19
The war begins. In a "decapitation" attack, a suspected gathering of Iraqi national leaders in Baghdad is struck by cruise missiles and bombs dropped by F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. Coalition air forces also strike long-range artillery emplacements, air defense sites and surface-to-surface missile sites. President George W. Bush addresses the nation at 10:15 p.m. EST from the Oval Office. Two Iraqi missiles are successfully intercepted by Patriot PAC-3 missiles in Kuwait.

20
The ground war commences. The 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) rolls from Kuwait into southern Iraq at 6 a.m. local time and meets only slight resistance. Special operation forces go into action throughout western and southern Iraq. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and British Allies also cross into Iraq to seize and protect southern Iraq’s oil fields. A U.S. Marine CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter, carrying four U.S. and eight British Marines, crashes in northern Kuwait, killing all on board.

21
The 3rd ID advance reaches almost 100 miles into Iraq on its way towards Baghdad. Navy SEALs and coalition special forces seize Iraq’s major gas and oil terminals in the northern Persian Gulf, airfields in western Iraq and unspecified key locations elsewhere. British Royal Marines seize the Faw peninsula. U.S. and Royal Marines capture Umm Qasr. The first elements of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) cross into Iraq.

22
The 2nd Brigade of the 3rd ID clashes with Iraqi troops, killing 45 of the enemy with no American casualties. The division, bypassing urban areas and resistance, has penetrated 150 miles into Iraq, approximately halfway to Baghdad. U.S. Marines and British Forces close in on Basra. Between 1,300 and 2,000 Iraqi soldiers are prisoners of war. Iraqi resistance grows along the main supply route, especially at the town of Nasiriyah, which controls a Euphrates River crossing. A Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) destroys a ZSU-23-4 radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery piece with a Hellfire II missile outside the Iraqi town of Al Amarah, making the first armed UAV kill in Iraq.

23
The 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducts an air assault into southern Iraq. Sgt. Hasan Akbar of the 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne, throws grenades into tents of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, killing two officers and wounding 14 soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait. Soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company are ambushed by Iraqi irregulars at Nasiriyah. Five are later shown as prisoners on Iraqi television and seven are missing.

24
Elements of the 3rd ID reach Karbala, within 50 miles of Baghdad. Attack helicopters of the 11th Aviation Regiment attack Iraqi Republican Guard positions amid intense counterfire. One helicopter goes down and the two-man crew is captured and shown on Iraqi television. A massive sandstorm engulfs the area. U.S. Marines launch a sustained operation to clear Nasiriyah.

25
Amidst a sandstorm, the 3rd ID battles elements of the Iraqi Republican Guard’s Medina Division outside of Karbala. Special operation forces, Army Rangers and troops from the 82nd Airborne Division parachute into a lightly defended airfield in northern Iraq and secure it. Troops from the 3/7th Cavalry Regiment repulse an attack near Najaf. In Basra, Iraqi forces repress an insurrection by its citizens. In addition, British troops break up an attack outside the city, destroying 20 T-55 tanks and other armored vehicles. After days of fighting, U.S. Marines find 3,000 chemical protection suits at a hospital in Nasiriyah, a site that had been used as a base for paramilitary fighters.

26
Two separate columns of Republican Guard vehicles heading south out of Baghdad are struck by Allied air forces. Elements of the 3rd ID, including the 3/7th Cavalry Regiment, encircle Najaf, killing approximately 1,000 enemy troops in a three-day battle. Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade conduct a night drop onto Bashur airstrip in the Kurdish-controlled area of Northern Iraq to form a second front. The first humanitarian aid convoy reaches Safwan.

27
The 3rd ID and the 101st pause in their advance to refit. Elements of the 3rd ID fight Iraqi irregulars at the town of Samawah. Elements of the 1st ID (Mechanized) are airlifted to Bashur airstrip. Iraqi forces abandon bunkers on a ridge near the Kurdish-controlled area in northern Iraq after heavy coalition airstrikes.

28
AH-64 Apache helicopters of the 101st attack Iraqi troops near Karbala, destroying tanks, trucks and other equipment. Two Apaches are damaged but there are no American casualties. U.S. Marines exchange tank and artillery fire with Iraqi forces near Nasiriyah. Iraqi irregulars open fire on fleeing civilians in Basra. An Iraqi missile hits near an empty shopping center in Kuwait at night, causing no casualties.

