DT - Variant - Eagles - Background (Pt 2)

Chronology - Major Days

The IrAF initial attacks were spread across a number of Iranian regions.  I have now broken them down into rough areas in order to possibly playout each region (providing it offers some variety in doing so).

• 22 Sep 80.  The Iraqi Airforce attacks 8 airbases, 5 airports and 4 army locations. Attacks comprise 192 aircraft (one source states that 50% of these sorties were MiG-23BN), the second wave comprised approximately 60 aircraft:
• West Azerbaijan Province
• Urmia/Uromiyeh/Orumiyeh
• 1330hrs 5 MiG-21 attack the barracks and Landing Strip at Oumiyeh
• 1350hrs Second formation attack on the barracks
• Piranshahr
• U/I Attack

• East Azerbaijan Province
• Tabriz (TFB.2) – Defences include RAPIER AAGW
• 1^st Wave 1353hrs 8 Hunters attack TFB.2 and airport
• 2^nd Wave 6 Su-20 & 2+ MiG-21 Intercepted by 2 F-5E
• Tabriz Radar Station
• U/I
• Tabriz Refinery
• U/I
• Tabriz Thermal Power Plant
• U/I
• Kermanshah Province
• Kermanshah Airport
• 1^st Wave 1415hrs 5+ aircraft attacked for 20 minutes
• 2^nd Wave attack reported
• Bakhtaran/Kermanshah (reported as being 1^st Corps HQ location)
• 1^st Wave 1415hrs 5+ Fighter Bombers attack Kermanshah airport
• Qassre-Shirin area
• U/I Attack
• 2^nd Wave attack reported

• Illam Province
• Tu-16 reported as being shot down near Sar-e-pol-e-Zahab (Ilam) on route
• Illam reported as 2nd wave target but no details

• Hamedan Province
• Nojeh (Hamedan) (TFB.3)
• 1^st Wave 1345hrs Main package attacks Su-20 and MiG-21 reported
• 2^nd Wave 4 MiG-23BN and 2 Unspecified Sukhoi Attack both Nojeh and Hamedan Airport. 2^nd Wave reports mentioned 3 MiG-23 attacking Nojeh
• Hamedan civil airport
• 1^st Wave 1345hrs 4 U/I attack
• Assad-Abad Satellite Communications Station. (Intercepted by IRIAF fighters)

• Khuzestan Province
• Abadan Refinery
• Section of Su-20 aircraft attack refinery
• Ahwaz International Air Port
• 1^st Wave 1345 4 Su-20 attack (Rockets and Iron Bombs)
• 2^nd Wave 1440hrs 2 Su-7
• Ahwaz Radar Station
• 1^st Wave 1350hrs Radar Station
• Abadan City, Airport, Jetties, refinery, Oil Pumping station
• U/I Attacks
• Ahvaz (not reported as operational air base in 1980, possibly means the al-Jufair barracks or typo for Ahwaz but if so then this MiG-23 attack is not referenced elsewhere)
• 6 MiG-23 attack
• Aghajari dispersal
• U/I Attacks
• Bandar-e Mahshahr
• 4 Su-20 are intecepted by 2 F-4E from Bushehr.
• Dezful (TFB.4)
• 1^st Wave 1400hrs attacked twice at short intervals
• 2^nd Wave (1440hrs?) reported that 2 sections of 2 Su-20 attacked Dezful
• Kerendi EWR Station
• 1 Tu-22B attacks Khoramshahr and Port Installations
• U/I Attacks
• Omidiyeh AB
• 1^st Wave (1440hrs?) 2 sections of 2 aircraft attack
• 2^nd Wave 1500hrs 2 sections of UI aircraft
• Masjed Soleiman
• 1515hrs UI Large Attack Force attack the Helicopter base
• 
  
• Bushehr Province
• Bushehr
• 1^st Wave 1400hrs conducted by MiG-23BN.
• Evening Raid by MiG-23BN reported as last attack of the day
• Bushehr Naval Facilities
• Raid on naval facilities simultaneous with 1^st Wave attack
• Evening Raid attacks
• 4 Su-20 intercepted by 2 F-4E from Bushehr (3 Su-20 reported as lost)
• Tehran Province
• Doshen-Tappen/Doshen Tapeh/Doshan Tappeh
• 1^st Wave attack Target
• Merhabad (Tehran) (TFB.1)
• 1^st Wave 1420hrs 2 flights of 3 MiG-23 Attack (At least 2 MiG-23BN reported as being present and reported that only one flight reached the target).
• 2^nd Wave – 4 MiG-23BN and 2 Unspecified Sukhoi Attack at 1500
• Merhabad Fuel Depot (not sure if this is at TFB.1)
• 1 Tu-22B attacks

• Esfahan Province
• Isfahan/Esfahan/Khatami
• U/I Attacks
• Tu-16 reported as being shot down near Sar-e-pol-e-Zahab (Ilam) on route to this target

• Kordestan Province
• Sanandaj Airport
• U/I attack

• Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province
• Shahre-Kurd Sugar Factory
• 1420hrs Single U/I Bomber dropping 12 Bombs

• Target Locations not yet identified
• Khosro-Abad Barracks
• 1^st Wave 1400hrs 4+ Su-20
• Nakhjir EWR
• U/I Attack
• Islamabad West
• U/I Attacks
• 2^nd Wave attack reported

IRIAF Counter Attacks

• TFB.6
• 2 F-4E attack Um-ol-Qassr, 20 minutes later overflight by RF-4E.
• 2 F-4E attack Baghdad
• 2 F-4E attack naval force approaching Bushehr
• 1600 – 1800hrs 60 F-4 and F-5 aircraft reported as launching additional counter attacks
• Al-Rashid Air base – 31^st TFW tasked F-4E
• Kut Air Base
• Basrah airport
• Khaled-Ibn-Walid Bridge
• Ground attack units
• Zubair Petrochemical plant attacked
• Shaibah/Shoibiyah/Shoaibah Air Base 4 F-4E from Bushehr late afternoon
• Additional 20 F-5? Provide ground support

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[i] Cooper/Bishop P72