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| Iraq |
| A blitz like no other |
| 2003-03-14 |
| A HUNDRED RAF warplanes will spearhead an unprecedented blitz on Iraq in the first hours of war - paving the way for the ground invasion. Our brave fliers will take part in the biggest British air armada since the Suez crisis half a century ago to unleash havoc on Saddam. They will play a key role beside US and Aussie pilots in devastating Iraq’s military with the most up-to-date "smart" weapons ever used in battle. Last night a senior British officer at Qatar, the Allies’ nerve centre, said: "Nothing like this has ever been seen before.The firepower we possess and our ability to achieve pinpoint accuracy is truly devastating to the enemy. Everyone is ready to go. We are there." In the first seconds of war, two Royal Navy T-class submarines will fire Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Persian Gulf. More £1million Tomahawks will be launched from American B2 Stealth Bombers, B52s and US Navy warships. The US is moving B2s and a dozen more missile-firing warships to the region, defence officials said yesterday. The planes began flying out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Wednesday night. And the US navy plans to move about a dozen cruisers and destroyers from the eastern Mediterranean to the Gulf. After the initial assault, 44 RAF Tornado GR4 bombers armed with Storm Shadow missiles and Paveway III "smart bombs" will take off. They will join with US F15 Eagles, F117 Nighthawk stealth fighters, Predators, Prowlers and Australian Hornets to form 60-strong aircraft "packages". Each will launch waves of state-of-the-art missiles up to 200 miles from targets, knowing they will be accurate within 2ft. RAF Harrier GR7s armed with Maverick missiles and Jaguar GR3s will also take part in the opening salvos, while fuel-carrying VC10s and Tristars will act as airborne filling stations. Top brass are determined to render Iraq helpless in the opening hours of the war. US planes will blind Saddam’s command bunkers by knocking out the electricity grid with secret Blackout Bombs. These are packed with tiny bomblets containing carbon filaments which short-circuit power cables. Power stations will be hit with Microwave Bombs, which create huge electrical jolts. Iraq’s pitiful air force of just a few dozen working planes has already fled and Scud and SAM surface-to-air missiles will be targeted with the opening shots. Elite British SAS and SBS teams have been behind enemy lines for weeks pinpointing Scud sites for air strikes. Last night it was confirmed 25,000 British combat troops have now been moved to their "tactical assembly areas". As the ground invasion starts Saddam’s soldiers will be hit by wave after wave of air assaults, in the hope they will quickly surrender by the thousand. Royal Marine Commandos and elements of the US 82nd Airborne Division will be helicoptered in to take the al-Faw oil refineries south of Basra. Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade will race ahead to seize strategic objectives.Then the 7th Armoured Brigade - the famed Desert Rats - will pour across the border. Its units include the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Royal Irish Regiment, Royal Fusiliers and Queen’s Dragoon Guards. They will form up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment with its 116 Challenger II battle tanks and 150 Warrior armoured personnel carriers. More than 100,000 US soldiers will also roll forward in an unstoppable drive for Baghdad. The capital could easily be reached within a week. But there are fears Saddam’s Republican Guard will make a bloody last stand in its streets. The fanatics may vow to fight among the closely-packed homes, many interlinked by a warren of cellars and alleys. The Sun’s military adviser Major General Ken Perkins said: "If the Guard do make a stand they have an advantage. They know the escape routes, the dead-ends and the best places to spring ambushes." On the other hand, Maj Gen Perkins said, the attackers would have superior firepower. Rumours are rife in Baghdad that any civilians stepping outside during street fighting will be shot by their OWN side. And suicide squads are said to be in training - ready to die attacking Allied soldiers with canisters of deadly chemicals. Baghdad driver Mohammed Salman said: "Yes, we are in fear. But we trust in God that when the bombs come they do not land on our homes." |
| Posted by:Yosemite Sam |
| #4 As of this week, Blixie IS the main source of global warming. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-14 12:42:20 |
| #3 Well, Blixie IS more concerned w/global warming than war. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-14 12:32:33 |
| #2 Hot damn! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-03-14 10:59:01 |
| #1 A HUNDRED RAF warplanes will spearhead an unprecedented blitz on Iraq in the first hours of war As soon as we get UN approval two months from now. |
| Posted by: g wiz 2003-03-14 10:40:53 |