Operation Dawn-4: Difference between revisions

Operation Dawn 4
	Part of Iran–Iraq War – Northern Front
Date	19 October – mid November 1983; (1 week and 6 days)
Location	Marivan sector, Iraqi Kurdistan
Result	Iranian victory
Territorial; changes	Iran captures the strategic Penjwin valley and several villages, an area of 466 square kilometers
Belligerents
Iraq	Iran; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
Strength
108 infantry battalions; 7 armoured battalions; 1 mechanized battalion; 25 commando battalions; 8 Republican Guard battalions; 7 artillery battalions	Iran:; IRGC:; 47 infantry battalions; 4 armoured battalions; 4 mechanized battalion; 3 artillery battalions; Army:; 17 infantry battalions, 8 artillery battalions; PUK:; Peshmerga partisans
Casualties and losses
2,800 killed; 60 tanks and 20 artillery pieces lost	5,000 killed; 15,000 wounded

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Operation Dawn 4 (Persian: عملیات والفجر 4) was an Iranian operation of the Iran–Iraq War launched in October 1983. At the end of the operation Iran had captured a small amount of territory from the Iraqis.

Units of Iraq's 1st Corps spent two months in their trenches waiting for the Iranians to attack. The offensive began on the 19 October 1983^[3] and the Iranians and Peshmerga guerrillas of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan conquered about 250 square miles (650 km²) of territory. This included exerted a significant amount of pressure on Penjwen.^[3]

Saddam Hussein responded with a counterattack, using the Iraqi Republican Guard and poison gas. However, they failed to dislodge the Iranians, who were dug-in and reinforced by Kurdish fighters.

The battle

The focus of the fourth Dawn operation in October 1983 was the northern sector in Iranian Kurdistan. Three Iranian regular divisions, the Revolutionary Guard, and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) elements amassed in Marivan and Sardasht in a move to threaten the major Iraqi city Suleimaniyah. Iran's strategy was to press Kurdish tribes to occupy the Banjuin Valley, which was within 45 km (28 mi) of Suleimaniyah and 140 km (87 mi) from the oilfields of Kirkuk. To stem the tide, Iraq deployed Mi-8 helicopters equipped with chemical weapons and executed 120 sorties against the Iranian force, which stopped them 15 km (9.3 mi) into Iraqi territory. 5,000 Iranians and 2,800 Iraqis were killed.

Iran regained 110 km² (42 sq mi) of its territory in the north, captured 15 km² (5.8 sq mi) of Iraqi land, and 785 Iraqi prisoners while Iraq abandoned large quantities of valuable weapons and war materiel in the field. Iraq responded to these losses by firing a series of SCUD-B missiles into the cities of Dezful, Masjid Suleiman, and Behbehan, while the Iraqi naval aircraft mined the port of Bandar Khomeini. Iran's use of artillery against Basra while the battles in the north raged created multiple fronts, which effectively confused and wore down Iraq.

Aftermath

The attack was successful but the Iranians suffered high casualties due to Iraqi gas attacks. Unlike other operations and battles of the Iran–Iraq War, environmental conditions and operative restrictions were of high significance for this operation. Also the military medicine organization of the Pasdaran was important in this battle; they used special methods to save the wounded and carried out rescue operations.^[4]

However, in response to this victory, the Iraqis launched the first Scud missiles into Iran, hitting six cities.

Units

Iran

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps:

Hamzeh Sayyed-osh-Shohada Headquarters

31st Ashura Division
Commanded by Mehdi Bakeri
44th Qamar-e Bani-Hashem Brigade
41st Tharallah Division
Commanded by Qasem Soleimani
17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division
Commanded by Mehdi Zeinoddin
25th Karbala Division
Commanded by Morteza Ghorbani
14th Imam Hossein Division
Commanded by Hossein Kharrazi
8th Najaf Ashraf Division
Commanded by Ahmad Kazemi

Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces

Iraq

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 254. ISBN 978-0674915718.
^ ^a ^b ^c "والفجر 4 | دفاع‌مقدس". Archived from the original on 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
^ ^a ^b Entessar, Nader (1992). Kurdish Ethnonationalism. Lynn Rienner Publishers. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-55587-250-2.
^ "Rescue and transportation experiences of medical department of Sepah in Valfajr 4 operation".

The Longest War, by Dilip Hiro, Routledge, Chapman, and Hall, Inc. 1991 (pg. 102).
https://web.archive.org/web/20090910023608/http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/06/dodds-wilson.html

Bibliography

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-“dawn-of-victory”-campaigns-to-the-“final-push”-part-three-of-three

[Razeoux-1] Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 254. ISBN 978-0674915718.

