This map belonged to Colonel Robert Shadley, the 1st Infantry Division’s (1 ID) supply commander during the Gulf War. In the 1990s, before the digital age, paper maps like this one were the main means of managing a battle. The map also reveals the careful and deliberate positioning of supplies that supported the 1 ID throughout their desert assault.

In August of 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and seized its oil fields. A US-led coalition of 34 nations responded with force to restore Kuwait’s government and prevent further Iraqi aggression.

Starting in January 1991, the US and its allies bombarded Iraqi targets from the air. Four weeks later, the 1st Infantry Division and other coalition forces spearheaded a ground assault.

The operation was a masterpiece of planning and supply. Division soldiers trained for desert warfare weeks before combat began. In just a month, the 1 ID moved thousands of tons of equipment to the region to assure widely dispersed units had enough ammunition, fuel, repair parts, water and food.

The coalition’s surprise attack came north from Saudi Arabia, then east into Kuwait across Iraq’s harsh and largely undefended desert. A ceasefire was called in just 4 days.