European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 b the stars and stripes sunday March 3,1991 a \ 4 in the gulf1st army div savaged guard. By the stars and stripes Southern Iraq a the 1st army div from ans Bach Germany destroyed 630 tanks and killed perhaps 10,000 iraqis in its lethal March against the Republican it probably was the most powerful armoured it Ujj we on the move in history a maj Gen. Ronald Griffith the commander of the 1st army div said Friday. The division had two soldiers killed and 36 wounded in its 89-hour Campaign across 250 Miles of iraqi desert. A people were suggesting our weapons were too High tech Griffith said. A but in a telling you the iraqi army is in ruins because of them and the soldiers who knew How to use the divisions troops were part of the huge Vii corps the Germany based command responsible for pushing North into Iraq then turning East to take on the Republican guard Saddam Hussein a elite Force. A we killed 630 tanks and Only lost four tanks and two Bradley. I done to think there is any doubt that we destroyed the Republican guard a the general said. Other officers in the command said the division also de stroked several Hundred trucks and 40 artillery pieces. A we have got Over 3,000 iraqi prisoners right now a Griffith. Said a i done to know How Many iraqis were killed a 7,000 to 10,000 if i had to make a wild by the time the cease fire was announced thursday on a Day like this there is nothing prettier than of a burning iraqi tank col James Fittl amp a the division was at the end of its Supply rope. Its rapid Advance had far outdistanced its fuel Supply line and Many Armor units were in danger of running out. In the decisive closing drive the 1st army div clashed with at least five iraqi divisions including a furious Battle wednesday afternoon against the Medina division of the Republican guard which sought to Block the american Advance As other iraqi units attempted to escape to the North and cast. It was More an annihilation than a Battle. Pinpoint air strikes combined with artillery and rocket fire pulverized the enemy. M1a1 tanks were then Able to destroy the enemy Armor while staying out of the Range of its guns a a a on a Day like this there is nothing prettier than the sight of a burning iraqi tank a said col. James Riley commander of the 1st brigade. Near a Road that marked the Battlefield s Center t-72 tanks and armoured personnel carriers Lay charred and broken pieces strewn for hundreds of Yards in explosions that sent flames .80 feet in the air. Trucks had run off the Road and Lay in battered heaps. Some had been ripped apart by tank rounds others had crashed in what must have been the terror and confusion of the five hour fight. V a a you re Superman a it. Eric Drake a 23-year-old platoon Leader from Wilsie w.vji., said of his Battle experiences a a you re invincible. You re piling into Battle and nothing can touch a to the North where the Clements of the xv11i airborne corps had also turned East to attack the Republican guard the scene was similar. A 20-mile Section of Highway 8, leading Northwest out of the City of Basra was transformed into a hellish death Road. Artillery rocket arid air strikes had created a lethal trap. Every few Hundred Yards was a charred or burning iraqi military vehicle. A few corpses Lay in the Sandy median strip. A Black dog sat still by one of the dead. Among the wreckage were civilian autos. A very sobering a said maj. John Batiste 38, of Jaf Frey n.h., who is with the 197th inf brigade. A you never want to kill civilians but in a War it Thi report a compiled by George Manes Middle East Bureau chief from Pentagon Media Pool reports iraqis say they never saw what hit them by Ron Jensen Middle East Bureau Riyadh saudi Arabia iraqi Field commanders heard them coming but never saw the attacking forces that blew apart their Armor prisoners have told . Interrogators. Time and again the prisoners have said the attack was too Swift unexpected and overpowering for them to respond a . Military official said saturday. That was the design not Only of this particular Battle plan but also of the equipment that performed it from the Apache helicopters to the i Al tanks to the Bradley fighting vehicles the official a said. A. 1 a a a i think that a one of the contributing factors to the suddenness of the Victory a lie said. A a it a a technology related thing but also Good training is in typical reports captured iraqi commanders Tell of having their tanks arrayed in