At 0115 Hours on February 27th, 1991, Task Force 4-18 (TF 4-18) Infantry advanced over a small rise at Ghazlani, southern Iraq. Catastrophe was waiting in the wings. Positioned on the "Vanguard" Battalion's left flank was one of the most formidable forces in the desert.

At right, author Panzeri atop his personal panzer.

Sitting in a reverse-slope defense, well dug-in and impressively camouflaged was a combined Task Force from the Iraqi Tawakalna Division, Republican Guards Forces Command. Over thirty T-72 tanks and thirty BMP armored personnel carriers waited, undetected, to prey on the flank of Task Force 4-18. This surprise, close-range engagement, placed precisely on the seam between 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions, invited severe damage to TF 4-18. However, when the sun came up on February 27th, fifty-two destroyed or captured Iraqi armored vehicles littered the Ghazlani Battlefield without one casualty in the Vanguard Battalion.

The absolute annihilation of the Republican Guards at Ghazlani can be attributed to three key factors:

(1) Overwhelming technical superiority of the U.S. weapons systems.
(2) The U.S. commander's cautious but effective application of all of his combat power, and above all,
(3) A complete disintegration of Iraqi unit cohesion and combat morale. Iraqi resistance simply melted under the intense firepower from an invisible enemy .