"[4] Because of their elite status Republican Guards received better equipment and uniforms than their regular Army counterparts, and could often be identified by distinctive markings or items of head dress.

Members of the regular Republican Guards conventionally wore a scarlet-colored triangle insignia on both shoulders of their uniforms (sometimes backed with white material to form a white border around the edge of the triangle); they also wore black berets as did some Army personnel, but as a distinctive marking a scarlet ribbon was often sewn to the right of the National cap badge to distinguish bravery in combat and/or loyalty to the Hussein regime.

With this massive influx of manpower the Republican Guard expanded to somewhere between 28-33 brigades which were led by loyal officers drawn from the Iraqi military.

However, the actual ratio was far worse; the initial attack was so quick,[14] and the Kuwaiti units so unprepared, that many of Kuwait's armed forces were on leave and unable to report in time.

[16] After the invasion, the Republican Guard was withdrawn and redeployed into strategic reserve positions in northern Kuwait and southern and central Iraq.

[17] During the Persian Gulf War, the U.S. VII Corps assembled in full strength and launched an armoured attack into Iraq early Sunday, 24 February 1991, just to the west of Kuwait, taking Iraqi forces by surprise.

On 15 February, the Iraqi Republican Guard shot down two A-10 Warthogs and damaged another, which alarmed USAF General Chuck Horner, who was forced to call off further A-10 attacks on these divisions.

[18] Simultaneously, the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps launched a sweeping "left-hook" attack across the largely undefended desert of southern Iraq, led by the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized).

Both sides exchanged fire, but the Republican Guard divisions, worn down by weeks of aerial bombardment, proved unable to withstand the Allied advance.

[19][20][21] During the latter battle US veterans later reported coming under heavy small-arms fire with bullets bouncing off their vehicles, having been attacked by several dismounted detachments of the Tawakalna Division.

The Hammurabi and Medina divisions surrounded Karbala with tanks and artillery and shelled the city for one week killing thousands and destroying entire neighborhoods.

See article: Iraq War The Republican Guard was subordinate to the "Special Security Apparatus of the State" and not to the Ministry of Defence as was the regular Iraqi Army.

Nevertheless, the 2nd Al Medina Armored Division and 6th Nebuchadnezzer Mechanized Division tasked with defending the Karbala Gap fought well, 23 March 2003, disrupting a strong attack conducted by the 11th Aviation Group ("11th Attack Helicopter Regiment"), damaging thirty Apaches and shooting down one[29] and capturing the crew, David Williams and Ronald Young, both chief warrant officers.

[32][33] On 2 April 2003, the Iraqi units positioned around Karbala shot down a U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter, killing seven soldiers and wounding four others.

[35][36] On 7 April 2003, an Iraqi Special Republican Guard FROG-7 rocket or an Ababil-100 SSM missile exploded among the parked vehicles of the headquarters of 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, killing two soldiers (Private 1st Class Anthony Miller and Staff Sergeant Lincoln Hollinsaid) and two embedded journalists (Julio Parrado and Christian Liebig), wounding 15 others and destroying 17 military vehicles.

[45] In early 2004, British journalist Sean Langan confirmed that one of the local commanders of the guerrilla stronghold of Ramadi was a former Republican Guard officer.

[46] In late April 2004, a Pentagon report claimed that members of the Special Republican Guard had regrouped in the guerrilla stronghold of Fallujah.