[defamoghaddas-2] "والفجر 4 | دفاع‌مقدس". Archived from the original on 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2016-08-02.

[:0-3] Entessar, Nader (1992). Kurdish Ethnonationalism. Lynn Rienner Publishers. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-55587-250-2.

[militarymedj-4] "Rescue and transportation experiences of medical department of Sepah in Valfajr 4 operation".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{more footnotes|date=January 2016}}
+{{more footnotes needed|date=January 2016}}
 {{Infobox military conflict
-| conflict    = Operation Dawn 4
+| conflict          = Operation Dawn 4
-| width       =
+| width             =
-| partof      = [[Iran-Iraq War]] — Northern Front
+| partof            = [[Iran–Iraq War]] – Northern Front
-| image       =
+| image             =
-| caption     =
+| caption           =
-| date        = 19 October – mid November 1983<br>({{Age in months, weeks and days|month1=10|day1=19|year1=1983|month2=11|day2=00|year2=1983}})
+| date              = 19 October – mid November 1983<br />({{Age in months, weeks and days|1983-10-19|1983-11-01}})
-| place       = [[Penjwin]] area, [[Iraqi Kurdistan]]
+| place             = [[Marivan]] sector, [[Iraqi Kurdistan]]
-| coordinates =
+| coordinates       =
-| map_type    =
+| map_type          =
-| map_relief  =
+| map_relief        =
-| latitude    =
+| latitude          =
-| longitude   =
+| longitude         =
-| map_size    =
+| map_size          =
-| map_marksize =
+| map_marksize      =
-| map_caption =
+| map_caption       =
-| map_label   =
+| map_label         =
+| territory         = Iran captures the strategic Penjwin valley and several villages, an area of 466 square kilometers<ref name=Razeoux>{{cite book |last1=Razoux |first1=Pierre |title=The Iran-Iraq War |date=2015 |publisher=Harvard University Press, 2015 |isbn=978-0674915718 |page=254 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FGsuCwAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref name=defamoghaddas>{{Cite web |url=http://defamoghaddas.ir/fa/fight/%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%AC%D8%B1-4 |title=والفجر 4 &#124; دفاع‌مقدس |access-date=2016-08-02 |archive-date=2018-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019130524/http://defamoghaddas.ir/fa/fight/%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%AC%D8%B1-4 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-| territory   = Iran captures Penjwin and several villages (1000 km)<ref name=defamoghaddas />
-| result      = Iranian victory
+| result            = Iranian victory
-| status      =
+| status            =
 | combatants_header =
-| combatant1  = {{flagcountry|Iraq|1963}}
+| combatant1        = {{flagcountry|Iraq|1963}}
-| combatant2  = {{flagcountry|Iran}}<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of PUK.png}} [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] (PUK)
+| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Iran|1980}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of PUK.png}} [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] (PUK)
-| commander1  =
+| commander1        =
-| commander2  =
+| commander2        =
-| units1      =
+| units1            =
-| units2      =
+| units2            =
-| strength1   = 108 infantry battalions, 7 armored battalions, 1 mechanized battalion, 25 commando battalions, 8 [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Republican Guard]] battalions, 7 artillery battalions<ref name=defamoghaddas />
+| strength1         = 108 infantry battalions<br />7 armoured battalions<br />1 mechanized battalion<br />25 commando battalions<br />8 [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Republican Guard]] battalions<br />7 artillery battalions<ref name=defamoghaddas />
+| strength2         = '''Iran''':<ref name=defamoghaddas /><br />[[IRGC]]:<br />47 infantry battalions<br />4 armoured battalions<br />4 mechanized battalion<br />3 artillery battalions<br />[[Islamic Republic of Iran Army|Army]]:<br />17 infantry battalions, 8 artillery battalions<br />'''PUK''':<br />[[Peshmerga]] partisans
-| strength2   = '''Iran''':<ref name=defamoghaddas /><br>
+| casualties1       = 2,800 killed<br />60 tanks and 20 artillery pieces lost<ref name=Razeoux/>
-[[IRGC]]:<br>
+| casualties2       = 5,000 killed<br />15,000 wounded<ref name=Razeoux/>
-infantry battalions, 4 armored battalions, 4 mechanized battalion, 3 artillery battalions<br>
+| notes             =
-[[Islamic Republic of Iran Army|Army]]:<br>
+| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Iran-Iraq War}}
-infantry battalions, 8 artillery battalions<br>
-'''PUK''':
-[[Peshmerga]] partisans
-| casualties1 =
-,000 killed and wounded, 785 captured<ref name=defamoghaddas>http://defamoghaddas.ir/fa/fight/%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%AC%D8%B1-4</ref><br>
