TUSKERS: An Armor Battalion in the Gulf War

The U.S. used its armored ground forces with devastating effect in DESERT STORM – the last major land campaign of the 20th century. Tuskers is the story of 4-64 armor battalion, a U.S. tank battalion at the tip of the devastating assault on the Iraqi army. The Tuskers were part of the 24th Infantry Division, the first mechanized division to deploy to Saudi Arabia as part of the DESERT SHIELD defense. After months of preparing in the desert, they led the sweeping left flank attack into the Euphrates River Valley – an attack that went farther and faster than any ground attack in the history of warfare. The Tuskers attacked through the Iraqi 26th Commando Brigade and into the Republican Guards logistics area astride Highway 8 near An Nasiriyah. After severing the Iraqi army’s escape route to Baghdad, they continued east on Highway 8 to the the outskirts of Basra. In the final battle of the war, the Tuskers destroyed much of the Iraqi Republican Guards Nebuchadnezzar division as it attempted to escape across the Euphrates River. “Tuskers” is a narrative that describes the unit’s deployment, preparation for combat, and their overwhelming success in combat. It focuses primarily at the battalion and company level, detailing not only the actions taking place, but also the thoughts of the men behind the guns as they face combat for the first time.