It appears as though America's overwhelming victory functioning Desert Storm happened centuries ago. The planet was certainly another place when Bottom invaded his small, but wealthy, neighbor. Take the time to keep in mind to that The month of january day. Where had you been? Looking for a war forum? Visit our website today and join the biggest war forum on the internet.

I had been employed by a significant aerospace corporation at that time as well as on 16th of The month of january, I used to be sent completely across the nation to La. I would make an essential presentation to the customer within the Air Force on Monday, 17 The month of january.

I showed up at Poor in the center of the mid-day. I collected my luggage and rose aboard the rental vehicle shuttle. Following a short drive, I had been delivered inside my vehicle. Understanding that America was not far from likely to war, I switched around the radio to obtain the latest news.

Planes were within the air. The war had began.

This is the storyline from the opening moments of Operation Desert Storm. It's been excerpted from "The Gulf War Chronicles" that is available through all online booksellers and may also be purchased at the local book shop.

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Before night time around the 16th of The month of january 1991, the wheels have been put in place which are more devastating air attack ever. Ships transporting Tomahawk missiles were within their assigned launch positions. E-3 Sentry, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft were flying in four surveillance racetracks just south from the Saudi/Iraqi border. A hundred 80 tankers were orbiting south from the AWACS, just from selection of the Iraqi early warning radar. Fixed wing and rotary aircraft appeared to be prepared for fight.

The staggering firepower from the U . s . States Military have been introduced to deal with around the northern Saudi Arabian border in a little over five several weeks. The Marines were concentrated across the Persian Gulf and thinly spread across the Kuwaiti border in small, fast paced screening units. These Marines were mounted in High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and lightweight Armored Vehicles (LAVs).

The forward units were deployed to signal advance warning of Iraqi offensive thrusts into Saudi Arabia. Farther towards the south, the rest of the American force was positioned for counterattacks on evolving Iraqis or massed around forward supply and air bases. Every airfield within striking distance of Iraq and Kuwait was crammed filled with Allied aircraft. Six Navy Aircraft carriers ringed Iraq at a negative balance Ocean and Persian Gulf. Countless aircraft from America's newest F-117A Nighthawks, towards the venerable B-52 Stratofortresses, appeared to be prepared for war. The airfields were so crowded that there wasn't any room for that B-52s. They'd fly their first missions from their bases in The country, Diego Garcia, as well as Louisiana.

The biggest logistic chain ever extended from Saudi Arabia and also the Persian Gulf completely to both coasts from the U . s . States. Supplies and extra heavy armor units in the U . s . States and Europe ongoing to pour directly into Saudi Arabia. The hammer was cocked, there have been models within the chamber and also the trigger had been squeezed.

The month of january 17th heralded the culmination of many years of acquisitions of high-tech systems and shaping the earth's largest all-volunteer military several weeks of deployments, planning, and "sharpening the sword" days of diplomacy and times of tension. The U.S. was intending to fight a four-dimensional "Air-Land Fight" the very first time. It had been to become orchestrated inside a precise time sequence. The Iraqis, however, were getting ready to fight a 2 dimensional war of attrition. They'd no idea of air brilliance, timing or tempo. The Coalition would fight World War III as the Iraqis would fight World War I.

At 0001 around the 17th, two-dozen F-117 Stealth fighters in the 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron began removing from the secret airbase located deep within the mountain tops of Saudi Arabia. These ultra-hi-tech aircraft would lead the manned air assault deep into Iraq. Inside an hour, over 3 hundred additional attack aircraft started removing from aircraft carriers and airbases all around the Persian Gulf. These attack aircraft were refueled and stacked up south from the Saudi border like jets on method of O'Hare airport terminal on the snowy Christmas Eve.

At exactly 0140 the USS Wisconsin began launching Tomahawk Cruise missiles to participate other Tomahawks being launched in the USS San Jacinto at a negative balance Ocean. Tomahawk missiles will be the first to enter Iraqi airspace, flying individually distinct and racing toward their targets in an altitude of fifty to 1 hundred ft over the terrain.

Meanwhile, in a remote base in Western Saudi Arabia, two groups of Apache and Pave Low helicopters required off at roughly 0100. The 101st Airborne Apaches were heavily armed. Each team were built with a 20th Special Operations Squadron Pave Low helicopter which provided Gps navigation navigation, additional Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) and save capacity. This small but deadly force, commanded by Army Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cody, was code named TASK FORCE NORMANDY in recognition from the "Screaming Eagles'" spearhead operations nearly one half century earlier behind in france they beaches.

At 0215, the 2 groups of TASK FORCE NORMANDY entered the border. Their objectives were two Early Warning RADAR facilities in Western Iraq. The Apaches from the first Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment raced over the border, acquired their targets, locked up with their lasers and advanced around the objectives 'low and slow'. All the lights both in facilities were on, suggesting the Apaches' approach was not detected.

