks and capturing 272 EPWs, the 1st Brigade reported its objective secured at 2:48. At 3:08 p.m. the CFL was shifted once more to PL New Mexico and the FSCL to PL Orange.
While the ground action was occurring, the 4th Brigade conducted afternoon AH-64 deep attacks against Al Busayyah (Attack Position Python and Objective Collins), the anticipated site of the division's next fight.
The weather deteriorated rapidly with heavy thunderstorms developing by late afternoon. Because Al Busayyah had been templated as the likely site of the headquarters for the 26th Division and was a known logistics center, the CG decided to conduct a deliberate attack the following morning at 6:30, preceded by an intense artillery preparation. At dark the division was disposed with 1st Brigade holding PL North Carolina in the east, 2nd Brigade holding PL North Carolina, in the west, 3rd Brigade consolidating along PL South Carolina, and 1-1 Cav extending its screen north from PL Smash to PL New Mexico.
With further reports coming in from Corps indicating that Iraqi resistance was crumbling rapidly in the XVIII Airborne Corps and MARCENT sectors, the division took advantage of this second tactical pause to finalize plans to push through Al Busayyah and exploit its early success. The commanding general decided to execute a rapid turning movement to the east to continue the attack to destroy elements of the elite Republican Guards forces.
In its first day of significant enemy contact the division destroyed two tanks (T-62 and T-55), 25 APCs, nine artillery pieces, 48 trucks, 14 air defense artillery (ADA) systems and captured 314 prisoners.