February 24, 1991. 4:00 AM. The ground war began with a frontal assault on Iraqi lines.

The XVIII Airborne Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General Gary Luck, drove into Iraq from the west. The VII Corps, under Lieutenant General Franks, wheeled north into Iraqi territory. The I Marine Expeditionary Force pushed into Kuwait from the south. Egyptian and Syrian forces engaged Iraqi positions from the west and south. Saudi National Guard and other coalition forces held defensive positions and conducted secondary attacks.

Hour 1-12: The frontal assault drives into Iraqi lines. Iraqi defenses, softened by six weeks of air strikes, collapse. Iraqi troops, many of them conscripts with no desire to fight, surrender en masse. Some units hold briefly, then break. Coalition forces encounter less resistance than expected.

Hour 12-24: The left hook is in full motion. VII Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps drive north and then east. Iraqi commanders, still focused on the expected frontal assault, commit reserves to the wrong part of the battlefield. The envelopment continues.

Hour 24-48: The left hook begins its eastward swing. Republican Guard positions come under attack from the west. Iraqi mobile operations continue to fail. Iraqi air defense systems are suppressed or destroyed. Coalition aircraft maintain air superiority and provide close air support.

Hour 48-72: Major tank engagements occur as the left hook drives east toward the Republican Guard. The battles of Medina Ridge, 73 Easting, and other engagements unfold across the desert. Iraqi tank losses mount. Coalition losses remain minimal.

Hour 72-96: The envelopment tightens. Iraqi forces attempt to escape north toward Basra but find coalition forces blocking their routes. The Highway of Death becomes a killing ground. Iraqi military formations dissolve into chaos. Saddam announces a unilateral ceasefire on Iraqi radio, but fighting continues as American forces destroy the last organized Iraqi resistance.

Hour 96-100: Mopping-up operations continue. Remaining Iraqi units are destroyed or surrender. Saddam's military has ceased to exist as a coherent fighting force. The ground war ends on February 28 at 8:00 AM, exactly 100 hours after it began.