29
Four soldiers of the 3rd ID are killed when a suicide bomber in a taxi cab blows himself up at a checkpoint at Najaf. Soldiers of the 82nd seize an airfield in southern Iraq for use as a forward base. They also repulse an attack by Iraqi irregular soldiers along Highway 8, the main supply route for coalition forces. Apache helicopters of the 101st contribute to the airstrikes in Baghdad. British Royal Marines fight a skirmish in Umm Qasr. Elements of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment begin departing Fort Polk, La.

30
Elements of the 101st besiege Najaf. Units of the 3rd ID push north to Hillah while the rest of the division pulls to within several miles of Karbala. A-10 ground attack aircraft begin operating from Tallil Airfield in Iraq.

31
A van carrying Iraqi civilians is fired upon by soldiers of the 3rd ID when it fails to stop at a checkpoint near Karbala. Ten are killed. A water pipeline is established in Umm Qasr for civilian use. Elements of the 3rd ID clash with enemy troops in house-to-house fighting in Hindiyah, killing and capturing many and destroying the Baath party headquarters there without incurring any U.S. fatalities.

APRIL

1
PFC Jessica Lynch, who had been reported as missing in action since March 23 when 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed by Iraqi irregulars, is rescued by special operations troops, including Army Rangers, from an Iraqi-controlled hospital in Nasiriyah. The 3rd ID battles the Republican Guard’s Medina Division outside Karbala. Troops of the 101st enter the southern portion of Najaf. U.S. Marines move on Kut.

2
The 3rd ID crosses the Euphrates River at Musayyib and closes to within 30 miles of Baghdad. U.S. Marines close in on the city from the southeast after crossing a canal and the Tigris River at Numaniyah. Troops of the 101st, pushing deeper into Najaf, are greeted by cheering crowds. Soldiers of the 82nd seize a water treatment plant in Samawah.

3
Part of the 3rd ID fights its way into Baghdad’s international airport as another part drives to within 10 miles of the city. The electricity is cut off in Baghdad, leaving residents in the dark. The U.S. Marines drive to within 15 miles of the city. U.S. Special Forces units and Kurdish militiamen capture the northern town of Bardarash.

4
After a tank battle, elements of the 3rd ID take over the entire Baghdad international airport and begin encircling the city. U.S. Marines battle Iraqi defenders in a fierce fight before advancing to the edge of southeast Baghdad. The 101st begins pulling out of Najaf to head north. One brigade remains behind to maintain order. Soldiers of the 82nd seize parts of Samawah. Three U.S. special operations soldiers are killed when a car bomb explodes near the Haditha Dam. British troops clash with irregular forces during a raid in Basra.

5
In a show of force, an armored column from the 3rd ID drives through southwestern Baghdad, encountering pockets of resistance but suffering no casualties. The 101st begins an operation to clear and secure Karbala, which had been bypassed on the way to Baghdad. U.S. Marines enter Baghdad’s southeastern suburbs. British troops discover a warehouse filled with human remains in Basra. The first U.N. food aid for northern Iraq arrives in Dohuk.

6
U.S. military planes land at the Baghdad airport. Elements of the 3rd ID make a second sweep through Baghdad, this time advancing from the west. The 2nd Brigade of the 101st takes control of Karbala. British troops enter the center of Basra. Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade destroy Iraqi trenches with a night artillery raid in northern Iraq. U.S. jets accidentally bomb an American and Kurdish column near Dibagah.

7
The 2nd Brigade of the 3rd ID enters Baghdad and seizes the Republican and Sijood presidential palaces, beginning "inside out" operations from within the city. U.S. Marines push further into eastern Baghdad. British troops take control of Basra. U.S. warplanes drop bombs on a building suspected of housing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his two sons.

8
Soldiers of the 3rd ID continue to seek and destroy remaining pockets of Iraqi resistance in Baghdad. U.S. Marines capture the Rasheed military air base in eastern Baghdad. The 3rd Brigade of the 101st battles Iraqi defenders in Hillah. An A-10 Thunderbolt II is downed by an Iraqi missile. The pilot ejects and is safely recovered.

9
All coherent resistance in Baghdad collapses and the regime’s control is broken. Residents turn out in the streets and topple icons of Saddam and his Baath Party. The White House refers to it as a "historic moment," but cautions that the war is not over. Saddam Hussein’s status remains unknown.