G + 3 Feb. 27, 1991
Night fighting continued into the early hours with the most significant contact in the 3rd Brigade sector against the northern brigade of the TAWAKALNA. Across the division boundary 3rd Armored Division engaged the southern brigade of the TAWAKALNA. During the heat of the fighting in this sector four M1A1 tanks of the 3rd Brigade were hit by direct fire. As a testimony to the quality of the M1A1 all four crews survived the incident with only a few light injuries. At 3:10 a.m. 1-1 Cav's command post received incoming artillery fire, again with no fatalities and remarkably light injuries to 22 soldiers, only three of which were litter urgent, thanks to the work of unit combat life savers like PFC Marty Coon and combat medics like PFC Tammy R. Reese from the 26th Support Battalion. In an unrelated action the first division fatality of the battle also occurred during the night when an engineer soldier from Company C, 54th Engineer Battalion was killed at Umm Hajul Airfield near Al Busayyah.
At 4:40 a.m. 1-1 Cav reported destroying seven BMPs west of PL Spain. Later, at 6:18 VII Corps reported that the MADINAH and HAMURABI Republican Guards Divisions were still in place in templated positions further east. Because of the rapid pace of operations over the preceding 36 hours, by first light all brigades were reporting serious fuel shortages, especially in tanks and helicopters. The division spent much of February 27 marshalling all available fuel assets including an emergency push of fuel from Corps and 3rd AD. A major contributor to the effort was Spec. Krist R. Johnson, a crew chief from 2-1 Aviation Battalion, who braved a suspected enemy minefield and area littered with unexploded munitions to lead a convoy of fuel trucks to the thirsty Apaches.
The attack again halted in the vicinity of PL Spain as 2nd Brigade received incoming artillery fire from north of the division boundary. Force Artillery nominated two Iraqi FROG missile battalions and one cannon artillery battalion as ATACMS targets. XVIII Airborne Corps cleared elements of the 3ACR from the proposed target area and VII Corps cleared 1AD (6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery) for target destruction. By 8:10 a.m. 1st and 2nd Brigades began destroying elements of the MADINAH Division along PL Lime with 3rd Brigade joining the fight at about 8:35. At 9:50 counterfire radars of the Force Artillery acquired enemy artillery emplacements firing on the 2nd Brigade. During several intense counterbattery engagements Sgt. David Norby and his fellow "redlegs" from A Battery, 94th FA (MLRS) launched rocket after rocket to quickly reduce the effects of the enemy fire, permitting the 2nd Brigade attack to continue. When enemy prisoners began surrendering in mass across the division's sector at 10:00 a.m. the 4th Brigade sent AH-64s on an armed reconnaissance mission destroying a number of withdrawing armored vehicles in the vicinity of PL MONACO.
Throughout the day reports arrived from 3rd U.S. Army headquarters that 21 Iraqi divisions were already combat ineffective or destroyed and that elements of the 17th, 10th, 6th and 51st Divisions were believed to be moving north toward Al Basrah. BBC news also reported that Kuwait City had been liberated by MARCENT and allied forces with the allies holding over 30,000 EPWs.
By midday the 2nd Brigade was fully engaged with the MADINAH's 2nd Brigade and, in the largest single engagement of the war, destroyed 61 Iraqi T-72/T-55 tanks, 34 APCs and five SA13 air defense systems in less than one hour. The division spent the rest of the day destroying the MADINAH's equipment in detail and paused east of PL ITALY. But not before SSgt. Charles A Peters, master gunner for D/4-7 Infantry, and his Bradley crew quickly and calmly destroyed a T-72 tank and three BMPs. At 5 p.m. the Corps passed information to the division that a theater-wide cease-fire was imminent. The division was urgently instructed to continue the attack as soon as possible with a limit of advance designated as PL Brazil and a limit of fire at PL Kiwi. Because there were still significant elements of the MADINAH Division in OBJ Bonn, General Griffith intended to continue the attack early on Feb. 28, stating that he wanted the accompanying artillery preparation "to be the most awesome artillery prep known to man."
In its heaviest day of fighting OLD IRONSIDES' battle damage assessment for Feb. 27 was 186 enemy tanks, 127 APCs, 38 artillery pieces, five air defense systems, 118 trucks destroyed and 839 prisoners captured. The division lost one soldier, a scout from 4th Battalion, 66th Armor, killed in action during the day's fighting.