Existing comment:
Thunder Run to Baghdad:
In early April, the 3rd Infantry Division reached the outskirts of Baghdad. Although stiff resistance was expected inside the city, few details of the Iraqi defenses were known. On 5 April, the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment launched a thunder run into Baghdad to test the enemy's strength. In the morning hours, it began to move along Highway 8 into Baghdad. The attack surprised the Iraqis. The American tanks advanced amid morning traffic and meandering civilians were surprised at the sudden appearance of an armored column. However, the tanks began to receive fire from bunkers, buildings, rooftops, and overpasses. The tanks were hit repeatedly by small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, but the crews continued to fight with their hatches open for better visibility. Crew members engaged the enemy with machine guns, M4 carbines, and sidearms -- often at very short range. Civilian vehicles -- some packed with explosives -- attempted to ram the tanks and Bradleys. Despite the volume of fire directed at the American vehicles, only one tank was disabled. The column completed its mission and reached the Baghdad International Airport, controlled by the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team. In the wake of the American tanks lay dozens of destroyed vehicles and hundreds of dead and wounded fighters, many from militia and paramilitary organizations. The thunder run demonstrated the ability of American armor to move at will in Baghdad. However, the significance of this event went unreported by the international news media. |