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IWM London
London (closed)
IWM London is now closed for our major redevelopment project. We will partially reopen on 29 July 2013.
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IWM Duxford
Cambridgeshire
Open daily
Summer 10am - 6pm
Last admission 5pmWinter 10am - 4pm
Last admission 3pmClosed 24, 25 and 26 December
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HMS Belfast
London
Open daily 10am - 6pm
Last admission 5pm
We are closed 24, 25, and 26 December -
Churchill War Rooms
London
Open daily 9.30am - 6pm
Last admission 5pm
Closed 24, 25 and 26 December -
IWM North
Manchester
Open daily 10am - 5pm
Last admission 4.30pm
Closed 24, 25 and 26 DecemberAdmission is free
The Gulf War 1990-1991
Sabotaged oil wells fill the sky with black smoke as they burn in Kuwait, 1991
photographs
Over 600 oil wells were sabotaged by retreating Iraqi forces. Work to put the fires out lasted until November 1991. This photograph was taken by the artist John Keane, who was commissioned as IWM's 'official recorder' in the Gulf War.
Sabotaged oil wells fill the sky with black smoke as they burn in Kuwait, 1991
GLF 131
Over 600 oil wells were sabotaged by retreating Iraqi forces. Work to put the fires out lasted until November 1991. This photograph was taken by the artist John Keane, who was commissioned as IWM's 'official recorder' in the Gulf War.
photographs
Licensing
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On 2 August 1990 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, a tiny oil-producing state in the Persian Gulf.
The response of the international community was swift. The United Nations demanded Iraqi withdrawal, and imposed a trade embargo. A US-led coalition force of nearly one million made up of service personnel from 32 countries, including 53,457 from the United Kingdom, was assembled to expel the Iraqis should diplomacy fail.
The United Nations set a deadline of 15 January 1991 for Iraqi forces to leave Kuwait. This deadline was ignored and the air war began on 17 January with coalition aircraft flying over 100,000 sorties. Land operations started on 24 February and were successfully concluded in just five days.
Coalition forces lost 392 dead, including 47 British soldiers. Iraqi battle deaths were estimated at between 20,000 and 35,000, while over 3,000 civilians were killed in coalition air strikes.
Saddam Hussein remained in power in Iraq and subsequent sanctions left the country economically crippled and internationally isolated.