European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday february 25, 1991 War in the Gulf a Quot it c wimm it Gyp a a up hot 4. L pm Mumm i iffy -�?�8 Siil it a a was a Media Pool Oil Field blazes members of the Marine 2nd div positioned near the saudi kuwaiti Border watch tires in a kuwaiti Oil Field saturday. The fires were seen As an attempt to obscure the expert predicts Battlefield from attacking Allied warplanes a and possibly to carry out a a scorched Earth strategy if Iraq were forced to withdraw Allied military officers said. London up a a coalition Pir land and sea assault on iraqi occupied Kuwait might need just two Days to break the Back of iraqi resistance and As Little As 10 Days to mop up a British military expert predicted sunday. A from what we be heard the War could take two Days with about 10 Days to mop up a said Paul Beaver the publisher of Jane a defence weekly Jane a defence weekly is a leading International journal of military analysis. A. Beaver said the Allied ground Offin Sivc begun in the Early hours sunday had thrust 25 Miles into iraqi occupied Kuwait in its first six hours. He stressed that due to a news blackout imposed by Allied military commanders information about the current state of the assault remained sketchy. A what the situation is now we really Don t know but the allies seem to be meeting just big la resistance a said  Success and length of the operation depended on Allied War Aims Beaver said. A from what we be heard the War could take two Days with about 10 Days to mop Upa Janesz defense weekly publisher Paul Beaver a the allies have said they intend to see that United nations7 Resolution 678 is met calling for the expulsion of All iraqi occupiers a said Beaver. Lie said the resistance of Iraq to the Allied offensive would increase if Allied Aims switched to a major thrusting operation into Iraq itself. A but he warned that the Best Laid plans could be fouled up. A in War All plans go out the window a said Beaver. A the coalition has a wide variety of systems and operational techniques at its disposal. All indications seem to be that they Are making use of allot them so far a said Beaver indicating the vast scale of the offensive. He said the allies were using air strikes artillery and naval bombardment of Southern Kuwait to continue to soften the Battleground for advancing troops. Amphibious forces and air Mobile Cav airy units were engaging in combat along Kuwait a Eastern coast Beaver said. A the air Mobile units Are particularly effective As they can pack All their gear with them when they go in As opposed to the paratroops who travel very lightly a said Beaver. Air Mobile units include the . 101st Cav brigade fancied for its involvement in the 19th-Century Indian wars in the american West said Beaver. Helicopters have replaced traditional horses he added. Armoured Battle groups composed of Lank battalions and infantry units were advancing on Kuwait a East coast Road and had engaged in Battle at the Crossroads of Zafra an agricultural Center in South Central Kuwait said Beaver. He said heavy smoke from Oil fires burning in Kuwait would prove More of a hindrance than a serious obstacle to Allied military  the Oil fires will have no real effect the Only problem comes with air systems requiring visual illumination  As lasers a visual fix before setting the laser system. But most infrared systems can Cope with it a said Beaver. Allied pilots have reported Little Dit i culty with the smoke saying they can see no military reason for setting the fires. At an official press briefing in Riyadh Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf commander of operation desert storm said . Marines army paratroopers army air assault forces and army special forces along with French and Arab forces had met with dramatic Success. He said All had already reached first Day objectives. Those left in rear cheered by news of land War by the stars and stripes saudi Arabia a the Dawn broke Gray and ugly on the first Day of the ground War but it  dilute the general Good spirits of Many americans assigned in the Region. The depressing morning sky was caused by the Odd mixture of fog and the Black smoke Drifting Down from the burning kuwaiti Oil. Fields. The enthusiasm stemmed from news that the land assault had begun. A a it a about damned time Quot said an american Soldier with a rear Echelon. Supply unit on the persian Gulf. A i w ish i was up there so i could really  like americans at Home . Forces at an air ase in Eastern saudi Arabia initially knew Little about the offensive launched Early sunday by the allies. A i done to know winds happening but in a sure its ugly a said airman 1st class Josh Glover. A not knowing makes everyone pretty excited and pretty  the native of Charleston s.c., arrived from the United states Only hours before the Start of the Allied ground War against iraqi forces in Kuwait. At the air base troops huddled around a television and solemnly approved when Bush announced the ground War was under  yeah that a Good a said army staff sgt. Steven Parker of Benson . A a we la do to Saddam Hussein what he did to the kuwaiti  the talk immediately turned to speculation on possible Allied ground sea and air tactics. But with no television footage available and the news blackout the Rumor Mill began working overtime a a in a sure we re hitting them from All sides and in a sure its massive Quot said air Force staff sgt. John Harrison of Defuniak Springs Fla Quot we re All curious but we re All just  Parker said the launching of the ground War made him eager to. Get Back to his unit near the front. T a a in be got a real Nice Sharp Bayonet that s been ready since january a Parker said. A i wish i had been there when it All  an american Captain with the .  said initial news reports were encouraging. Quot we seem to be moving pretty Quick a said the Captain who asked not to be identified. He said the troops have a lot of a Confidence in Gen h. Norman Schwarzkopf and his Central come staff. A they had a plan and they stuck to it Quot the Captain said. �?o1 think we re doing the right  for a group of kuwaiti students now living in Riyadh the ground War Means that liberation of their Homeland is one step closer a we Are very Happy about the ground forces starting really. We support the United states and the allies a said a 25-year-old kuwaiti. He does t expect to be Able to return Home to Kuwait City for six months because of the destruction and  the iraqis May leave behind he said. Each of the students expressed Confidence that the new Kuwait will be a More democratic society than the old one As the government in exile has promised. A this War is not for Oil a one said. Quot its about abuse of a  compiled by reports from staff writers Joseph Owen and Ron Jensen and Pentagon Media pools