Qualla: Battle of Medina Ridge https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Medina Ridge https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge Battle of Medina Ridge: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge/ Photo credit PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy, Public domain. The Iraqis had done something clever. Along a low, seven-mile rise in the desert west of Basra -- a feature so modest that American troops simply named it "Medina Ridge" -- the Republican Guard's Medina Luminous Division had positioned its tanks on the reverse slope. Hidden from view until the Americans crested the ridgeline, these T-72s and Type 69s waited in prepared positions where, in theory, the long-range advantage of the M1A1 Abrams would be neutralized. It was one of the few moments in the Gulf War when Iraqi tactical planning genuinely threatened to shift the terms of engagement. On February 27, 1991, the plan met reality.

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Image: PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy | Public domain

]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/tj37-battle-of-medina-ridge-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Medina Ridge: Three Thousand Vehicles Moving East https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge/ Photo credit PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy, Public domain. The U.S. 1st Armored Division, commanded by Major General Ron Griffith, was an immense formation: roughly 3,000 vehicles including 348 M1A1 Abrams tanks. For days it had been racing east through southern Iraq as part of VII Corps' sweeping flanking maneuver. On February 25, the 3...

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Image: PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy | Public domain

]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/tj37-battle-of-medina-ridge-three-thousand-vehicles-moving-east.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Medina Ridge: The Reverse Slope https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge/ Photo credit PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy, Public domain. The Medina Luminous Division had chosen its ground carefully. A reverse slope defense -- positioning forces on the far side of a ridge from the approaching enemy -- is a classic tactic designed to deny the attacker his range advantage. American M1A1 Abrams tanks could kill at dis...

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Image: PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy | Public domain

]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/tj37-battle-of-medina-ridge-the-reverse-slope.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Medina Ridge: Two Hours on the Ridge https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge/ Photo credit PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy, Public domain. The battle lasted over two hours, making it the largest tank engagement of the entire Gulf War. As American tanks crested the ridgeline, they found the Iraqi armor laid out before them. The reverse slope position that was supposed to equalize the fight instead presented the Iraqi...

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Image: PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy | Public domain

]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/tj37-battle-of-medina-ridge-two-hours-on-the-ridge.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Medina Ridge: What the Iraqis Managed https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge/ Photo credit PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy, Public domain. The Battle of Medina Ridge was one of the few engagements where Iraqi forces mounted significant resistance. Despite being outmatched in technology and training, they did not simply collapse. Evidence and ballistics reports confirmed that some of the four Abrams hits came from Ir...

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Image: PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy | Public domain

]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/tj37-battle-of-medina-ridge-what-the-iraqis-managed.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Medina Ridge: The Ridge That Disappeared https://qualla.com/battle-of-medina-ridge/ Photo credit PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy, Public domain. Medina Ridge is not really a ridge at all -- just a gentle rise in the flat desert west of Basra, barely perceptible from the air. The name exists only because American soldiers needed to call it something. Today there is nothing to mark the site. No monument stands where 186 tan...

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Image: PHC D. W. HOLMES II, US Navy | Public domain

]]> Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/j/3/7/battle-of-medina-ridge-wp/tj37-battle-of-medina-ridge-the-ridge-that-disappeared.mp3 0:06 6 full