United States invasion of Grenada

United States invasion of Grenada
Part of the Cold War

An American Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter (middle) and an abandoned Soviet ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft weapon (left) during the invasion.
Date25 October – 2 November 1983 (8 days)[1]
Location
Grenada
Result
  • American–victory
Belligerents

 United States

Caribbean Peace Force: After invasion
  Grenada
 Cuba
 Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Carribean leaders
Strength

United States:

  • 7,300 troops
  • 4 tanks
  • 1 LPH USS Guam Flagship ComPhibron
  • 1 LHA (USS Saipan (LHA-2))
  • 1 aircraft carrier (USS Independence)
  • 3 destroyers
  • 2 frigates
  • 1 ammunition ship
  • 27 F-14A Tomcats

CPF:

  • 353 peacekeepers

Grenada:

  • 1,300 troops
  • 8 APCs
  • 2 armored cars
  • 12 AA guns
Cuba: 784 (including 636 construction workers according to Cuba)[1]: 6, 26, 62 
Casualties and losses

United States:

  • 19 killed[2]
  • 116 wounded[1]: 6, 62 
  • 36 injured[3]
  • 9 helicopters destroyed[3][4]

Grenada:

  • 45 killed
  • 358 wounded[1]: 62 
  • 6 APCs destroyed
  • 1 armored car destroyed

Cuba:

  • 24 killed[3]
  • 59 wounded[5]
  • 638 captured[1]
  • 2 transport aircraft captured

Soviet Union:

  • 2 wounded[6]
  • Weapons cache seized:
    • 12 APCs
    • 12 anti-aircraft guns
    • 291 submachine guns
    • 6,330 rifles
    • 5.6 million rounds of ammunition[7]
24 civilians killed (18 of them when a mental hospital was mistakenly bombed by U.S. Navy A-7s)[3]

The United States invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was an invasion of the nation of Grenada by the United States under President Ronald Reagan. Grenada is an island in the Caribbean Sea, 100 miles north of Venezuela, and over 1,500 miles south east of the United States. It was invaded by the combined force of troops from the United States (nearly 10,000 troops), Jamaica and members of the Regional Security System (RSS) (approximately 300 troops).

Grenada had gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974. The communist New JEWEL Movement seized power in a nearly bloodless coup in 1979 under Maurice Bishop suspending the constitution and detaining several political prisoners.

The Reagan administration mounted a US military intervention following receipt of a formal appeal for help from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. President Reagan stated that he felt compelled to act due to "concerns over the 600 U.S. medical students on the island".

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cole, Ronald H. (1997). "Operation Urgent Fury: The Planning and Execution of Joint Operations in Grenada" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Medals Outnumber G.I.'s in Grenada Assault". The New York Times. 30 March 1984. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015 (4th ed.). McFarland. p. 645. ISBN 978-0786474707.
  4. ↑ "Study Faults U.S. Military Tactics in Grenada Invasion". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  5. ↑ "The Invasion of Grenada". PBS.org. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  6. ↑ Russell, Lee; Mendez, Albert (2012). Grenada 1983. London: Osprey Publishing. p. 45.
  7. ↑ "Soldiers During the Invasion of Grenada". CardCow Vintage Postcards. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
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