Operation Karbala-4
Encyclopedia
Operation Karbala-4 was an Iranian offensive in the Iran-Iraq War
on the southern front. The operation was launced after the failure of Operation Karbala-2 and Operation Karbala-3 to move the Iraqi lines in an effort to capture Iraqi territory.
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The Iranian forces consisted mostly of Pasdaran and Basij
volunteers of the 'Hussein Corps' from Isfahan. The Corps itself consisted of men and boys between the ages of seventy down to twelve. The Corps did not have the luxury of training like their Iraqi counterparts did, having received anywhere between forty days training to no training whatsoever.
The Iraqi forces consisted mainly of conscript infantry backed by elite Republican Guard tank brigades. The Iraqis held of a strong defense of machine gun nests, mine fields, a series of trenches, concrete bunkers, and barbed wire. In addition, the Iraqis held the luxury of positions behind the artificial 'Fish Lake,' an area flooded by Iraqi engineers of which was 30 kilometers long and 1,800 meters wide. Iraqi engineers even placed electrodes in some places of the lake for further defense. With such defensive measures, the Iraqis dubbed the barrier as the 'wall of steel.'
night of 1986 with elite frogmen of the Pasdaran crossing the lake in rubber dinghies to launch a surprise attack. Upon landing, Iraqi searchlight operators found the frogmen. The Iranians were now totally exposed. Iraqi machine gunners opened up with a hail of bullets, killing all but a few of the Iranian force.
The following morning, 60,000 Pasdaran and Basijis crossed the Shatt al-Arab north and south of Khorramshahr
in dinghies and motorized seacraft, using the cover of dawn to hide their movements. Almost immediately, the Iranians met the Iraqi defenses waiting for them on the shorelines. A major drawback for the Iranians came in the form of little to no artillery support against the Iraqis.
Fighting lasted for three days, during which the Iranian forces were pummeled the by Iraqi defenses. Iraqi troops used artillery, aircraft, and machine guns firing from prepared defenses. Iranian troops died by the thousands, their bodies littered the ground, but Iraqi troops also took considerable casualties. Iraqi casualties were only half that of Iranian losses. by the time the Iranians retreated, thousands of dead Iranian soldiers covered the landscape. Iran had lost 10,000 troops, while Iraq had lost 5,000.
would be launched two weeks later and would eventually become the largest battle of the whole war.
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
on the southern front. The operation was launced after the failure of Operation Karbala-2 and Operation Karbala-3 to move the Iraqi lines in an effort to capture Iraqi territory.
Prelude
The battle itself was planned and eventually executed by Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The operation would be launched under cover of darkness in order to gain a foothold along the Shatt al Arab river. Once across, the Iranian forces would go on the offensive and eventually move onto the port city of BasraBasra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
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The Iranian forces consisted mostly of Pasdaran and Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
volunteers of the 'Hussein Corps' from Isfahan. The Corps itself consisted of men and boys between the ages of seventy down to twelve. The Corps did not have the luxury of training like their Iraqi counterparts did, having received anywhere between forty days training to no training whatsoever.
The Iraqi forces consisted mainly of conscript infantry backed by elite Republican Guard tank brigades. The Iraqis held of a strong defense of machine gun nests, mine fields, a series of trenches, concrete bunkers, and barbed wire. In addition, the Iraqis held the luxury of positions behind the artificial 'Fish Lake,' an area flooded by Iraqi engineers of which was 30 kilometers long and 1,800 meters wide. Iraqi engineers even placed electrodes in some places of the lake for further defense. With such defensive measures, the Iraqis dubbed the barrier as the 'wall of steel.'
The battle
The operation began during ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
night of 1986 with elite frogmen of the Pasdaran crossing the lake in rubber dinghies to launch a surprise attack. Upon landing, Iraqi searchlight operators found the frogmen. The Iranians were now totally exposed. Iraqi machine gunners opened up with a hail of bullets, killing all but a few of the Iranian force.
The following morning, 60,000 Pasdaran and Basijis crossed the Shatt al-Arab north and south of Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr is a city in and the capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 123,866, in 26,385 families.Khorramshahr is a port city located approximately north of Abadan...
in dinghies and motorized seacraft, using the cover of dawn to hide their movements. Almost immediately, the Iranians met the Iraqi defenses waiting for them on the shorelines. A major drawback for the Iranians came in the form of little to no artillery support against the Iraqis.
Fighting lasted for three days, during which the Iranian forces were pummeled the by Iraqi defenses. Iraqi troops used artillery, aircraft, and machine guns firing from prepared defenses. Iranian troops died by the thousands, their bodies littered the ground, but Iraqi troops also took considerable casualties. Iraqi casualties were only half that of Iranian losses. by the time the Iranians retreated, thousands of dead Iranian soldiers covered the landscape. Iran had lost 10,000 troops, while Iraq had lost 5,000.
Aftermath
The battle killed over 10,000 Iranians and 5,000 Iraqis in those three days alone. However, this battle proved to be the beginning of a major offensive of which would last until February. The more sophisticated Operation Karbala-5Operation Karbala-5
Operation Karbala-5 was an offensive carried out by Iran in an effort to capture the Iraqi port city of Basra in early 1987. This battle, known for its extensive casualties and ferocious conditions, was the biggest battle of the war and proved to be the beginning of the end of the Iran-Iraq...
would be launched two weeks later and would eventually become the largest battle of the whole war.