-tanks and APCs, 100 vehicles, 3 aircraft, 3 helicopters, 70 equipment, 32 artillery pieces destroyed<br>
-tanks and APCs, 315 vehicles, 157 equipment captured<ref name=defamoghaddas /><br>
-Iranian prisoners of war were released<br>
-Other sources:
-aircraft, 1 helicopter, 90+ tanks and APCs, 200 vehicles destroyed<br>
-tanks and APCs, 10 loaders and bulldozers, 200 vehicles, 20 [[9K32 Strela-2|SA-7]]s, some communications equipment, ammunition and weapons captured<ref>http://www.fatehan.ir/page.aspx?pid=220</ref>
-| casualties2 = 5,000{{cn|date=August 2016}}
-| notes       =
-| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Iran-Iraq War}}
 }}
-'''Operation Dawn 4''' ({{lang-fa|عملیات والفجر 4}}) was an [[Iran]]ian operation of the [[Iran–Iraq War]] launched in 1983. At the end of the operation Iran had captured a small amount of territory from the [[Iraq]]is.
+'''Operation Dawn 4''' ({{langx|fa|عملیات والفجر 4}}) was an Iranian operation of the [[Iran–Iraq War]] launched in October 1983. At the end of the operation Iran had captured a small amount of territory from the [[Iraq]]is.
-Units of Iraq's First Army Corps spent two months in their trenches waiting for the Iranians to attack. The offensive came on 19 October 1983 as the Iranians and [[Peshmerga]] guerrillas of the [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] took {{convert|250|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} of territory. This included a number of Kurdish villages and exerted a significant amount of pressure on Penjwin.
+Units of Iraq's [[1st Corps (Iraq)|1st Corps]] spent two months in their trenches waiting for the Iranians to attack. The offensive began on the 19 October 1983<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Entessar|first=Nader|title=Kurdish Ethnonationalism|date=1992|publisher=Lynn Rienner Publishers|isbn=978-1-55587-250-2|pages=132|language=en}}</ref> and the Iranians and [[Peshmerga]] guerrillas of the [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] conquered about {{convert|250|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} of territory. This included exerted a significant amount of pressure on [[Penjwen District|Penjwen]].<ref name=":0" />
 [[Saddam Hussein]] responded with a counterattack, using the [[Iraqi Republican Guard]] and [[poison gas]]. However, they failed to dislodge the Iranians, who were dug-in and reinforced by Kurdish fighters.
 ==The battle==
-The focus of the fourth Dawn operation in September 1983 was the northern sector in Iranian Kurdistan. Three Iranian regular divisions, the Revolutionary Guard, and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) elements amassed in Marivan and Sardasht in a move to threaten the major Iraqi city Suleimaniyah. Iran's strategy was to press Kurdish tribes to occupy the Banjuin Valley, which was within 45 km (28 mi) of Suleimaniyah and 140 km (87 mi) from the oilfields of Kirkuk. To stem the tide, Iraq deployed Mi-8 attack helicopters equipped with chemical weapons and executed 120 sorties against the Iranian force, which stopped them 15 km (9.3 mi) into Iraqi territory. 5,000 Iranians and 2,500 Iraqis died.[73] Iran gained 110 km2 (42 sq mi) of its territory back in the north, gained 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) of Iraqi land, and captured 1,800 Iraqi prisoners while Iraq abandoned large quantities of valuable weapons and war materiel in the field. Iraq responded to these losses by firing a series of SCUD-B missiles into the cities of Dezful, Masjid Suleiman, and Behbehan, while the Iraqi naval aircraft mined the port of Bandar Khomeini. Iran's use of artillery against Basra while the battles in the north raged created multiple fronts, which effectively confused and wore down Iraq.
+The focus of the fourth Dawn operation in October 1983 was the northern sector in [[Iranian Kurdistan]]. Three Iranian regular divisions, the Revolutionary Guard, and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) elements amassed in [[Marivan]] and [[Sardasht, West Azerbaijan|Sardasht]] in a move to threaten the major Iraqi city [[Sulaymaniyah|Suleimaniyah]]. Iran's strategy was to press [[Kurdish tribes]] to occupy the Banjuin Valley, which was within 45&nbsp;km (28&nbsp;mi) of Suleimaniyah and 140&nbsp;km (87&nbsp;mi) from the oilfields of [[Kirkuk]]. To stem the tide, Iraq deployed [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8 helicopters]] equipped with chemical weapons and executed 120 sorties against the Iranian force, which stopped them 15&nbsp;km (9.3&nbsp;mi) into Iraqi territory. 5,000 Iranians and 2,800 Iraqis were killed.
