Iraqi forces fielded T-55-series tanks during the 1990-1991 Gulf War ground campaign, with U.S. Army and Imperial War Museums records documenting T-55s destroyed, captured, or fought in Kuwait and southern Iraq.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Iraqi forces used T-55-series tanks during the 1991 ground campaign. | Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, IWM 16th/5th Lancers Gulf War Hat |
| U.S. forces destroyed or captured Iraqi T-55s on 24 February 1991. | Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf |
| British reconnaissance forces fought Iraqi T55s at Objective Lead. | Sources: IWM 16th/5th Lancers Gulf War Hat |
Timeline
The U.S. Army history records the 1st Infantry Division destroying two T-55s in VII Corps' first hour of attack and Marine forces facing Iraqi T-55 and T-62 tanks in Kuwait.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf
The 2d Marine Division captured the Iraqi 9th Tank Battalion intact with thirty-five T-55 tanks and more than five thousand men by the end of the first day of ground operations.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf
U.S. Army history describes enemy tanks near Mutla Ridge as almost all T-55s, while IWM's Objective Lead account describes 16th/5th Lancers fighting T55s and MTLBs during the British advance.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, IWM 16th/5th Lancers Gulf War Hat
Iraqi T-55-series tanks were documented in the 1990 Gulf War during the February 1991 ground campaign. The U.S. Army Center of Military History records that the 1st Infantry Division destroyed two T-55 tanks in the first hour of VII Corps' attack on 24 February, while Marine forces faced Iraqi T-55 and T-62 tanks in Kuwait and captured the Iraqi 9th Tank Battalion with thirty-five T-55 tanks on the same day.
Additional direct evidence appears in the U.S. Army account of 26 February fighting near Mutla Ridge, where enemy tanks were described as almost all T-55s. Imperial War Museums' collection history for a 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers Gulf War object also describes Objective Lead as a fight against T55s and MTLBs during the British 1st Armoured Division's advance.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, IWM 16th/5th Lancers Gulf War Hat
The clearest dated T-55 references fall inside the coalition ground offensive from 24 to 26 February 1991. On 24 February, U.S. Army and Marine accounts place Iraqi T-55s in front-line defensive positions and in an Iraqi tank battalion captured by the 2d Marine Division.
On 26 February, the U.S. Army history records T-55-type tanks around Mutla Ridge during the Tiger Brigade's advance. The IWM Objective Lead account describes the British reconnaissance regiment fighting T55s and MTLBs during the same phase of the British advance through Iraqi positions.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, IWM 16th/5th Lancers Gulf War Hat
The T-55 appeared as part of Iraq's armored and mechanized force rather than as a newly supplied wartime system. During the first day of the ground offensive, Iraqi T-55s were encountered in prepared defensive areas, destroyed in early VII Corps contact, and captured with a tank battalion in the Marine sector.
By 26 February, T-55s were still present in the battles around Kuwait's northern road network and in the Iraqi formations facing British and U.S. armored units. The documented uses point to conventional armored defense, counter-movement, and anti-armor fighting; the sources do not support a complete count of all Iraqi T-55s in theater.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, IWM 16th/5th Lancers Gulf War Hat
