Battle of Debecka Pass

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Debecka Pass
colour_scheme=background:#ffcccc


caption="Soldier practicing using the Javelin anti-tank missile on a firing range. The javelin was a pivotal weapon in the Battle of Debecka Pass."
partof=the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
date=April 06, 2003
place=Between Mosul and Kirkuk, Iraq
result=Strategic U.S. victory
combatant1=flag|United States
flagicon|Kurdistan Peshmerga
combatant2=flag|Iraq
strength1=26 U.S. Special Forces Operators, 3 Air Force Combat Controllers , 2 Military Intelligence Operators,about 80 Kurdish fighters
strength2=A motorized company(about 100 soldiers)
casualties1=U.S.: NonePeshmerga: 17 soldiers and civilians killed
casualties2=2 T-55 tanks, 8 armoured personnel carriers, 4 troop trucks, unknown number of soldiers killed, 20 captured

The Battle of Debecka Pass, sometimes known as the Battle of Debecka Ridge, or otherwise referred to as the Alamo of the Iraq War [http://thecost.blogspot.com/2006/01/roughneck-nine-one-by-frank-antenori.html] , was a successful operation launched by U.S. Special Forces to secure a major crossroads near the village of Debecka, between Mosul and Kirkuk in northern Iraq. It was notable for its use of the RaytheonLockheed-Martin Javelin anti-tank missile. The weapon demonstrated how lethal and crucial technology can be in determining the outcome of a battle.

Objective

On April 6, 2003, 26 United States Army Special Forces were given the task to capture a strategically important junction between Mosul and Kirkuk, near the village of Debecka. Were it captured, it would sever Highway 2 and impede Iraqi movement in the north, as well as provide a springboard to eventually drive on and capture the important Kirkuk oil fields.

The Battle

On the eighteenth day of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Special Forces moved in for the attack. The battle began with an aerial bombardment from B-52 bombers. The Special Forces troops linked up with the Peshmerga resistance, and reached the base of the ridge.

Peshmerga troops then proceeded to clear a minefield before them. Iraqi troops attacked and stopped the force from destroying a large dirt berm. The force made their way over the top of the ridgeline, and engaged the Iraqis in bunkers, capturing about twenty Iraqi soldiers. The troops returned and destroyed the berm, as they would need an avenue of escape should withdrawal from the area prove necessary.

The troops then mounted a small hill known as Press Hill, obscuring an approach to the crossroads from the south. Soon they found themselves facing an Iraqi mechanized company with hundredsVerify source|date=April 2007 of troops, and the four-and-a-half-hour battle began. Early into the battle two armored personnel carriers (APCs) were destroyed along with two occupied troop trucks by Javelin anti-tank missiles. Soon after two more APCs were destroyed along with another transport truck, from the same deadly weapon. The attacking Iraqis halted the offensive and laid down fire from defensive trenches. As the battle wore on, the Iraqi attack became less and less organized.

Later, three trucks approached the company with headlights flashing, most likely, attempting to fool the Special Forces operators into believing that it might be a surrender. However, it was merely a ploy to initiate the final attack. A phalanx of three armored personnel carriers and three troop trucks, supported by four T-55 tanks, moved forward to attack the American lines. Coalition troops maneuvered up the ridge to their final position in order to suppress the offensive. Well coordinated air-strikes and aggressive action by ground forces stopped the Iraqi charge and helped secure a strategic US victory.

References

[http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2004/n02052004_200402057.html Special Operations Troops Recount Iraq Missions] by Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service, Feb. 5, 2004

[http://www.raytheon.com/feature/javelin_warfighters/battle/index.html The Battle of Debecka Pass Iraq] , Raytheon Company website, Special Interest Stories

Roughneck Nine-One by Sgt.1st Class Frank Antenori and Hans Halberstradt, St.Martins Press New York, Copyright 2006