Direct proof of use
U.S. Marine Corps M60A1 tanks were used by coalition forces during the 1990 Gulf War's Operation Desert Storm ground campaign. Marine Corps University identifies Genesis II as an M60A1 tank from Company C, 3d Tank Battalion, and says it was selected for preservation because its commander led the company that crossed the border into Kuwait.
The same Marine Corps University account places the 3d Tank Battalion with Task Force Ripper on 24 February 1991, leading the assault across the first Iraqi obstacle belt in occupied Kuwait and engaging Iraqi defenses in the al-Burqan oil field. The National Museum of the Marine Corps separately states that Marine Corps M60 tanks deployed to the Persian Gulf for Desert Storm and that the Desert Storm M60s carried passive night sights and explosive reactive armor.
Sources: Marine Corps University Last Hurrah, National Museum M60 Last Hurrah
Timeline
The M60A1's documented Gulf War combat use is concentrated in the February 1991 ground offensive. On 24 February, 3d Tank Battalion crossed from Saudi Arabia into occupied Kuwait with Task Force Ripper; around 0400 local time, the task force began assaulting across the first obstacle belt with 3d Tank Battalion in the lead, then entered the al-Burqan oil field and destroyed 11 Iraqi tanks.
After securing Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, Task Force Ripper turned toward Kuwait International Airport. Marine Corps University records that an Iraqi counterattack was fended off by 3d Tank Battalion before the advance resumed, and that by 27 February the Marines had surrounded and secured the airport area before the 28 February ceasefire.
Sources: Marine Corps University Last Hurrah
Operational role
The M60A1 served as Marine Corps direct-fire armor in the ground campaign rather than as a rear-area inventory item. The parent force structure matters: Task Force Ripper and Task Force Papa Bear were mechanized task forces, and Marine Corps University says the 3d and 1st Tank Battalions were attached to provide the armored punch for attacks on the Iraqi obstacle belts.
The documented targets and tasks support frontline assault, anti-armor, and fire-support roles. The 3d Tank Battalion led the breach, fought through Iraqi defenses in the oil field, destroyed Iraqi tanks, helped defeat a counterattack after Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, and advanced to Kuwait International Airport through minefields, oil-fire smoke, obstacles, and poor visibility.
Sources: Marine Corps University Last Hurrah, National Museum M60 Last Hurrah
Variant and service context
The Gulf War M60A1 was a late-service Marine Corps tank in transition. The National Museum of the Marine Corps notes that the Corps had only begun moving from the older M60 to the M1A1 Abrams before Operation Desert Shield, while the Army's Tiger Brigade and some Marine units brought M1A1s into the same campaign.
For the M60 series, Desert Storm was its final major U.S. combat role. The museum account states that the Marine Corps removed M60s from its inventories after returning from Kuwait and completed the transition to Abrams tanks; 3d Tank Battalion was deactivated in 1992.
Sources: National Museum M60 Last Hurrah, Marine Corps University Last Hurrah
