VII corps Artillery
Deployment to Saudi Arabia for VII Corps Artillery "Redlegs" meant a fast swing from planning for troop drawdowns in Europe to assembling a combat-ready force capable of bringing a curtain of steel rain down on Iraq.
On Nov. 17, eight days after receiving the call to deploy, Corps Artillery Commander BG Creighton Abrams Jr. called a war council of five artillery commanders from brigades and divisional artillery units throughout V and VII Corps to develop the proper unit mix for the mission. The plan brought together four corps-artillery brigade headquarters from both European-based corps, plus the XVIII Airborne Corps and the Arkansas National Guard. The artillery battalions which composed these brigades contained a mix of 155-mm cannon, 8inch guns and the Multiple Launch Rocket System.
The deployment begins
Corps Artillery began deploying in early December. By the middle of the month, the unit had the 210th and 42nd Field Artillery brigades spread between USAREUR home stations, initial staging areas and tactical assembly areas in the Saudi Arabian desert. By Christmas Day, HHB, Corps Artillery had closed in its field location in TAA Juno.
The second week in January saw the 210th FA 100 percent deployed and assigned in a direct support role to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. The 42nd FA, less one battalion, took up positions in support of the 1st Cavalry Division, defending the Wadi Al Batin area. Training continued, with the units rotating through two live-fire ranges The Corps Artillery staff conducted a series of communications and command post exercises to hone command and control skills.
On Jan. 15, Corps Artillery gained the XVIII Corps' 75th FA Brigade from Fort Sill, Okla. which had one ATACMS battery.
Making defensive fire plans
During the air war, while the possibility of an Iraqi spoiling attack in the Wadi Al Batin sector loomed, the 42nd and 75th drew up plans for concentrated artillery fires in support of 1st Cav. No attack materialized, and the on-order missions never were fired. At the end of January, Corps Artillery had its brigades ranged throughout the VII Corps area. The 75th chopped to the 1st Infantry Division in a general support role during this period.
As the VII Corps plan to run an end sweep around Iraqi positions began to take shape, artillery planners placed an MLRS battalion with each of the armor divisions and a full brigade with the 2nd ACR. Two brigades went to support 1st Infantry Division for their breach operation.
National Guard arrives
As January passed, the 142nd FA Brigade began arriving in the forward area, completing the Corps Artillery set for the coming battle.
On Feb. 19, the 1st Infantry Division began a series of raids, attempting to pin down as many Iraqi troops as possible. Three FA brigades rotated units into the 1st ID sector, gaining experience while firing counter-battery missions.
On G-Day, the pace of operations accelerated and 1st ID moved forward ahead of schedule. Three FA brigades fired a concentrated barrage, as did the 1st (UK) Armoured Division artillery. The artillery fired 6,136 cannon rounds and 414 rockets in this 30 minute period.
Meanwhile, the grand sweep had begun, with two armor divisions and an armored cavalry regiment sweeping around the Iraqis. 1st Armored Division attacked north twice, into a concentration of the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division and to clear Al Busayyah, preceded by artillery fires all night Feb. 24-25.
Linking up on the fly
The 42nd and 75th FA brigades went to the 3rd and 1st Armored divisions, respectively, at 1p.m. Feb. 25, requiring linkups "on the fly," a complex mission at best on the training field. To assist, an aggressive major from the 1st Armored Division drove through enemy territory, across the 3rd AD's lead elements to find the 75th, He then led the brigade back across the battlefield to link up with the division. The 75th arrived just in time for the division's third fight, this time along Phase Line Tangerine facing elements of the Republican Guard.
By 6 p.m. Feb. 26, both U.S. armor divisions faced Republican Guard units across Phase Line Tangerine. The 1st Infantry Division passed through 2nd ACR, acquiring the 210th FA Brigade as they went. Further south, the 142nd reinforced the 1st (UK) Armoured Division's artillery. The brigades continued in these alignments until the cease fire.
Summing up
During their 100-hour offensive, Corps Artillery assets fired 12,821 cannon rounds, 5,634 MLRS rounds and 25 ATACMS rockets. A captured Iraqi artillery officer credited Corps Artillery with destroying nearly 90 of his division artillery's 100 guns in the 24 hours before Ist (UK) Armoured Division's attack.
VII Corps Artillery traces its roots back to the 17th Field Artillery Brigade which was activated at Camp Bowie, Tx. on Aug. 19, 1918. It was redesignated VII Corps Artillery on Mar. 13, 1944, to participate in World War II. The brigade took part in the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns, and was deactivated at the end of the war.
It was reactivated in 1951 as an initial part of the newly created NATO, and deactivated in 1974. In June 1984, the Department of the Army reactivated VII Corps Artillery. Throughout their history and today, the Redlegs of the VII Corps Artillery have hit the target squarely whenever necessary.