Existing comment:
3rd Infantry Division Liberates Baghdad:
The continuous attacks on the 3rd Infantry Division did not stop its advance. The division generally bypassed major urban areas, leaving them to be cleared by the 10st Air Assault and 82nd Airborne Divisions. The 3rd Infantry Division reached and penetrated the Karbala Gap, a natural checkpoint that channeled movement onto only two principal roads. Aggressive action then seized a bridge across the Euphrates River, permitted direct access to Baghdad. Initially, the capital was to be encircled and reduced with dismounted forces. However, the speed with which the city was reached led to an armored reconnaissance in force to test opposition. Dubbed "thunder runs," two such operations were conducted successfully by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, on 5 and 7 April. Despite sometimes intense fighting, these actions demonstrated the ability of American armor to move at will in the Iraqi capital and directly triggered the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. |