A report on Iran–Iraq War, Gulf War and M60 tank

Top-left to bottom-right: Iranian child soldier on the frontlines

Iranian soldier in a trench wearing a gas mask to guard against Iraqi chemical attacks

Port quarter view of the USS Stark listing to port after being mistakenly struck by an Iraqi warplane

Pro-Iraq MEK forces killed during Iran's Operation Mersad

Iraqi prisoners of war after the recapture of Khorramshahr by Iranian forces

ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun being used by the Iranian Army

Clockwise from top: USAF F-15Es, F-16s, and an F-15C flying over burning Kuwaiti oil wells; British troops from the Staffordshire Regiment in Operation Granby; camera view from a Lockheed AC-130; the Highway of Death; M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle

Original M60 variant on display at the Fort Lewis Military Museum in 2016

Meeting of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Houari Boumédiène and Saddam Hussein (left to right) during the Algiers Agreement in 1975.

Donald Rumsfeld, US special envoy to the Middle East, meets Saddam Hussein on 19–20 December 1983.

A concept design #1 of the XM60 mounting the T123E6 main gun and British styled gun barrel, the newly designed full-vision cupola using the T95E6 turret as preferred by the Ordnance Department.

Ruhollah Khomeini rose to power after the Iranian Revolution.

The M60 production pilot number 1 after completion by Chrysler on 2 July 1959. Note the use of a pedestal mounted M2HB machine gun on the cupola. The turret is traversed to the rear of the tank.

Location of Khuzestan Province in Iran which Iraq planned to annex

Kuwaiti Armed Forces Chieftain main battle tanks

A M60 with AN/VSS-1(V)1 IR searchlight on display at Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Iranian President Abolhassan Banisadr, who was also commander-in-chief, on a Jeep-mounted 106mm recoilless anti-tank gun. Banisadr was impeached in June 1981.

Kuwait Air Force McDonnell Douglas A-4KU Skyhawk ground-attack aircraft

M60E1 pilot number 1 during preliminary tests at the Detroit Arsenal Test Center 19 May 1961. The machine guns are not installed.

The Shatt al-Arab on the Iran–Iraq border

Lion of Babylon main battle tanks, common Iraqi battle tank used in the Gulf War by the Iraqi Army.

A US Army M60A1 RISE Passive tank maneuvers through a narrow German village street while participating in REFORGER 1982.

An Iraqi Air Force Bell 214ST transport helicopter, after being captured by a US Marine Corps unit at the start of the ground phase of Operation Desert Storm

A conceptual drawing of the XM66 with a Type C turret

Iranian F-14A Tomcats equipped with AIM-54A, AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles.

Kuwaiti Armed Forces M-84 main battle tanks

A M60A1E2 tank prototype with a Type B turret.

Resistance of the outnumbered and outgunned Iranians in Khorramshahr slowed the Iraqis for a month.

President Bush visiting American troops in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving Day, 1990

An early version of the M60A2 at the AAF Museum

Iranian president Abulhassan Banisadr on the battlefront

American F-15Es parked in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield

A US M60A3 on Display in Lake Charles, Louisiana in April 2005

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Massoud Rajavi, the leader of MEK and the National Resistance Council of Iran (NCRI) in 1988.

US Army soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade during the Gulf War

Two M60A3 TTSs of the US Army near Giessen, West Germany 1985

The surprise attack on H-3 airbase is considered to be one of the most sophisticated air operations of the war.

Countries that deployed coalition forces or provided support (On behalf of Afghanistan, 300 Mujaheddin joined the coalition on 11 February 1991. Niger contributed 480 troops to guard shrines in Mecca and Medina on 15 January 1991.)

A US Army crew aims its M60A3 TTS during NATO Exercise Certain Sentinel 1986. The canvas covered device attached to the main gun is a Hoffman simulator launcher for the MILES system.

Iranian soldier holding an IV bag during the Iran–Iraq War

General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. and President George Bush visit US troops in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving Day, 1990.

General Dynamics Super M60 prototype, 1985

Iranian Northrop F-5 aircraft during Iran-Iraq war

Dick Cheney meets with Prince Sultan, Minister of Defence and Aviation in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to handle the invasion of Kuwait.

A Magach 7C in Yad la-Shiryon museum, Latrun.

Iraqi T-62 tank wreckage in Khuzestan Province, Iran

Gen. Colin Powell (left), Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., and Paul Wolfowitz (right) listen as Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney addresses reporters regarding the 1991 Gulf War.

