European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 2, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 b the stars and stripes saturday March 2, 1991 in the Gulf a a a a. A a a a. A a a �j8gaaaij�aagiareabitssaxsmia. A a a. A. 1 iraqi dead wounded in 6-week War could be up to 150,000, experts say _ _ _. _ a Quot a a by John ii. Cushman or. The new York times Washington. Military experts said thursday that up to 150,000 iraqi soldiers were killed or wounded during the six week War in the persian Gulf with up to 50,000 of those killed. These same experts said the exact number of iraqi soldiers killed in the War Likely will never be known. Some estimates put the number of iraqi deaths even higher. And some contend it is lower. By contrast the allies had what Pratti tally everyone agreed was an extraordinarily Low death total including 79 americans killed in combat. Although the Pentagon has steadfastly refused to say How Many iraqis were being killed As the War progressed a so Nior White House official said that president Bush on thursday ordered Gen. Colin a Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to make an estimate. Any such rally will Lake time As the military sifts through the nearly deserted but still dangerous iraqi trenches and buries the dead. For Iraq which suffered 150,000 to 340,000 killed in its 8-year War with the deaths of so Many men in six weeks is another painful blow. But military experts said that even that bloody rout might have been far worse. Many iraqi soldiers saved their lives by swiftly abandoning their tanks and guns in the last week they said. _ the Speed of the iraqi collapse helped keep Allied casualties in the Low hundreds. Quot among those killed since the offensive began on Jan 17 were the 79 americans who died in combat a 23 before the Start of the ground offensive a week ago 28 during the final push and 28 killed when a scud missile struck a Barracks in saudi Arabia. Fifteen British soldiers and 44 saudis were killed in  of Allied troops Are listed As missing or captured. About 58,000 americans died in Viet a 5th medical army surgical Hospital team treats a wounded iraqi prisoner of War on wednesday in Northern saudi Arabia. Nam 47,000 of them killed in action. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz the saudi ambassador to the United states and son of the saudi defense minister said that his country a military estimated that 85,000 to 100,000 enemy combatants were killed or wounded. Rep. Les Aspin a wis chairman of the House armed services committee said he believed that at least 65,000 were kilted although he had no official information to support that figure. Retired col. Trevor Dupuy a military historian who specializes in estimating casualties said the total number of iraqis killed and wounded was probably Between 100,000 and 150,000, with a Quarter to a third of the total killed. Kenneth Brower a Pentagon consultant and International research fellow at Sandhurst the British military school estimated that 12,000 to 20,000 iraqi soldiers had been killed during the bombardment that preceded the ground offensive. Thousands of civilians have probably also been killed in Iraq and in Kuwait. The observer Mission of the International committee of the red Cross at the United nations said it had no estimates. The red Cross maintains a Small Mission in Baghdad but its members have not been Able to travel outside the City. A red Cross team is to arrive in Kuwait City soon. Another View came from Gen. H. Nor Man Schwarzkopf the Allied commander who said wednesday of the iraqi troops who manned the front lines in Southern Kuwait and absorbed the Brunt of Allied air strikes and then the ground assault. A a there a a very Large number of dead in these units a very very Large number a of dead a he said. He was asked if there Ever would be an accounting. A no there will never be an exact count a the general added. A probably in the Days to come you re going to hear Many Many stories either overinflated or under inflated depending upon who you hear them from Quot he said a the people who will know Best unfortunately Are the families that wont be their loved ones come  iraqi army was tired of War Washington apr it was the fourth largest army in the world. Battle hardened from eight years of War. Ready to make Allied blood flow. A this is a very formidable Force Quot a defense Secretary Dick Cheney said of iraqis army in August. So what happened Saddam Hussein a army blundered to defeat because it was badly used by its commander in chief say Mili tary analysts. And it was crushed by a brilliantly implemented Allied Battle plan say Pentagon officials. Instead of Battle hardened the iraqi army was Battle weary. It was big but much of it was poorly trained. Saddam mobilized 40 divisions of reservists late last year. A. A. W a a Cannon fodder. The Talent Pool was too thin a said Kenneth Brower of Britain s Sandhurst Royal military Academy. Saddam a men were ordered to fight the same Way they had in the War against Iran hunkered Down. A they did no to read our Book a said a Pentagon source. A we knew More about them than they knew about  the iraqi army a a underperformed because the allies played a your strengths against their weaknesses a said the source. The allies blew apart soviet designed t-72 tanks used by the Republican guard. A in the right hands its a Good weapon a Marvin Feuerwerger of the Washington Institute for near East policy said of the t-72. Even iraqis preparations for a straight ahead slug it out attack weren tas Complete As they should have been said retired army col. Michael Stupka. The defensive line that . Marines and others penetrated was a mile or so deep potentially dangerous but not insurmountable. Iraqi engineers should have built a defense that was five or six Miles deep Stupka said. No Hail of Long Range artillery fire rained Down on Allied troops when they breached enemy lines the air. War waged by the allies had much to do with the collapse. Based on their performance against Iran iraqi troops a seemed capable of taking a pounding Quot said Stephen Glick a defense consultant who specializes in the , a i had no idea they would fall apart and i  the Pentagon did either Quot he added. . Planes knocked out radar and. Surface to air. Missile systems. The command and control centers came next. The iraqis managed to fire just two silkworm anti ship missiles. One missed. The other was destroyed. A a _. A perhaps most devastating to the iraqi military was _ Saddam a tight rein on his generals. He purged or killed officers whose loyalty was suspect and allowed few to go overseas for training. Saddam a attitude closely parallels soviet Leader Josef Stalin Spurge of his military in the 1930s, an act that a almost Cost the russians the Eastern front in world War ii a said Stupka. The Lack of chemical weapons is the most puzzling aspect of the ground War. The allies May have passed the word through diplomatic channels that they would respond in kind or with nuclear weapons if Iraq used chemicals said Stupka. Perhaps Saddam kept a close rein on his chemical stocks and they were bombed by the allies before they could be distributed at the front lines said Glick. _