US Marines in the Persian Gulf 90-91 3D MARINE AIRCRAFT WING IN DESERT SHIELD ...

107 Pages·2008·4.79 MB·English

COVER: A two-seat F/A-]8Dfrom VMFA
(AW)-]21, the "Green Knights"flying by the
burning oil wells of Kuwait. The "Green
Knights" flew primarily the Fast FAC mis-
sion in Desert Storm.
U.S. Marines in the Persian Gulf, 1990-1991
THE 3D MARINE AIRCRAFT WING IN
DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM
by
Lieutenant Colonel LeRoy D. Stearns
U.S. Marine Corps
HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION
HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1999
Other Publications in the Series
U.S. Marines in the Persian Gulf, 1990-1991
US. Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: Anthology and Annotated
Bibliography, 1991
US.Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: With the IMarine
Expeditionary Force in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1993
US. Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: With the 1st Marine Division
in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1993
US.Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: With the 2d Marine Division
in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1993
Humanitarian Operations in Northern Iraq, 1991: With Marines in
Operation Provide Comfort, 1993
US. Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: Marine Communications
in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1996
US. Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: With Marine Forces Afloat
in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1998
US. Marines in the Persian Gulf 1990-1991: Combat Service
Support in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1999
PCN 190 0031 4900
11
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328
ISBN 0-16-050176-8
Foreword
This monograph is an account of the activities of the Marines and units of the
3d Marine Aircraft Wing in support of the I Marine Expeditionary Force's efforts
to liberate Kuwait. This document is part of a preliminary series of official Marine
Corps histories that cover Marine Corps operations in the Gulf War.
On 2 September 1990, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing took command of Marine avi-
ation forces ashore from a Marine composite aircraft group, which had hurriedly
been moved to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield. The wing
would grow to be the largest deployed in Marine Corps history. It would fly more
than 10 different types of aircraft from eight airfield sites that required laying
more than 4.5 million square feet of ramps, landing, and taxiing areas. In addition,
the wing and its support groups would construct six 3,000-man base camps and
establish a Marine Air Command and Control System that would operate across
four countries in a joint and combined arena. When Operation Desert Storm
began, the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing was ready and provided more than 18,000
fixed-wing and helicopter sorties in support of I Marine Expeditionary Force's
mission of ejecting Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Lieutenant Colonel LeRoy D. Stearns, Jr., a career aviator, attended the
University of Texas at Austin before being commissioned in the Marine Corps and
receiving his wings in 1979. Designated a CH-46 pilot, he joined Marine Medium
Helicopter Squadron 162 at Marine Corps Air Station, New River, North Carolina,
and subsequently was deployed with the squadron to the Mediterranean. In 1983,
during the last of three such deployments to the Mediterranean, he flew combat
missions in support of Marine and coalition forces during the crisis in Beirut,
Lebanon. Following assignments in Hawaii and Okinawa, he attended the Marine
Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia, and then joined Marine
Medium Helicopter Squadron 165, where he served as the squadron's operations
and then executive officer. After a short tour with the Navy Staff as the amphibi-
ous warfare policy officer, Lieutenant Colonel Stearns attended the National War
College and graduated in June 1997 with a master of science degree in national
security strategy.
This monograph is predominantly based on unit command chronologies, more
than three dozen interviews with key participants, comments from key partici-
pants on the draft monograph, and other source documents available at the Marine
Corps Historical Center, Washington, D.C. The author began with an outline draft
written by Major John T. Quinn II, and was assisted by two interns, Air Force
Cadet Craig Prather, who assisted in laying out the appendices, and Mark M.
Burgess of the University of Wolverhampton, England, who assisted in collection
and layout of the photographs.
111
As this is a preliminary effort, the History and Museums Division encourages
participants, scholars, and students to comment on this account and other mono-
graphs in the series.
John W. Ripley
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
Director of Marine Corps History and Museums
iv
Preface
The material in this monograph was derived from unit command chronologies,
oral history interviews, and official records of the U.S. Marine Corps. As such, it
focuses on the commanders and their staffs. The true heroes of the 3d Marine
Aircraft Wing during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm were the indi-
vidual Marines. Getting the bombs on target was not just a function of pilots and
aircraft. The Marines who loaded ordnance and fuel, patched up and repaired,
tasked and guided, fed and housed those aircrews were every bit as much con-
tributors to the success of each bombing mission. The willingness to contribute
their initiative, imagination, and long hours in a harsh environment to make up for
shortfalls in equipment, doctrine, and the eviscerated peacetime tables of organi-
zation were critical to the around-the-clock wartime operations and success of the
3d Marine Aircraft Wing.
This monograph could not have been published without the professional efforts
of the staff of the Marine Corps Historical Center. I would like to thank Dr. Jack
Shulimson, Mr. Charles D. Melson, Mr. Charles R. Smith, and Mrs. Wanda J.
Renfrow for their meticulous review and corrections to both style and content. I
had the good fortune to have the daily support of the research librarian, Ms.
Evelyn A. Englander, and the freedom of access to the documentary archives pro-
vided by Mr. Frederick J. Graboske and his staff. The Reference Section, headed
by Danny J. Crawford, provided accurate and timely responses to my many
inquiries, while the support branch under Lieutenant Colonel Leon Craig, Jr., and
Captain Joseph Donald III, provided much of the administrative assistance. I am
thankful for the assistance of two interns who worked on the project with me for
several weeks, Air Force Cadet Craig Prather and Mr. Mark M. Burgess. Dr.
David B. Crist assisted me in obtaining oral histories from critical sources. Mr.
William S. Hill and Ms. Catherine A. Kerns worked closely with me in laying out
the monograph. I am grateful for the advice and help I received from the Marine
Corps reservists of MTU DC-7 who served as combat historians during Desert
Storm. I would like to particularly thank retired Colonels Dennis P. Mroczkowski
and Charles J. Quilter II, and Lieutenant Colonel Ronald J. Brown.
Outside of the History and Museums Division, I would like to express my
thanks for their encouragement and review to General Terrence R. Dake;
Lieutenant General Michael J. Williams; Major General Royal N. Moore, Jr.;
Brigadier General Larry T. Garrett; Brigadier General Robert M. Flanagan;
Colonel Manfred A. Rietsch; Major John T. Quinn II; and Captain Charles Grow.
LeRoy D. Stearns
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps
V

