In March 2003, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards tanks rumbled across the Iraq-Kuwait border for a clash that has made its mark in history
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a light cavalry regiment famous for its iconic victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The regiment combines an illustrious history spanning more than 300 years with expertise in the latest battlefield reconnaissance technology.
Perhaps the best-known action of the Battle for Basra during the Iraq War of 2003 is the ‘14-0’ engagement between the British 7 Armoured Brigade and the Iraqi Army 51st Division. The exact specifics and ‘kill count’ of the March 21 to April 6 fight are difficult to clarify, but 14 Challenger 2’s engaged an Iraqi armoured column, knocking out as many as 14 tanks and several other vehicles without loss. The engagement was later described as ‘Britain’s biggest tank battle since World War Two’, and although the Challenger 2 had deployed on peacekeeping operations, the March 26/27 action was the first time the new vehicles engaged massed enemy tanks.
The Challengers were those of ‘C’ Squadron, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, deployed on Operation Panzer. Iraqi armour was spotted moving out of Basra towards the Al Faw peninsu…