Iraqi soldiers surrendering after the Liberation of Khorramshahr

The USAF F-117 Nighthawk, one of the key aircraft used in Operation Desert Storm

Aftermath of Amiriyah shelter bombing by U.S. Air Force, which killed at least 408 civilians in Baghdad

An M88 Recovery Vehicle towing an M60 tank for Exercise REFORGER 1978

An admonitory declaration issued from the Iraqi government in order to warn Iranian troops in the Iran–Iraq War. The statement says: "Hey Iranians! No one has been downtrodden in the country where Ali ibn Abi Ṭālib, Husayn ibn Ali and Abbas ibn Ali are buried. Iraq has undoubtedly been an honorable country. All refugees are precious. Anyone who wants to live in exile can choose Iraq freely. We, the Sons of Iraq, have been ambushing foreign aggressors. The enemies who plan to assault Iraq will be disfavoured by God in this world and the hereafter. Be careful of attacking Iraq and Ali ibn Abi Ṭālib! If you surrender, you might be in peace."

An Iraqi T-54A or Type 59 tank lies destroyed after a coalition bombing attack during Operation Desert Storm.

A 401st TFW (P) M60 seen at Doha, Qatar during the Gulf War of 1991

95,000 Iranian child soldiers were made casualties during the Iran–Iraq War, mostly between the ages of 16 and 17, with a few younger.

Scud Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) with missile in upright position

Marines from Company D, 2nd Tank Battalion, M60A1 main battle tank during a breach exercise in Operation Desert Storm. The tank is fitted with reactive armor and an M9 bulldozer kit.

Aftermath of an Iraq Armed Forces strike on US barracks

Excess M60 tanks at Fort Hood Texas, 1994. Note: All the turrets are traversed to the rear of the tank.

Military operations during Khafji's liberation

Marine Artillery played a huge factor in disrupting Iraqi counterattacks during the 1st Gulf War, February 1991.

A Panther MDCV equipped with an M1 MCRS prepares to lead a column of vehicles down a road near McGovern Base, in Bosnia and Herzegovina on May 16, 1996, during Operation Joint Endeavor.

Iraqi POW who was shot by Iranian troops after they conquered the Iraqi Majnoon oil field in October 1984

Iraqi tanks destroyed by Task Force 1-41 Infantry, February 1991

A Turkish M60A1 tank upgraded by Israel Military Industries to M60T Sabra II, in Rishon LeZion, Israel, 2008

Iranian troops fire 152 mm D-20 howitzer

Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment pose with a captured Iraqi tank, February 1991

A map of M60 operators as of 2021 in blue with former operators in red

Battle of the Marshes Iran front 1983 rest after exchange of fire 152 mm D-20 H

An Iraqi Republican Guard T-55 tank destroyed by Task Force 1–41 Infantry, February 1991

Operation Earnest Will: Tanker convoy No. 12 under US Navy escort (21 October 1987)

American AH-64 Apache helicopters proved to be very effective weapons during the 1991 Gulf War.

A map indicating the attacks on civilian areas of Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait targeted during the "War of the Cities".

4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Division (FWD) conducts artillery strikes on Iraqi positions during the 1st Gulf War. 4-3 FA was the primary fire support battalion for Task Force 1-41 during the 1st Gulf War, February 1991.

Iraqi commanders discussing strategy on the battlefront (1986)

Battery C, 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Division (FWD) moves into position to conduct fire missions during the Battle of Norfolk, February 1991.

Iranian President Ali Khamenei on the battlefront during the Iran–Iraq War

U. S. M1A1 Abrams tanks move out on a mission during Desert Storm in 1991. A Bradley IFV and logistics convoy can be seen in the background.

Operation Dawn 8 during which Iran captured the Faw Peninsula.

A M109A2 howitzer belonging to Battery C, 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Division (FWD) during the Gulf War, February 1991.

Iranian soldier killed during the Iran–Iraq War with Rouhollah Khomeini's photo on his uniform

A M60A1 tank with a Track Width Mine Plow, Desert Storm February 1991

The People's Mujahedin of Iran, supported by Saddam, started a ten-day operation after both the Iranian and Iraqi governments accepted UN Resolution 598. Casualty estimates range from 2,000 to 10,000.

British Challenger 1 tanks during the 1st Gulf War. The British Challenger tank was the most efficient tank of the Gulf war suffering no losses while destroying approximately 300 Iraqi tanks during combat operations.

Adnan Khairallah, Iraqi Defense Minister, meeting with Iraqi soldiers during the war

A destroyed Iraqi Army T-55 tank lies among the wreckage of many other Iraqi vehicles, such as trucks, cars and buses, somewhere along the Highway of Death in April 1991.

