Osprey- Tanks in the Gulf War 1991

Book Specifics

Author: Steven J. Zaloga

Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez

Price: $20.00

ISBN: 978-1-4728-6475-8

Softcover, 48 pages with 40 photos and 8 color illustrations

What's Inside

The Persian Gulf War was a riveting look into modern warfare- one of the first major battles where we at home could watch the war in real time. I remember well being home on holiday break from college in 1991 and watching all of the anti-aircraft tracers leaping into the sky as U.S. and Coalition air forces and missiles took out offensive and defensive capabilities of the Iraqi forces prior to the ground war beginning. It was amazing to me to watch, but in reading this new book by Mr. Zaloga I was surprised to learn how very little of enemy armor forces were actually taken out by air assets. The vast majority were by ground systems such as tank rounds and antitank missiles. 

After a brief Introduction, we get into the Doctrine and Organization section- further broken down into:

• The Iraqi Army
• Coalition Forces: US tank units
• Coalition Forces: UK tank units
• Coalition Forces: French tank units
• Coalition Forces: Saudi-Arab coalition tank units

Throughout these sections are excellent color images of tanks in action and breakdowns of tank types and units involved. I didn't scan a whole lot of pictures here as the binding didn't allow for easy access- but there are enough images to get the gist of what is inside.

The Technical Factors section focuses again on Iraqi, US, and European and Arab Coalition tanks- highlighting armor and other defensive devices like jammers, as well as offensive capabilities. It is just a general overview but nonetheless, this is quite a lot to learn here for those unacquainted with the armor of the time. 

The meat of the book is in the Campaign section, which is broken down into the following: 

• The battle of Khafji
• The air campaign intensifies
• G-Day
• The Joint Forces Command attack
• The XVIII Airborne Corps
• The VII Corps

Throughout the text are more excellent photos as well as a chart that provides data on the degradation of Iraqi armor strength over the course of the short campaign, and detailed descriptions of the actions of the ground forces and extent of Iraqi defenses. Throughout the book are twelve color profiles of US, Coalition, and Iraqi tanks done by the artist Felipe Rodríguez as well as a two page spread of the cover art illustrating the Battle of 73 Easting.

The Battle Analysis gives valuable information of how effective the campaign was for US and Coalition forces and the value of superior technology and training in effective battlefield performance. Being able to spot the Iraqi forces well beyond their means of detecting the Coalition forces made all the difference. 

Conclusion

This was an enjoyable and fascinating book on this crucial campaign that may have set the stage for bringing the Cold War to a close later in 1991. Soviet tanks, while plentiful in the Iraqi armory were initially respected and it was surprising to all involved how ineffective they were when it came right down to it. Some lessons learned in this short campaign would continue to be analyzed and adapted as the US entered the post-9/11 battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan where urban warfare brought a whole new component to the equation. I have an Abrams and Bradley vehicle on the shelf of shame, and this book has motivated me to finish them off this summer.

Highly Recommended as a great introduction to this campaign occurring on the cusp of the end of the Cold War.

Thanks goes out to Osprey Publishing for this review sample.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

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