Daguet operation

The operation Daguet is the name given to the participation (ordered by the general Michel Roquejeoffre) of the French Army in the international coalition formed following the invasion with the Kuwait by the Iraq in the Guerre of the Gulf (1990-1991).

History

It succeeds starting from the September 23rd 1990 the Opération Salamander where French forces are deployed for the protection of the countries of the Persian Gulf.

This one had begun the August 10th 1990 with the advertisement one day before with the President of the French Republic François Mitterrand of the sending of the Porte-avions Clemenceau transporting the 5 {{E}} regiment of combat helicopters towards the Saudi Arabia (30 Gazelle and 12 ACE 530B Puma) and several other ships of the National marine in the area, as well as squadron anti-tank devices of the 1st regiment of hussards parachutists in the United Arab Emirates, after the invasion of Kuwait on August 2nd.

The terrestrial offensive

The mission of: 12000 combatants of the Army placed at the end of the device combined at the time of the offensive Tempête of the desert which began Sunday February 24th 1991 (beginning of the offensive at 7 o'clock in the morning for the French) was the catch of the road junction of As Salman and its air base to some 150 km inside the Iraqi territory while passing by two intermediate objectives named Rochambeau and Chambord .

This mission was accomplished in forty-eight hours by crushing the 45e division of Iraqi infantry with the assistance of units of the 82e and 101e airborne division American.

The airport was taken in the afternoon of February 25th and the village of Ace Salman the 26 in the morning, without engagements.

Assessment of the operation

In four days of terrestrial offensive, the assessment was of: 2956 prisoner of war Iraqi, 20 T-55 and destroyed T-62, 2 captured T-72, 17 destroyed light armoured tanks, 114 destroyed Truck S and 7 captured, 26 pieces of artillery (Howitzer S, DCA) destroyed and 40 recovered, 70 mortars of 82 and 120mm captured by the French forces. The AMX-30B2 drew 270 Obus from 105mm, the AMX 10 RC 290 shells of 105mm, the parts of TRF1: 1190 shells of 155mm. The Infanterie sent 22 missiles Milan and 560 shells of mortars of 120mm. Lastly, the Gazelle helicopters of ALAT fired 328 missiles Euromissile HOT.

French losses

On the whole, nine French soldiers were killed within the framework from this operation including 2 before the beginning of the conflict and 5 afterwards:

a soldier was killed in an car accident in Saudi Arabia in November 1990;
one month later, a pilot found death in the crash landing of sound Mirage F1, at the time of a reconnaissance mission in Saudi Arabia;
during the conflict, two soldiers of CRAP of the 1 {{er}} RPIMa (the Schmitt sergeant and the senior corporal Eric Rope-maker) were killed at the time of operations of Déminage by submunitions of the United States Air Force not exploded at the height of Ace Salman Tuesday February 26th 1991 to 4 p.m. (hour GMT).

In addition, 33 other soldiers were wounded, including 22 slightly.

After the conflict, 8 soldiers of the 1 {{er}} IH were wounded (including 3 seriously) on March 12th, 1991, while going along the Texas road, close to Ace Salman. Two others of the 6 {{E}} REG. were killed in March and in April with Kuwait-City, and three died in May in the Kuwait, including 2 in car accidents.

The French air force lost on the whole 2 apparatuses accidentally.

Command

Coordination of the operation: general Michel Roquejeoffre

Command of the Division Daguet: general January
Command of the air forces: general Solanet
Command of the naval forces (mission Mizzen): rear-admiral Bonnot

Composition

a staffs interarmées extremely of 350 soldiers,
a component of the French Air force (12 fighters Mirage 2000, 24 SEPECAT Jaguar),
a component medical,
a “grouping of support Logistique” (before and back) including/understanding maritime, air and terrestrial means,
the Division Daguet of the Army French, is nearly 12.000 men in January 1991.

Daguet division

Division creates for the circumstance, placed under the command of the Roquejeoffre general, was consisted various units of the Army French:

the staff of the 6 {{E}} armor-plated light division (500 people)
1 {{er}} regiment of combat helicopters
2 companies of the 1 {{er}} regiment of infantry
3 {{E}} regiment of combat helicopters
a squadron of recognition and a squadron anti-tank devices of the 1 {{er}} regiment of hussards parachutists
1 {{er}} foreign regiment of cavalry
1 {{er}} regiment of spahis
4 {{E}} regiment of dragons with 3 squadrons of AMX-30
2 {{E}} foreign regiment of infantry reinforced of a company of the 21 {{E}} RIMa
a Regiment mixed infantry-armoured tank on VAB of the 3 {{E}} RIMa and AMX-10 RC of the regiment of infantry-tanks of navy
2 {{E}} regiment of marines
6 {{E}} foreign engineering regiment
2 {{E}} regiment of the Genius
11th marine artillery regiment
3 Section S Mistral of the 35 {{E}} regiment of artillery parachutist
2 companies of combat with an element of command of the 6 {{E}} foreign engineering regiment
a Grouping of logistical support created starting from the regiments of command and support of the fast Force of action.

Division thus composed, in its articulation of combat, on the whole aligns 2500 major materials among which 132 Hélicoptère S of all categories of the ALAT including 60 Hot Gazelle and 500 armored vehicles including 214 vehicles of before armoured tank, 96 AMX-10 RC, 44 tanks AMX-30, 13 ERC 90 and 18 tractor drawn guns of 155 mm TRF1.

The doctrines of use of division were based on the concept of engagement of the Fast Force of Action, combining firepower anti-tank device and mobility.

A brigade of infantry of the 82e American airborne division and the 12th American artillery brigade will be put under French operational control. These units will reinforce mainly the component artillery the Daguet division which counts finally close to: 17000 men (: 12500 French and: 4500 Americans) while it is integrated in the XVIIIe American airborne body.

Logistics

Paramount element in the wars of high intensity, the weakness of this component gradually appeared during the operation.

The number of the units known as “of combat” was increased with the detriment of the logistic units, so much so that at the beginning of the deployment, there is no structured logistic unit. The consequences are multiple: for example, the 1st REC will spend five months in the desert with two Douche S of countryside for 800 men.

Daguet division aligns a strong logistic brigade of: 4600 men (35% of the force): : 1600 men of the regiment of command and support (February 1991); 2500 men of the “Grouping of logistical support” (: 1000 men of the Department of health of the armies: 1500 men divided in the other services, in particular the road train; 500 men belonging to the “airborne mobile operational Base” of the 11 {{E}} division parachutist, persons in charge of air control and the management of the air cargo.

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