a defensive position against the 3rd army div the official said in citing an example. A we could hear them coming but we Sec them a he quoted the iraqis As describing the Dawn attack feb 24. A we did no to Sec them before we had five catastrophic explosions amongst our pc hides. We never saw the Crews started bailing out of. The remaining tanks almost immediately the iraqi prisoners . Official said �?o1 can Tell you this. Apaches were engaging at up to five Kilometres about 3 Miles with hellfire missiles and even farther. That a the Way these attacks explaining further he said a we had apaches and a los going in and working tank units together using hell fires and meanwhile the no Las would Roll up to the Battle scene. A r a a. A. A a a a. A a a a they would Start engaging at 3,300 meters about 2 Miles. That is a Long tank shot a the official said. A i had Guys telling me a if you can see it you can kill and that was up to 4,000 meters about 2.5 Miles the iraqi tanks a mostly soviet made t-72s a have a Range of Only 2,000 meters about 1.2 mile she said. There were lessons Learned on the , he said even in a Short five Day engagement. Quot one of the amazing things we be discovered is that the 25mm Chain gun on the Bradley will kill a lot of tanks when it gets Side shots at it out to 1,000 meters about 0.6� mile s a he said. A especially if Quot you get it Between the tracks where the Armor is american tankers directed fire to specific targets they used night vision to their advantage attacking even in dust storms. They used laser Range finders to locate targets. They even fired accurately while rolling across the Sand at 30 Mph the official shoot in a telling you that a Why oui casualty rates we re so Low a he said. It will be a Long time before american officials arc Able to sort out which weapon killed we at on the Battlefield he said. A there is still just too much going or out there right now a he said. Troops on the Battlefield Are Busy Bur Ying dead iraqi soldiers and policing captured equipment to Start assessing that question he said. The official also responded to the re port that soviet military authorities a the inadequacies of iraqi soldiers not the shortcomings of the. Soviet equipment they used led to the shortened ground War. A a b a 1 them a the . Official said i d say the same Robert Buroker president of Estes industries holds one of the hot Selling patriots. By Peggy Lowe the associated press Penrose Colo. A while the dust of War settles in the Middle East one company is still turning out Patriot missiles at full tilt. But at $23.99 and less than two Teet Long these Little scud busters wont break the defense budget a or anything else threatening the peace. Estes industries a Model rocket manufacturer is Selling a toy version of the Patriot. Like the real Patriot s Success in the Gulf War sales of the miniature version Are soaring the company says. At 21 a inches the Estes Patriot is about one tenth the size of. The 17-foot defense missile and otherwise differs Only in a missing the computer in the Cone and the warhead said Estes marketing manager Mary Roberts. A hours is the scud uste without the Buster Quot she said. The toy missile is red Black and yellow with a White nose Cone containing a j2-Mch Parachute to float it Back Quot to the ground once the rocket reaches 600 feet. The Estes 1450 Patriot rocketry starter outfit Complete with launcher Remote ignition system and three solid propellant engines with electronic igniters has a suggested retail Price of $23.99. The Basic Patriot kit goes for $9.99. The 32-year-old company founded garage and now employing 200 be Sells the rockets in stores and the mail orders. _ it was the company a regular Custo said Sugge Seel a Pat Dot Model Rol 1 a people just love the idea i meat Ery body said Roberts Quot when place the order they re excited Abo and then after thinking about it the Back in a couple weeks and order to company officials keep sales and nov a of Grifs t0p secret but do re orders for thousands and thousand the miniature Patriot a fur Uker it predent and Gei manager of Estes regards real a missiles As real american a War Heroe. If anyone deserves a purple Hearl the Patriot missile a he said Estes which also makes kites an models of rockets used to make j missiles too but discontinued the about it years ago because of poor us Bome customers suggested sell ii scud with the Patriot Buroker said the company quickly quashed the Ide a it just did t seem like the thin do a he said
