Qualla: Battle of Kuwait International Airport

Battle of Kuwait International Airport: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit J.R. Roark, US Marines, Public domain. Thirteen M1A1 Abrams tanks against thirty-five Iraqi Republican Guard tanks. Outnumbered three to one. Ninety seconds later, every Iraqi tank was burning. The "Reveille Engagement" of February 25, 1991, earned its name because Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion woke to find an enemy armored column angling across their front in the pre-dawn darkness. What followed became the biggest and fastest tank battle in the entire history of the United States Marine Corps, and it was only the opening act of a three-day fight for Kuwait International Airport that would involve elements of 18 divisions from both sides.

Image: J.R. Roark, US Marines | Public domain

Battle of Kuwait International Airport: Three Days Across the Desert

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Staff Sgt. Vance, Public domain. The battle for the airport did not begin at the airport. It began in the minefields. On February 24, 1991, the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions punched through Iraqi defensive belts south of Kuwait City, losing M60A1 tanks to mines as they breached the obstacles. The 2nd Marine Divis...

Image: Staff Sgt. Vance | Public domain

Battle of Kuwait International Airport: The Reveille Engagement

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit J.R. Roark, US Marines, Public domain. Early on February 25, Bravo Company of the 4th Tank Battalion, a Marine Reserve unit attached to the 2nd Marine Division, was resting in a coil formation with 25 percent of the crew on watch. The sentries spotted movement: a column of 35 Iraqi tanks rolling across their front, ap...

Image: J.R. Roark, US Marines | Public domain

Battle of Kuwait International Airport: Fight at the Terminal

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit J.R. Roark, US Marines, Public domain. When the 1st Marine Division finally reached Kuwait International Airport on February 27, they found the remnants of the Iraqi 12th Armored Brigade, part of the 3rd Armored Division, dug in among the runways and terminals. The defenders had T-62 tanks in dispersed, understrength ...

Image: J.R. Roark, US Marines | Public domain

Battle of Kuwait International Airport: Cutting the Escape

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit J.R. Roark, US Marines, Public domain. On the third day, the 2nd Marine Division liberated Al Jahra and seized the high ground on Mutla Ridge, severing the main Iraqi escape route from Kuwait to Basra. M1A1 tanks destroyed the majority of the 166 Iraqi tanks claimed by the division that day. The 1st Tank Battalion's f...

Image: J.R. Roark, US Marines | Public domain

Battle of Kuwait International Airport: The Overlooked Battle

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit J.R. Roark, US Marines, Public domain. Despite its scale, the Battle of Kuwait International Airport remains one of the Gulf War's least-known engagements. The Highway of Death, the Battle of 73 Easting, and the air campaign dominate public memory. Yet the airport battle involved more divisions than almost any other e...

Image: J.R. Roark, US Marines | Public domain