1990 Gulf War

G5 155 mm howitzer in the 1990 Gulf War

Iraq fielded South African-made G5 155 mm towed howitzers in the Gulf War; the clearest public record is a U.S. military image of an Iraqi G5 abandoned near the Arramaylan refinery during Operation Desert Storm.

Weapon profileG5 155 mm howitzer
SideIraqRoleFire SupportCaptured, Seized & Recovered
G5 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, Artillery - 1990 Gulf War
Image source: Wikimedia Commons - SANDF Armed Forces Day 2017 G5 155mm howitzer

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Iraqi forces fielded and abandoned at least one South African-made G5 155 mm howitzer during Operation Desert Storm.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons - Iraqi G5 howitzer in 1991, PICRYL - Abandoned Iraqi G-5 near Arramaylan

Iraq had acquired G5 howitzers before the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

Sources: Ditsong Gerald Bull profile, Forecast International G5 155mm Howitzer, South African Military History Society - Modern Long Tom

The public evidence reviewed here does not identify a specific Iraqi unit, firing mission, or target for the photographed Gulf War G5.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons - Iraqi G5 howitzer in 1991, PICRYL - Abandoned Iraqi G-5 near Arramaylan

Timeline

G5 155 mm howitzer In 1990 Gulf War

  1. Iraq acquires G5 howitzers

    South African military-history sources describe Iraq obtaining G5 howitzers in the mid-1980s, with Ditsong stating that South Africa sold 100 G5s to Iraq.

    Sources: Ditsong Gerald Bull profile, South African Military History Society - Modern Long Tom

  2. Iraq invades Kuwait

    The Gulf War began when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, leading to sanctions, coalition deployment, and the later air and ground campaign.

    Sources: U.S. State Department Gulf War 1991

  3. Coalition campaign ends with Iraqi retreat

    The U.S. State Department history describes the U.S.-led coalition war as ending with Iraqi defeat and retreat from Kuwait on 28 February 1991.

    Sources: U.S. State Department Gulf War 1991

  4. Iraqi G5 documented near Arramaylan refinery

    A Defense imagery record identifies an Iraqi G5 155 mm howitzer abandoned near the Arramaylan refinery by Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm.

    Sources: Wikimedia Commons - Iraqi G5 howitzer in 1991, PICRYL - Abandoned Iraqi G-5 near Arramaylan

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The G5's Gulf War record is documented most directly through post-battle imagery. A Defense imagery file preserved on Wikimedia Commons identifies a South African-made G5 155 mm howitzer abandoned near the Arramaylan refinery by Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm, dated 3 March 1991 and credited to Staff Sgt. Dean Wagner.

PICRYL's U.S. National Archives-derived record for the same scene describes an abandoned Iraqi 155 mm G-5 towed howitzer surrounded by shells and casings near the Arramaylan refinery after an Allied attack. The photograph supports Iraqi fielding and abandonment of the weapon in the 1990 Gulf War; it does not by itself identify a specific firing mission or target.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons - Iraqi G5 howitzer in 1991, PICRYL - Abandoned Iraqi G-5 near Arramaylan

Timeline

Iraq had acquired G5 howitzers before the Gulf War. Ditsong's Gerald Bull profile says South Africa later sold 100 G5s to Iraq, while Forecast International lists Iraq's acquisition in the mid-1980s and places Iraqi G5 inventory before Operation Desert Storm.

The Gulf War began after Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The U.S.-led coalition air and ground war began in January 1991 and ended with Iraqi defeat and retreat from Kuwait on 28 February 1991. The abandoned G5 image was recorded on 3 March 1991, immediately after the coalition campaign.

Sources: Ditsong Gerald Bull profile, Forecast International G5 155mm Howitzer, U.S. State Department Gulf War 1991, Wikimedia Commons - Iraqi G5 howitzer in 1991

Narrative

In Iraqi service, the G5 belonged to the long-range tube-artillery layer that Iraq had built during the Iran-Iraq War and still held when it entered the Kuwait crisis. The weapon was a 155 mm, 45-caliber towed gun-howitzer with an auxiliary power unit for emplacement and short tactical movement; public technical references describe it as an indirect-fire weapon able to use extended-range full-bore ammunition.

The Gulf War evidence therefore shows possession and battlefield fielding by Iraqi forces rather than a detailed operational chronology. The abandoned Arramaylan refinery gun, photographed with shells and casings after an Allied attack, places an Iraqi G5 in the Operation Desert Storm battlespace and supports the compact catalog role of Iraqi heavy artillery and recovered or abandoned conflict materiel.

No reviewed source tied this specific G5 to a named Iraqi unit, a dated fire mission, or a quantified battlefield effect. Those details should remain unattributed unless a later official record, unit history, or well-identified battlefield account directly documents them.

Sources: Forecast International G5 155mm Howitzer, FAS G5 155mm Towed Gun-Howitzer, PICRYL - Abandoned Iraqi G-5 near Arramaylan

Images

Conflict Context

Iraqi G5 155 mm howitzer abandoned near the Arramaylan refinery during Operation Desert Storm
A South African-made Iraqi G5 155 mm howitzer photographed near the Arramaylan refinery after Operation Desert Storm.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons - Iraqi G5 howitzer in 1991

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Sources