Foreword .
Table of Contents
ljj
Preface V
Desert Shield Begins
Background and Alert
1
The 3d Marine Aircraft Wing Readies MAG-70 5
Internaland External Deployment Constraints on FMF Aviation 13
Marine Air Control and Marine Wing Support Group Issues 15
Aircraft Basing and Tanker Support 19
Initial Marine Air Operations in the Gulf Region
The Defense of Eastern Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
15 August-8 November
Liaison with CentCom and CentAF 28
Air Power Theory 30
The Arrival and Beddown of MAG-70 31
Initial Air Operations in Theater 34
Maritime Prepositioning Shipping (MPS) Offload Issues 36
Initial MWSS Efforts in Theater 38
The Establishment of the MACCS 40
The 3d MAW Stands Up
43
Compositing and Reorganization
Joint Air Doctrine Issues 45
Operations and Training 50
Aviation Logistics 52
The Seabees and Expansion of Wing Support 53
The Maturing Theater, September-November 1990
End Strength Cap and Rotation Plans 56
The Planned Relief of the Afloat 4th MEB 57
II MEF and 2d MAW Replacement Considerations 59
Helicopters and Task Force Cunningham 60
Tactical Air Operations and Training in the Fall 63
vii
Late Desert Shield
Early November 1990 -EarlyJanuary 1991
The Shift from the Defensive (November)
President's Reinforcement Announcement 64
3d MAW Reinforcement Challenges 66
2d MAW Builds the Augmentation Force 68
The 4th MAW Call-Up 71
Exercises Imminent Thunder and Devil Dog I 72
Preparing the Strategic Air Campaign 75
Rotary-Wing Training and Operations 79
Supporting the Shift North 82
The 3d MAW Air Command and Control System 86
The Concept of the Helicopter Tactical Air Command Center (HTACC) 88
Developing the Marine Offensive Plan 89
Reinforcements Begin to Arrive 91
Desert Storm: The Air Campaign
The Eve of the Storm 96
Heliborne Assault Training 97
The Evolving I MEF Offensive Plan 98
JFACC Apportionment Issues 100
JFACC Targeting Control, and 'Kill Boxes' 101
The 3d MAW Battle Plan 104
The Storm Begins
The First Hours 106
The Early Days of the Air Campaign 108
The Impact of SCUDs 120
ATO Issues
'Opting Out' of the ATO 120
The Battle for Khafji and Its Fallout
Air Support for Artillery Raids 122
Marine Air in the Battle of Khafji 123
Fratricide Issues and Preventative Measures 126
Al Jaber Mission Planning 128
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