73 Easting: Episode 14 — Objective Collins

Objective Collins marked the threshold where the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment moved from approach march into dangerous contact. This episode follows the regiment east of Objective Collins, screening ahead of the 1st Infantry Division after coming off the mine belt near the Saudi border. A shamal dust storm turned weather into a combat factor, shrinking visibility, complicating navigation, and forcing crews to rely on thermal sights, radio discipline, and hard-earned training. Listeners learn how control measures, grid lines, and reconnaissance reports helped impose order on a desert with few landmarks. Objective Collins shows the cavalry entering the uncertain zone before 73 Easting, where the Iraqi defense was not yet fully visible but close enough to shape every decision. For more military history writing and books, visit MilitaryAuthor.me, and for magazines, galleries, and a massive archive of military photos and video, visit Trackpads.com.