Once the Apaches came within range they ripple-launched their Hellfire missiles. At exactly 0238, the very first missile struck its target "just like a thunderbolt in the skies." Several missiles bumped out the facilities' electrical power generators. The Apaches (firing twenty-seven Hellfire missiles) destroyed radar antennas, operations centers, generators, and barracks. All the missiles hit their targets. Once the Apaches ran from Hellfire missiles, they raked the region with rockets and a large number of models of 30-mm cannon fire. Both facilities were disabled within a few seconds and completely destroyed in under four minutes!

Eight U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles streaked into Iraq behind TASK FORCE NORMANDY and destroyed the neighborhood air defense command and control center. These 3 attacks produced a twenty-mile wide blackened radar corridor for the attack planes to go in Iraq.

In a few minutes, F-117s in the 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron bombed a radar control center a hundred 60 miles southwest of Baghdad, a radar facility in western Iraq, as well as an air defense site outdoors Baghdad extending the corridor much deeper into Iraq. Swarms of waiting attack aircraft then taken north with the corridor and fanned out toward their targets. EF-111 Ravens, EA-6B Prowlers, and EC-130 Compass Call Aircraft brought the charge during the night sky. These electronic marvels from the night bombarded Iraq's surveillance and communications equipment with vast amounts of electrons. The Compass Call aircraft attacked the communications airwaves, disrupting military radio traffic. The Ravens and Prowlers targeted surveillance and air defense radars. F-14 Tomcats and F-15C Eagles raced into Iraq for their assigned Combat Air Patrol (CAP) areas. Their mission ended up being to fly cover the Allied planes and interact any approaching Iraqi aircraft.

Air Force Captain Steve Tate contacted Baghdad in the F-15C, together with his four wingmen right before 0300. Their assigned CAP area was over Baghdad and increasing 60 miles towards the east from the city.

Captain Tate were built with a bird's eye view for that opening moments from the war. "Baghdad would be a really pretty city that night. Once we began flying within the populous areas,... F-117s began shedding their bombs therefore we began getting concussions all around the entire country. You can view it. At that time then, heaven began illuminating with AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery)... It appeared as if little sparkles sounding throughout... I believed we'd some type of cosmic weapon system available just sprinkling all around the city... I Then began searching just a little closer and that i stated, man-that's triple-A that they are shooting." Soon after 0300, Captain Tate was alerted towards the approach of the Iraqi fighter by an AWACS controller. He maneuvered his plane into attack position. At 0315 he shot lower an Iraqi F1 Mirage having a single radar-led Sparrow missile. It was the very first air-to-air kill from the war and something of nine Iraqi aircraft to become shot lower around the first night.

Before the Gulf War, Baghdad was thought to have experienced probably the most formidable air defense systems on the planet. The Iraqi air defenses over Baghdad were poised to have an American attack. Russian ZSU23-4 radar-led Anti-Aircraft-Artillery "AAA" guns were trained at altitudes below nine 1000 ft. Between nine and twenty 1000 ft, 57-mm and 85-mm flak could blanket the town with deadly, red-orange fireballs. Surface-to-air missiles "SAMs" were deployed to strike aircraft at greater altitudes. A built-in Air Defense System that contains an interconnected, nationwide network of RADARs and Command and Control centers directed many of these weapons. To be able to penetrate these defenses, the Allied air strategy was, first, to blind the Iraqis by knocking out their surveillance radars using "invisible" F-117A Stealth fighters, Apache attack helicopters, and occasional-flying Tomahawk missiles. Next, they planned to disrupt any remaining radars using the high-tech ECM abilities of Ravens and Prowlers. Finally, they'd attack from high altitudes using the remaining aircraft. Each strike package was supported by F-4G Wild Weasels to eliminate any Mike and AAA radars that will illuminate the attack aircraft. Many, if not completely, from the American attack aircraft transported their very own ECM pods for further protection. One pilot reported that whenever a Mike premiered against his aircraft, he immediately activated his ECM and also the Mike "went stupid," roaring off harmlessly in to the night. For an additional way of measuring safety, all attacks on Downtown Baghdad were restricted to the "invisible" F-117s and unmanned Tomahawk missiles.

Iraqi surveillance radars which were not destroyed within the opening moments from the assault either "whited-out" or displayed numerous phantom targets. The Iraqis understood these were under attack but they didn't know that direction. These were made to activate their AAA and Mike radars. Nature Weasels immediately locked-on and launched High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARMs). The Iraqis learned rapidly that, when they activated their Mike radars these were signing their very own dying warrants. The Mike suppression effort am effective around the first night that through out the war not just one medium or thin air Mike was fired under RADAR control. Your best option left towards the Iraqis ended up being to fire blindly in to the night sky, wishing the lots of of undirected fire would hit something. Visit our army forum for more information and to join 100's of daily discussions.

So we all were glued to CNN for the majority of the night as Iraqi gunners filled the Baghdad sky with streams of glowing tracers as well as an periodic Mike rocket plume.

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