Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)
1991 · Kuwait and southern Iraq · World · Modern
The coalition first spent about five weeks of continuous air strikes paralyzing Iraqi command, communications and armor, then launched a ground offensive that in only about 100 hours drove the Iraqi army into a full-scale retreat out of Kuwait.
Belligerents
US-led multinational coalition
- Commanders
- Norman Schwarzkopf
- Strength
- About 700,000 ground troops, with absolute air superiority
Iraq
- Commanders
- Saddam Hussein
- Strength
- Hundreds of thousands in Kuwait and along the border
Background
Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait in 1990. The UN Security Council then authorized member states to take action, and a US-led multinational coalition massed its forces to liberate Kuwait.
Course of the battle
- Air strikesThe coalition sent large numbers of aircraft and cruise missiles, spending several weeks paralyzing Iraq's air defenses, command and armored staging areas.
- 100-hour ground warGround forces attacked simultaneously from the Kuwaiti front and from the flank inside Saudi Arabia, executing a wide envelopment of the main Iraqi force.
- Kuwait liberatedThe Iraqi army retreated in disarray on a massive scale and set oil wells ablaze; after recapturing all of Kuwait, the coalition declared a ceasefire.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Place | Kuwait and southern Iraq |
| Result | The coalition first spent about five weeks of continuous air strikes paralyzing Iraqi command, communications and armor, then launched a ground offensive that in only about 100 hours drove the Iraqi army into a full-scale retreat out of Kuwait. |
| Winner | US-led multinational coalition |
| Casualties | Iraqi killed, wounded and captured numbered in the tens of thousands, while coalition deaths numbered in the hundreds. |
| Territorial change | Kuwait's sovereignty was restored, and large numbers of military installations in southern Iraq were destroyed. |
Impact
The Gulf War demonstrated the overwhelming superiority of precision-guided weapons, satellite navigation and integrated air-ground warfare, and is regarded as the beginning of modern information-age limited war.
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