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5 - The Epic of Khorramshahr

Iran in the War from Occupation to Liberation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2021

Annie Tracy Samuel
Affiliation:
University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
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Summary

Chapter 5 presents the story of how Iran finally turned the tide, of how the revolution progressed to the point that it could help instead of hinder the war effort. What the IRGC authors term “the epic of Khorramshahr”—Iran’s retaking of that city after months of Iraqi occupation—marked the culmination of the reversal. For the Guards, the liberation of Khorramshahr represents a case in which faith could be used effectively against firepower. Though the Iraqi forces retained their advantage in firepower, the Iranians’ faithful determination gave them the ultimate edge in their fight to retake the city. The liberation of Khorramshahr signified a turning point both in the war and for the Revolutionary Guards. The campaign marked the IRGC’s most substantial participation in the war to that point and initiated its transformation into the powerful and professional military that experience has allowed it to become.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War
Faith, Firepower, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards
, pp. 110 - 127
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • The Epic of Khorramshahr
  • Annie Tracy Samuel, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
  • Book: The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War
  • Online publication: 08 October 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108777674.008
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  • The Epic of Khorramshahr
  • Annie Tracy Samuel, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
  • Book: The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War
  • Online publication: 08 October 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108777674.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Epic of Khorramshahr
  • Annie Tracy Samuel, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
  • Book: The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War
  • Online publication: 08 October 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108777674.008
Available formats
×