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French artillery in the Gulf War

Soldiers of France special issue Gulf War
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The artillery units participating in the Gulf War were made up of professional soldiers, as ordered by President François Mitterrand. They mainly came from the 11th RAMa, under the command of Colonel Jean Novacq. From August 1990 to April 1991, the French artillerymen took an active part in the operations by participating in the three operations of the campaign.


Operation "Desert Shield" (6 August 1990 to 16 February 1991)

The 11e RAMa, fully deployed, was reinforced by elements of the 35th RAP (fourth ground-to-air battery, RASIT section and CRAPs), of the 68th RAA (one ground-to-air section and two DLOs) and finally of another RASIT section of the 6th RA. They joined the Persian Gulf in successive waves, from August to December 1990. Some of them went to the United Arab Emirates (see below), the others disembarked at the Saudi port of Yanbu to go first to King Khaled's city and then to a holding area called "Miramar", located more than 1,000 km north of the port. The journey was made in several convoys, in NBC atmosphere and under the threat of Iraqi Scuds. In Miramar, the artillerymen trained, maintained their weapons and vehicles, and waited to be deployed. On the night of Jan. 17, 1991, they moved to Rafha, 300 kilometres away, near the Iraqi border. A new period of waiting began, consisting of training, camouflage and intelligence gathering on the units of the 45th Iraqi Infantry Division, which was the Daguet Division's ground enemy. For fear of being located, the RATACs and RASITs of the 35th RAP and then the 6th AR could not operate in nominal mode. The Iraqi army moved to the border. On February 2nd 1991, the 11th ARM carried out the first fire of the division when it supported the2nd REI and the1st spahis regiment which faced the Iraqis installed at the Natchez border post. 106 shots of 155 mm were fired. The enemy fell silent.

Operation "Desert Storm (17-28 February 1991)

The operation began on 17 January 1991 with an intense air campaign to destroy the Iraqi army on the ground and in the air. The ground campaign began on 24 January 1991 and aimed at liberating Kuwait. For the Daguet division, it was a question of covering the coalition's action from the north-west by conducting an offensive reconnaissance in Iraqi territory, on the Rafha - As Salman (headquarters of the 45th Iraqi infantry division) - Euphrates river axis. The "bigors" of the 11th ARM supported the western grouping and provided general cover for the division, while the artillery of the 18th American brigade supported the eastern grouping. The DLOs were distributed among the various supported regiments. To keep up with the high tempo of the manoeuvre, the artillerymen had to move their APCs and 10,000-piece TRMs at high speed over extremely abrasive terrain, advance in drawers, and then get into battery very quickly to provide continuous fire support. The main firing took place on 23 February, when the artillery carried out counter-battery fire, and on 24 February, 108 rounds were fired at targets revealed during the advance of the3rd RIMa on the Rochambeau axis. The next day, the As Salman airport was treated by 1,300 rounds fired by the regiment's 155 TRF1s, before a victorious assault was made by the "marsouins". On the 26th, the division's CRAPs seized the As Salman fort, 5 of them were wounded when submunitions exploded, causing the death of two of their comrades from the1st RPIMa. During the offensive, the division's ground-to-air gunners provided very short-range anti-aircraft defence for the melee regiments and the division's main headquarters. The Iraqi air force, almost destroyed during the air campaign or put on the run, did not show up in the sky defended by the French SATCP Mistral and Stinger sections.

Operation "Busiris
(August 1990 to April 1991)

The UAE having agreed to host coalition forces on its soil, France decided to send a joint detachment to protect the country's airport infrastructures against possible Iraqi raids and to train the Emirati soldiers. Thus, the ground-to-air battery of the 11th RAMa provided two Mistral SATCP sections to reinforce the Crotale detachment (medium-range missiles) of the Air Force. Installed at Al Dhafra base, the "bigors" carried out their surveillance and protection mission from August 10 to December 19, 1990. On the other hand, the RASIT section of the 35th RAP started its tour in the Gulf by staying in the Emirates from August 25 to October 18, 1990, before joining the Daguet division in Saudi Arabia.

The French artillery contributed greatly to the success of coalition operations in the Persian Gulf, gathering intelligence, supporting units in contact and firing in depth, countering enemy artillery, and tirelessly monitoring the Saudi, Iraqi and Emirati skies. The Nation shows its gratitude to the artillerymen: the 11th RAMa is cited in the army order, the inscription "Kuwait 1990-1991" is embroidered in the folds of its standard decorated with the Overseas Operations War Cross with bronze palm. The4th ground-to-air battery of the 35th RAP is cited in the army corps order, its pennant decorated with the Overseas Operations War Cross with vermeil star. Many artillerymen were individually cited. The French artillery regained a level of commitment that had not been reached since the Algerian War.


The author thanks the 11th RAMa, the 35th RAP and the regiment's former association, as well as the 68th RAA for the excellent welcome they gave him, and for making the regimental archives available.

Lexicon

Bigor : artilleryman of the Troupes de marine

Counter-battery: action for an artillery element that aims to reduce or destroy the enemy artillery

Marsouin: infantryman of the Troupes de marine

Melee regiments: Infantry and cavalry

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Title : French artillery in the Gulf War
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The Sirocco station of the 11th RAMa © Charre Didier/ECPAD/Défense.
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