Operation Desert Storm: Bush Announces Ground War

President Bush announces the start of the ground war in Kuwait, and why it was necessary. This video comes from one of my VHS tapes of the 1991 gulf war.



Desert Storm: The Land War

By 24 February 1991, airpower had weakened Iraq's land forces in Kuwait to the point where the UN commander, General Schwarzkopf, felt ready to launch a land offensive. Early that morning, UN land forces attacked along a broad front from the Persian Gulf to Rafha on the Iraqi‐Saudi border. This attack had two principal thrusts: a massive, highly mobile "left hook" around and through Iraqi positions to the west of Kuwait to envelop the elite Republican Guard; and a thrust straight through Iraq's defenses along the Kuwaiti border designed to fix the forward Iraqi divisions.

The "left hook" was carried out by a mix of U.S., British, and French armored and airborne forces. The armored VII Corps deployed four armored divisions, one of them British, for the main thrust. Its western flank was protected by the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, composed of three U.S. divisions—the 82nd Airborne, the 101st Air Mobile, and the 24th Infantry (Mechanized)—and the French 6th Light Armored Division. They advanced toward the Iraqi cities of Salman, west of Kuwait, and Nasiriya on the Euphrates River, and attacked in an arc to the northeast toward the main routes of communication leading north from Kuwait toward Basra in Iraq. French forces led the attack toward the Iraqi lines of communication along the Euphrates. U.S. armored, mechanized, and attack helicopter forces advanced rapidly toward Basra in the leading edge of the "left hook." British forces guarded the U.S. flank and attacked to the northeast across the gorge of al‐Batin along the Iraqi‐Kuwaiti border.

The other thrust—directly north through the Iraqi positions along the Kuwaiti border—was carried out by the I Marine Expeditionary Force, and an all‐Arab corps composed primarily of the Saudi Army and Egyptian units. These forces rapidly penetrated Iraq's forward defenses and advanced so swiftly that Iraq's shattered ground forces in Kuwait could only launch scattered counterattacks. As a result, the allies rushed toward Kuwait City, Wafrah, and Jahrah.

Though some Iraqi Republican Guard units fought well, the bulk of Iraq's army consisted of poorly trained conscripts with low morale and little motivation. Many Iraqi troops fled after putting up only brief resistance and others were taken prisoner. As a result, UN forces reached their major objectives in Kuwait in half the time originally planned. At the same time, the Coalition continued its air attacks, dropping a total of 88,500 tons of ordnance. U.S. and British air units used 6,520 tons of precision‐guided weapons and destroyed or damaged 54 bridges. These attacks helped to end the war by cutting off Iraqi land forces from the roads along the Tigris River north of Basra, although UN forces did not have time to encircle fully or cut off all Iraqi forces, or to use airpower to destroy the retreating Iraqi forces around Basra.

By 26 February, Coalition land forces were in Kuwait City, and U.S. forces had advanced to positions in Iraq to the south of Nasiriya. Many of these advances had taken place at night and all occurred in spite of major rainfalls, substantial amounts of mud, and weather problems hampering the ability to provide air support. These advances effectively ended the war.

Baghdad radio announced on 26 February that all Iraqi forces would withdraw from Kuwait in compliance with UN Resolution 660. A day later, President Bush declared that the United States would halt military operations early in the morning of 28 February, a week after the land offensive had begun. A cease‐fire was negotiated on 3 March and formally signed on 6 April. IRAQ AGREED TO ABIDE BY ALL THE U.N. RESOLUTIONS.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• 1991
• desert
• storm
• war
• bush
• kuwait
• iraq
• ground
• retreat
• attack
• president
• first
• gulf
• iran
• republican
• guard
• tanks
• fight

[averbakh01]

Meanwhile Junior was out doing lines and laying pipe.

[jbranstetter04]

@averbakh01 At least he was a hard worker. A few years ago I dug trenches and laid pipe. It was hard work.

[Mrpastry909]

W could've learned some prudence from his father. We did the right thing in 1991 and Bush sr. was smart to realize that a (thoroughly beaten) stable enemy country can be better than a stronger, unstable ally.

[jbranstetter04]

@Mrpastry909 There is a lot of truth in what you wrote. As they were ejected from Kuwait, we exterminated them just enough to teach them a lesson, but not so much as to destroy their military to the point of Iran having the advantage in the region. Although I do think that we destroyed their forces a little too much, but how could we help it, they were such cruel and sadistic occupiers. To have destroyed every last one of them would have been justice in the eyes of many.

[CabronDioz]

I think there is bestowed on our elected officials a general sense of 'urgency', when they are in office. This brings most of them to prefer action to inaction. Given the relative short duration of being in office, they scramble to make do to the best of their ability. Yet they are constrained by time, which is the most valuable resource.

I am, as are most, quick to judge people like president Bush, but when you think about it, it's a very difficult job, with lots of inherent uncertainty.

[jbranstetter04]

@CabronDioz What is it with people like you, always reasoning everything out? Why don't you just fly off the handle and call him names like most do? They only have so much time, they do their best to their ability, they try really hard, they are only human. You act like they are real people? Is that your contention?

[Farf90]

It's nice to look back into history and learn that our presidents and politicians were  corrupt murderers just like today... Good times...

[Ciaresayton]

Three months BEFORE Iraq invaded Kuwait, George Herbert Walker "poppy" Bush's press secretary said 3 times that the invasion was not in the interest of the US to get involved.

[naym2011]

@UsernameHasBeenLost @DarkPrinceNH5570

saddam was no different to any world leader, countries have wars over disputed land all the time

the un iraq sanctions killed 1 million iraqi children

the un is just an american puppet is today but even more so in the 1990 when the soviets where in collapse mode

the 34 nations where all bribed to join

[naym2011]

iraq never invaded, kuwait...it only invaded the disputed oil fields

because kuwait had not paid iraq on money iraq had been promised

the US ambasaddor gave saddam the green light to invade

[UsernameHasBeenLost]

And Operation Desert Storm kicked off on 1/16/91, not the 17th. Get your facts straight.

[UsernameHasBeenLost]

@DarkPrinceNH5570 Iraq invaded Kuwait because the price of oil dropped and Saddam thought that "the oil quota violators have stabbed Iraq with a poison dagger".There were 34 countries in the coalition force that attacked Iraq. The UN placed sanctions on Iraq for 5 months with little effect. Iraq was given 6 weeks to comply with the UN proposal and failed to meet it.

Please explain what you are trying to say, all I've gotten out of your comments is a disjointed rant about nothing in particular.

[martymcfett]

Awesome! No teleprompter.

[DarkPrinceNH5570]

No the drama wasnt due to women okay. Maybe it could be!!!

Maybe alls Sadaam needed was a decent... white... amerikan... woman!!!

Ya... theres WW3 right there. Im all for that.

[DarkPrinceNH5570]

What was Sadaam doing? That bad? I wasnt there to hear the whole drama thing in person. Not going to comment about this but I guess this worked?

Sometimes, you have to see the entire "PLAY" of what was going on before the invasion happened before you can say something. In other words there was drama going on?

lol look at the battle of Troy!!! Theres some DRAMA right there. WHO THE FUCK GOT MAD? God I hate this.

[DarkPrinceNH5570]

This "ASSAULT" was commanded by UN? It was UN that came together on this that got this going?

Figures... anyways... just trying to think of something else. Not surprised.