+Iran regained 110&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (42 sq mi) of its territory in the north, captured 15&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (5.8 sq mi) of Iraqi land, and 785 Iraqi prisoners while Iraq abandoned large quantities of valuable weapons and war materiel in the field. Iraq responded to these losses by firing a series of [[Scud missile|SCUD-B missiles]] into the cities of [[Dezful]], [[Masjed Soleyman|Masjid Suleiman]], and [[Behbahan|Behbehan]], while the Iraqi naval aircraft mined the port of [[Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni|Bandar Khomeini]]. Iran's use of artillery against [[Basra]] while the battles in the north raged created multiple fronts, which effectively confused and wore down Iraq.
 ==Aftermath==
-The attack was successful but the Iranians suffered high casualties due to Iraqi gas attacks. Unlike other operations and battles of the Iran–Iraq War, environmental conditions and operative restrictions were of high significance for this operation. Also the military medicine organization of the [[IRGC|Pasdaran]] was important in this battle; they used special methods to save the wounded and carried out rescue operations.<ref name="militarymedj">{{cite news|title=Rescue and transportation experiences of medical department of Sepah in Valfajr 4 operation|url=http://www.militarymedj.ir/xml_out.php?mag_id=15}}</ref>
+The attack was successful but the Iranians suffered high casualties due to Iraqi gas attacks. Unlike other operations and battles of the Iran–Iraq War, environmental conditions and operative restrictions were of high significance for this operation. Also the military medicine organization of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps|Pasdaran]] was important in this battle; they used special methods to save the wounded and carried out rescue operations.<ref name="militarymedj">{{cite news|title=Rescue and transportation experiences of medical department of Sepah in Valfajr 4 operation|url=http://www.militarymedj.ir/xml_out.php?mag_id=15}}</ref>
-However, in response to this victory, Saddam Hussein launched the first [[Scud]] missiles into Iran, hitting six cities.
+However, in response to this victory, the Iraqis launched the first Scud missiles into Iran, hitting six cities.
 ==Units==
@@ Line 67: / Line 55: @@
 ===Iran===
+[[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]]:
-[[Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution]]:
 :Hamzeh Sayyed-osh-Shohada Headquarters
 :*[[31st Ashura Division]]
-:*:Comanded by [[Mehdi Bakeri]]
+:*:Commanded by [[Mehdi Bakeri]]
 :*[[44th Qamar-e Bani-Hashem Brigade]]
-:*[[41st Sarallah Division]]
+:*[[41st Tharallah Division]]
-:*:Comanded by [[Qassem Soleimani]]
+:*:Commanded by [[Qasem Soleimani]]
 :*[[17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division]]
-:*:Comanded by [[Mehdi Zeinoddin]]
+:*:Commanded by [[Mehdi Zeinoddin]]
 :*[[25th Karbala Division]]
+:*:Commanded by Morteza Ghorbani
 :*[[14th Imam Hossein Division]]
-:*:Comanded by [[Hossein Kharrazi]]
+:*:Commanded by [[Hossein Kharrazi]]
 :*[[8th Najaf Ashraf Division]]
-:*:Comanded by [[Ahmad Kazemi]]
+:*:Commanded by [[Ahmad Kazemi]]
 [[Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces]]
-*[[28th Infantry Division of Kordestan]]
+* [[28th Infantry Division of Kordestan]]
-*[[21st Hamzeh Division of Azarbaijan]]
+* [[21st Hamzeh Division of Azarbaijan]]
 ===Iraq===
+* [[Iraqi Army]]
+* [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Republican Guard]]
-[[Iraqi Army]]
+* [[Iraqi Army Air Corps]]
+* [[Iraqi Air Force]]
-[[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Republican Guard]]
-[[Iraqi Army Air Corps]]
-[[Iraqi Air Force]]
 ==See also==
@@ Line 104: / Line 89: @@
 {{reflist|2}}
 * ''The Longest War'', by Dilip Hiro, Routledge, Chapman, and Hall, Inc. 1991 (pg. 102).
-* http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/06/dodds-wilson.html
+* https://web.archive.org/web/20090910023608/http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/2009/06/dodds-wilson.html
 ==Bibliography==
@@ Line 111: / Line 96: @@
 {{coord missing|Iraq}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawn 4}}
-[[Category:Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War in 1983|Dawn 4]]
+[[Category:Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War in 1983]]
+[[Category:October 1983 events in Asia]]
+[[Category:November 1983 events in Asia]]
+[[Category:Marivan County]]
+[[Category:Sardasht County]]
+[[Category:History of Kurdistan province]]
+[[Category:History of West Azerbaijan province]]
+[[Category:1983 in Iraqi Kurdistan]]
+[[Category:History of Sulaymaniyah Governorate]]
 [[Category:Military operations involving chemical weapons during the Iran–Iraq War]]
 [[Category:Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War involving the Peshmerga]]