IRGC navy speedboats using swarm tactics

US M1A1 Abrams tanks from the 3rd Armored Division along the Line of Departure

An Iranian soldier wearing a gas mask during the Iran–Iraq War.

Two Iraqi T-55 tanks lie abandoned near Kuwait City on 26 February 1991.

The Iranian frigate IS Sahand burns after being hit by 20 U.S. air launched missiles and bombs, killing a third of the crew, April 1988

The oil fires caused were a result of the scorched earth policy of Iraqi military forces retreating from Kuwait.

Iranian soldiers captured during Iraq's 1988 offensives

Ground troop movements 24–28 February 1991 during Operation Desert Storm

USS Vincennes in 1987 a year before it shot down Iran Air Flight 655

Iraqi T-62 knocked out by 3rd Armored Division fire

MEK Soldiers killed in Operation Mersad in 1988

Al-Shaheed Monument in Baghdad was erected to commemorate the fallen Iraqi soldiers during the war.

Aerial view of destroyed Iraqi T-72 tank, BMP-1 and Type 63 armored personnel carriers and trucks on Highway 8 in March 1991

Iraqi 'Saddam' main battle tank destroyed during Operation Desert Storm

An Iranian soldier's funeral in Mashhad, 2013

A Bradley IFV burns after being hit by Iraqi T-72 fire.

An Iraqi Mil Mi-24 on display at the military museum of Sa'dabad Palace in Iran

Civilians and coalition military forces wave Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian flags as they celebrate the retreat of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush work in the Oval Office of the White House, 20 July 1984.

Coalition troops from Egypt, Syria, Oman, France, and Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm

USS Stark (FFG-31) listing following two hits by Exocet missiles.

Victims of the 1987 chemical attack on Sardasht, West Azerbaijan, Iran

Argentine Navy Alouette III helicopter on board, February 1991

Damage to a mosque in Khoramshahr, Iran, the city that was invaded by Iraq in September 1980

Canadian CF-18 Hornets participated in combat during the Gulf War.

French and American soldiers inspecting an Iraqi Type 69 tank destroyed by the French Division Daguet during Operation Desert Storm

One of the Italian tornadoes used in the operation

British Army Challenger 1 main battle tank during Operation Desert Storm

Iraqi Kurds fleeing to Turkey shortly after the war

Sailors from a US Navy honor guard carry Navy pilot Scott Speicher's remains.

Approximate area and major clashes in which DU rounds were used

Destroyed Iraqi civilian and military vehicles on the Highway of Death

An armored bulldozer similar to the ones used in the attack

Oil well fires rage outside Kuwait City in 1991.

USS Missouri launching a Tomahawk missile. The Gulf War was the last conflict in which battleships were deployed in a combat role.

Military personnel examine the remains of a Scud.

Different speculations have been made regarding the true intents behind the invasion, including Iraq's inability to pay Kuwait the more than US$14 billion that it had borrowed to finance its military efforts during the Iran–Iraq War, and Kuwait's surge in petroleum production levels which kept revenues down for Iraq.

- Gulf War

M60s delivered to Iran also served in the Iran–Iraq War.

- M60 tank

The United States' largest deployment of M60s was in the 1991 Gulf War, where the US Marines equipped with M60A1s effectively defeated Iraqi armored forces, including T-72 tanks.

- M60 tank

The Iran–Iraq War was originally referred to as the Persian Gulf War until the Persian Gulf War of 1990 and 1991, after which the previous war was dubbed the First Persian Gulf War.

- Iran–Iraq War

The Iraqis lost 45 T-55 and T-62 tanks, while the Iranians lost 100–200 Chieftain and M-60 tanks.

- Iran–Iraq War

Marine armor units mostly consisted of the older M-60 tank.

- Gulf War

3 related topics with Alpha

A T-54 tank on display at Victory Park, Kazan

T-54/T-55

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The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War.

The original T-54-1. It has a turret reminiscent of the T-34-85s, with prominent, undercut shot traps. This example has the fender machine gun boxes replaced with fuel tanks.

The T-55 front, rear and side elevations

The original T-55 lacked an antiaircraft machine gun mount.

A former Polish T-54 tank at the Panzermuseum Thun in Switzerland. The T-54 can be recognized apart from the highly-similar T-55 by the dome-shaped ventilator on the turret's roof and the tiny hole (for the vehicle's bow-mounted 7.62mm machine gun) in the centre of the tank's front glacis-plate.

An abandoned Iraqi Army Type 59 tank lies among the wreckage of many other Iraqi vehicles, such as trucks, cars and buses, somewhere along the Highway of Death in April 1991.

Polish T-55A tanks on the streets during Martial Law in Poland.

