COMMAND CHRONOLOGY FOR THE PERIOD 1 JAN TO 13 APR 91

File: 100896_sep96_decls8_0001.txt
Page: 0001
Total Pages: 31

Subject: COMMAND CHRONOLOGY FOR THE PERIOD 1 JAN TO 13 APR 91            

Unit: 2ND MARDIV  

Parent Organization: 2 MEF       

Box ID: BX600014

Folder Title: COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 2ND MARINE DIVISION 1 OF 10  JAN - APRIL 1991                                

Document Number:          3

Folder SEQ  #:          4


                                      UNCLASSIFIET

                                     SECTION II


                                     )IARRATIVE



       1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

           The armed forces of the United States, and those of our coalition
       allies, have achieved a success nearly without precedent in the
       history of war. In merely seven months we moved a great military
       force nearly halfway around the globe, trained and prepared it for
       combat, developed plans which would strike our enemy at his weakest
       point, demoralized and crippled his army before our attack, executed
       a lightning campaign against him to which he could never react
       effectively, and ultimately destroyed him in the field. That all of
       this could be done at a relatively small cost in lives, should in no
       manner lessen what has been accomplished, but should rather increase
           zalue of the final victory.

           Here figures and statistics may provide some physical measure of
       success, but they cannot tell the full extent of the victory won by
       this division, and all of the U.S. armed forces and allies. Having
       achieved a great success in a short time and with few casualties, it
       is necessary to review the several decisive factors which contributed
       to it.

           First, this division conducted its operation in a classic mannert
       the way in which we have always been trained to fight. our plan was
       a simple one: to hit the enemy where he was weak; to deceive him as
       to the point of our attack; to conduct a rapid breach of his
       defenses; to quickly build up combat power on the far side of the
       breach,@ to expand the breach-head; and to maneuver rapidly against
       the 'enemy, allowing him no respite in which to coordinate his
       defenses against us. That this plan was fulfilled effectively was
       due to the aggressiveness and initiative of the individual Marines,
f this division.

           That we achieved tactical surprise is beyond question. The
       onemy's forces were not deployed to effectively counter our attack
       through the breach area. He expected our attack to be further to the
       northwest of our sector. This deception was greatly aided by the
       employment of 2d LAX Battalion in that area in the days just prior to
       our a
       m                                                                     I

           Having caught our enemy off balance, we gave him no opportunity
       to respond effectively to our subsequent actions. Even in those
       areas to the north, where he had sufficient men and equipment to
       hamper our advance, he was consistently "too little and too late."
       The speed of our advance was faster than he anticipated, and his
       units were committed piecemeal to the battle. By the time these
       units were making their local counterattacks, we were generally in a
       position to take him in his flanks or use our superior combined arms
       firepower to stop him. In the end, he was left with the decision to


                                        II-1


                                      UNCLASSIFIED

Document 31 f:/Week-35/BX600014/COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 2ND MARINE DIVISION 1 OF 10 JAN - APRIL 1991/command chronology for the period 1 jan to 13 ap:100196125355
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-35
Box ID = BX600014
Unit = 2ND MARDIV
Parent Organization = 2 MEF
Folder Title = COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 2ND MARINE DIVISION 1 OF 10 JAN - APRIL 1991
Folder Seq # = 4
Subject = COMMAND CHRONOLOGY FOR THE PERIOD 1 JAN TO 13 AP
Document Seq # =
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 01-OCT-1996