On the second day of the Gulf War ground campaign, the Allied VII corps made contact with the Iraqi Republican Guard Divisions. Contact was maintained, and fighting continued throughout the night of 26 February, and on into the morning of the 27th, the day of the cease fire. 73 Easting was no more than a geographic line on a map But for Eagle Troop, 2nd Squadron. 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, it was where they made contactwith the Iraqi elite Tawakalna (Republican Guard) Motorized Infantry Division. 2nd ACR was the spearhead for the VII Corps advance. Its mission was to locate the forward defensive lines of the Republican Guard, and pass the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized). Once contact was established. When 2nd ACR made contact with Iraqi near the 68 Easting line. A battle began which would go down in Army annals as one of the greatest victories of all time. Eagle Troop, led by Captain H R McMaster was advancing east in a mild sand storm At approximately the 68 Easting line, the troop started taking fire from a village on the southern border of the troop's lane. Also, the troop was engaging BMP recon vehicles in Ghost Troop's lane to the north. They suppressed the fire from the village and bypassed it As the troop neared the 69 Easting line, a M3 CFV of the 1st Scout Platoon reported that it was engaging an enemy T-72 MBT located on the 70 Easting line. As the troop crested an imperceptible rise, they sighted a line of eight T-72 MBTs at about 1000 meters range. The troop's tanks, now on line, destroyed this initial defensive line in seconds. Iraqi return fire was extremely inaccurate, and the Iraqi rate of fire agonizingly slow. The dust storm now fairly dissipated, and Eagle Troop moved forward. As visibility increased, an Iraqi defensive line could be seen on the troop's south border Some of the enemy vehicles were in Eagle Troop's lane, but most were in Iron Troop's sector. Iron Troop, to the south, had not advanced as far as Eagle Troop Captain McMaster attacked this superior enemy force, continuing his advance within his lane toward the 73 Easting line Once again, Eagle Troop was victorious. The troop then crested another imperceptible rise, and before them was a large coil of eighteen T-72 MBTs and a Brigade logistics area, with fuel, ammo and cargo trucks. Eagle Troop engaged the tanks as Iraqi crews rushed to their vehicles The enemy had been caught by surprise The advance was halted at the 74 Easting line, and the 1st Infantry Division (Mech) was passed forward to continue the attack. Back to Dispatch Sep. 99 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by HMGS Mid-South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com