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Battle of Debecka Pass
Part of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
Soldier practicing using the Javelin anti-tank missile on a firing range. The javelin was a pivotal weapon in the Battle of Debecka Pass.
Date April 6, 2003 Location Between Mosul and Kirkuk, Iraq Result U.S. victory
Belligerents
United States Peshmerga	Iraq
Strength
26 U.S. Special Forces Operators, 3 Air Force Combat Controllers , 2 Military Intelligence Operators,about 80 Kurdish fighters	A motorized company(about 100 soldiers)
Casualties and losses
U.S.: None Peshmerga: 17 soldiers and civilians killed	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 [1], 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 Raytheon\Lockheed-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 US Special Forces moved in for the attack. The battle began with an aerial bombardment from B-52 bombers. The US 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 coalition force from destroying a large dirt berm. The coalition force made their way over the top of the ridgeline, and engaged the Iraqis in bunkers, capturing about twenty Iraqi soldiers. Coalition troops then returned and destroyed the berm, as they would need an avenue of escape should withdrawal from the area prove necessary.

Coalition troops then mounted a small hill known as Press Hill, obscuring an approach to the crossroads from the south. They were faced with an Iraqi mechanized company with hundreds of troops ^[1], and a four-and-a-half-hour battle began. Early into the battle two Iraqi armored personnel carriers (APCs) were destroyed along with two occupied Iraqi troop trucks by Javelin anti-tank missiles. Soon after two more Iraqi APCs were destroyed along with another Iraqi transport truck, again by Javelin anti-tank missiles. 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 Iraqi trucks approached the coalition company with headlights flashing. This was likely an attempt to fool 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 Iraqi armored personnel carriers and three troop trucks, supported by four T-55 tanks, moved forward to attack the coalition 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 advance and helped secure a tactical coalition victory.

References

1. ^ Shanker, Thom (Sept. 22), "How Green Berets Beat the Odds at an Iraq Alamo", New York Times: A7  

Further reading

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

External links

• Special Operations Troops Recount Iraq Missions by Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service, Feb. 5, 2004
• The Battle of Debecka Pass Iraq, Raytheon Company website, Special Interest Stories

Iraq War portal

Iraq portal