Desert Storm 26–28 February 1991

Coalition troop movements during Operation Desert Storm aimed to secure a quick advance on the main objective of Kuwait City by US Marines, whilst outflanking the defending forces with a straight thrust into Iraq itself before conducting a turn eastwards. US air superiority and a gulf in technological capabilities between coalition troops and the Iraqi army put the defenders on the back foot immediately after the beginning of the ground invasion on 24 February. The Iraqi Army employed a scorched earth policy whilst retreating and set many Kuwaiti oil fields alight as they were pushed north. Many engagements with the Iraqi army were brief and resulted in surrender, even before the official order to retreat was given on 27 February, however Iraqi forces at Kuwait International Airport put up a sustained resistance. A ceasefire was signed on 28 February, ending the ground battle to liberate Kuwait after around 100 hours.