For centuries, cavalry has operated at the leading edge of armies—screening friendly forces, finding the enemy, protecting the main body, and providing commanders with the information they need to make decisions.
During Operation Desert Storm, that mission belonged in part to the soldiers of 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry (1-4 CAV), the division cavalry squadron of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division—the Big Red One.
Desert Storm: The Vanguard tells their story.
Produced by 29 Pixel Studios as part of our work supporting Army University Press, the documentary combines veteran interviews, historical footage and photographs, virtual terrain, animated maps, and U.S. Army doctrine to examine the role 1-4 CAV played during the 1991 Gulf War.
Watch Desert Storm: The Vanguard:
https://youtu.be/TPuM7f7AjBI
Preparing for War in the Desert
Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, American and coalition forces began deploying to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield.
For 1-4 CAV, that meant preparing for a type of large-scale mechanized warfare the U.S. Army had spent years training to fight.
The squadron’s ground troops operated M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicles and, after arriving in theater, received additional M1A1 Abrams tanks. Those tanks provided additional firepower and protection as the squadron prepared to conduct reconnaissance and security operations forward of the division’s main body.
The mission of cavalry wasn’t simply to destroy enemy forces. Its job was also to fight for information.
Reconnaissance and Security Operations
A major focus of The Vanguard is explaining what reconnaissance and security operations actually look like on the battlefield.
Reconnaissance provides commanders with information about enemy forces, terrain, routes, obstacles, and other conditions that can influence a mission.
Security operations are different. They focus on protecting a friendly force or facility from surprise, observation, or enemy direct fire.
For 1-4 CAV, those concepts quickly became real-world missions.
The squadron was sent forward to help protect Division Support Area Junction City, a logistics base positioned relatively close to the Iraqi border. What began with a single troop expanded as commanders recognized the vulnerability of the support area.
For the next several weeks, 1-4 CAV conducted area security and established a stationary screen. Observation posts, patrols, ground surveillance radar, Bradleys, tanks, and helicopters worked together to identify activity along the border and provide early warning to friendly forces.
Fighting the Counter-Reconnaissance Battle
As the ground campaign approached, 1-4 CAV became part of Task Force Iron.
Its mission included conducting a covert breach of the berm along the Iraqi border, moving through the breach, and establishing a screen for the rest of the 1st Infantry Division.
A critical part of that mission was counter-reconnaissance.
Destroying or disrupting Iraqi reconnaissance forces could prevent them from discovering coalition positions and intentions before the main attack began.
On February 15, Task Force Iron moved toward the border. Engineers created multiple breach lanes through the berm in approximately 15 minutes, allowing the task force to move into Iraq and establish positions forward of the division.
Operating forward of the main body also came with significant risk.
Limited visibility, unfamiliar terrain, enemy activity, communications, and the difficulty of maintaining an accurate picture of friendly and enemy positions created dangerous conditions. The film examines one tragic incident during the counter-reconnaissance mission and the lessons that followed, including later Army efforts to reduce the risk of fratricide.
The Desert Storm Ground Campaign Begins
After weeks of coalition air operations, the ground campaign began on February 24, 1991.
VII Corps was tasked with penetrating Iraqi defenses and attacking the Republican Guard. The 1st Infantry Division was given the mission of breaching the main Iraqi defensive belt and creating the conditions for additional coalition forces to pass through.
For 1-4 CAV, the mission continued to evolve as the division moved deeper into Iraq.
The squadron screened the division, conducted reconnaissance, coordinated movement with other units, and helped protect the larger formation as it maneuvered across the desert.
Objective Norfolk
As the campaign continued, the 1st Infantry Division moved approximately 110 kilometers across the Iraqi desert toward Objective Norfolk.
Before reaching the objective, the division conducted a passage of lines with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment while enemy forces were still active and weather conditions limited visibility.
Once through, 1-4 CAV established a flank screen between the 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Armored Division.
The squadron’s troops conducted zone reconnaissance, searching their assigned areas for routes, obstacles, terrain, and remaining enemy forces before other friendly forces moved through.
In some cases, engagements occurred at extremely close range. During one encounter described in the film, elements of the squadron faced Iraqi armored forces at distances as close as 50 meters.
The Vanguard
Desert Storm: The Vanguard isn’t simply a documentary about tanks crossing the desert.
It’s a story about what happens in front of the main force.
Reconnaissance. Screening. Security. Counter-reconnaissance. Coordination. Combined arms. And the soldiers responsible for finding the enemy before the enemy could find them.
Operating as a combined-arms team, 1-4 CAV helped set the conditions for the 1st Infantry Division’s operations during Desert Storm.
They were the vanguard.
Creating Desert Storm: The Vanguard
29 Pixel Studios produced Desert Storm: The Vanguard as part of our ongoing work supporting Army University Press.
Our relationship with Army University Press began in 2018, and since then our team has helped create more than 50 films exploring military history, leadership, doctrine, and the experiences of U.S. soldiers.
Projects like The Vanguard bring together many of the things our team does best—documentary filmmaking, interviews, historical research, archival material, animation, motion graphics, maps, virtual terrain, and visual storytelling.
We’re proud to make this film available again through the 29 Pixel Studios YouTube channel.
▶️ WATCH THE FILM
Desert Storm: The Vanguard
https://youtu.be/TPuM7f7AjBI
29 Pixel Studios is an independent production company. This website and our YouTube channel are not official U.S. Army or Department of War properties.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.