An abandoned Israeli-supplied Tiran-5 of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) in South Lebanon, with a giant wooden cut-out of former Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini flanked by two Hezbollah flags.

A destroyed Iraqi T-55 and supply truck, painted with graffiti by Coalition troops, along the highway between Kuwait City and Basra, Iraq, following the retreat of Iraqi forces from Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm.

An NVA T-54 tank on display in the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi.

T-55 in the South African National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg.

Civilians crowding atop a T-55 tank in Libya in 2011.

A Macedonian Army T-55 tank and its crew, shown here in 2001.

Yugoslav T-55 tank captured by Croatian army during the Croatian War of Independence is now displayed in city Valpovo, Croatia

A Finnish T-55-based Marksman self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) vehicle, which is referred to locally as the ItPsv 90.

"Hurricane" firefighting vehicle, which uses the engine from a MiG-21 to blow water mist over a fire.

However, the T-54/55's first appearance in the West around the period of the 1950s (then the beginning of the Cold War) spurred the United Kingdom to develop a new tank gun, the Royal Ordnance L7, and the United States to develop the M60 Patton.

The tank was heavily used during the Iran–Iraq War of 1980–88.

Many of Iraqi T-55s saw action during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Kuwait in January/February 1991, and during the 2003 US/UK invasion of Iraq with poor results.

T-62 at the Russian Museum of Military History

T-62

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Soviet main battle tank that was first introduced in 1961.

A T-62 armed with the 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine gun

A side view of a T-62. The tank in the picture has either damaged or disassembled torsion bars and its hull lies on the ground.

A rear view of a T-62. Notice the two optional 200-litre drum-type fuel tanks.

MAZ-537 tractor-trailers transporting T-62 tanks, 23 May 1984

A T-62 tank captured by the PLA during the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict.

A Soviet T-62M of the "Berlin" tank regiment which was a part of the 5th Guards Motor Rifle Division, leaving Afghanistan, 1 January 1987

T-62s of the Afghan National Army in Kabul, April 2004

Wrecked Libyan T-62 outside of Misrata, 2012

Abandoned Iraqi T-62 and military vehicles on the Highway of Death

Early T-62 variant without roof machine gun mounts

T-62D at Moscow Suvorov Military School. Note the "Drozd" system is missing on this tank

A front view of a T-62M of the Afghan National Army in Kabul, 2004.

Kontakt-1 ERA on the frontal turret of T-62MV. Note the laser rangefinder box above the main gun

An Egyptian T-62 in 1982. Note the attachment on the turret sides

A map of T-62 operators in blue with former operators in red

Soldiers assigned to the 1st Afghanistan National Army Armored Battalion, stand in formation with seven of their T-62s and two of their T-62Ms during their graduation ceremony held at Polycharky, Afghanistan, May 2003

US Army T-62 at Fort Irwin National Training Center, 1988

He did not see it as necessary to produce the new tank from Uralvagonzavod but soon the situation changed dramatically with the appearance of a new American main battle tank, the M60.

In the Iran–Iraq War, Iraqi T-62s performed well against opposing Iranian tanks, such as M47s, M48s, M60A1s and Chieftains.

Iraqi-operated T-62s were badly outperformed by the American M1 Abrams, M2/M3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and the British Challenger 1 tanks in the 1990–1991 Gulf War.

T-72

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Family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969.

Two T-72B tanks at the Chebarkul training ground, Russia, April 2017.

T-72 monument in its production place, Nizhny Tagil.

Memorial of a T-72 with ERA. The tank was advancing on Azerbaijani positions in Askeran when it hit a mine and its Armenian crew was killed in the resulting explosion. The tank was restored after the war.

T-72 crew: 1-driver; 2-commander; 3-gunner; 4-auto-loading system.

T-72A top view. This model sports thick "Dolly Parton" composite armour on the turret front.

T-72B3 of the Vietnamese team at the Army Games 2019 in Russia.

T-72B1V tanks of the Venezuelan Army during a parade in homage to the former president Hugo Chávez, March 2014.

T-72 operators in blue with former operators in red.

Armenian T-72B during the military parade in Yerevan.

Iraqi 'Saddam' main battle tank destroyed in a Coalition attack during Operation Desert Storm.

This vulnerability was first observed during the Gulf War.

In the 1982 Lebanon War, Syrian T-72s are believed to have engaged Israeli tanks (M60A1, Magach or probably Merkava tanks) in the south of Lebanon.

At the beginning of the Iran–Iraq War, an Iraqi tank battalion, equipped with T-72s, in a battle near the town of Qasr-e Shirin completely defeated an Iranian tank battalion which consisted of Chieftain tanks, without incurring losses.