European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 24, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3 in the gulf3 factors cited for Swift Victory in Gulf by Meridith Winder . Bureau in the months leading up to the persian Gulf War Many defense experts thought iraqis armed forces of 1.5 million men were a Tough Well trained lot capable of inflicting thousands of casualties on coalition armies. Others scoffed at the idea that Saddam Hussein a forces were so formidable. Once the shooting began the latter group saw its views confirmed As the coalition s overwhelming firepower whittled the iraqi military to pitiful proportions. Now that the weapons Are silent again experts from both Camps Are analysing what led to iraqis downfall. Three conclusions have emerged a the destructive Power of the allies air forces was not considered in prewar analysis of a potential War. A the iraqis leadership and communications broke Down. A the iraqis Overall strategy was flawed. During the massive air Campaign the Allied air forces flew nearly 80,000 sorties. At first Allied aircraft concentrated on controlling the air Over Iraq by targeting airfields the command and control Structure and iraqi radar systems. They also blasted the iraqi air Force whenever it tried to intercept the attacking aircraft. After mastering the air Allied air forces destroyed missile storage bunkers Mobile and fixed scud missile Sites production facilities for chemical weapons and the Overall command and control network. Toward the end of the air Campaign coalition air Power was entered on iraqi troop emplacements and Supply lines. Expert from both sides of the debate agreed that the Allied bombing Campaign played a crucial role in softening the iraqis before the ground offensive. A the bombing Campaign not Only proved to be morale breaking but it devastated the command and control Structure a said Philip Towle Deputy director of Cambridge University Scenter for International studies and one of those who never thought much of Saddam s forces. Francis Tusa the armed forces journal european editor said that the iraqis were caught by Surprise when the bombing Campaign started. He had expected the iraqis to be a formidable foe. This miscalculation was one of several areas where iraqis leadership broke Down experts said. A either they misread their own information or they actually believed the propaganda they were putting out a Tusa said. A fall the signs were there. They probably just did no to understand How americans  another leadership problem involved the Way Iraq treated its troops. A Many of the soldiers on the front line were ill trained and had received no instructions on How they were to fight the allies a Towle said. Andrew Duncan who also thought the iraqis were weak from the Start agreed with this assessment. A they were a pretty dispirited lot a said Duncan a member of London a Intima tonal Institute of strategic studies. A Many of the iraqi forces were sent from the iranian Border where they lived in ill equipped bunkers to the kuwaiti and Southern iraqi Border under even More uncomfortable  Duncan said that officers and the elite Republic guard were Well fed and equipped and had limited entertainment to keep up their morale. A but the average Soldier had nothing a he said. A they received Little food their living conditions were cramped and much of their equipment was  Paul Rogers a defense analyst at the University of Bradford England said iraqi leadership made a number of other bound Ere they failed to appreciate the effect of the air assault on their forces and when Saddam Hussein grounded his air Force to protect it or sent it to Iran for safekeeping the iraqis had no Aerial reconnaissance capability. Rogers who had expected Iraq to be stronger said he Felt that since the allies had air superiority and had devastated the iraqis communication network the iraqis were operating nearly Blind. I divid Saddam Hussein s postwar Force Saddam Hussein a forces were Cut to pieces during the persian Gulf War. Here s a look at Iraq s prewar might and postwar losses. Prewar army. 5,500 tanks. 3,000 towed artillery pieces air Force 16 bombers 360 ground attack fighters 275 fighters Navy 38 patrol and coastal Craft 23 seized after the invasion postwar s \ a n s s. Army \ 3,500 to 4,000 tanks destroyed or captured about 2,000 wrecked or captured pieces. Air forces vex w v ult a 36 planes destroyed in Aerial combat 147 top fighters and transport aircraft sent to Iran unknown number of aircraft destroyed Navy virtually destroyed Sass source Jane a information group Ual iraqi units had to rely on strictly what they could see in front of them. They even had trouble communicating with other units close by. Since the iraqis had no idea of the positions or movements of coalition forces they could be fooled into thinking something else was happening when it really Wasny to. For instance the iraqis fell for the coalitions amphibious Bluff. In order to get the iraqis to think that an attack was going to take place from the sea . Marines practice amphibious landings. As the time for the ground War approached Allied commanders had 31 ships swing into position As if they were preparing for an assault. Two . Battleships joined the Effort by pounding iraqi positions with 16-Inch guns. In response the majority of iraqi artillery and tanks were facing the wrong Way when the ground offensive started. A. A a a a a a a v Towle attributed the ease of the operation to the faulty tactics the iraqis used. A the iraqis were operating in a de. Aps amps Sharon Kilday pensive Mode almost from the Start of the conflict Quot Towle said. The experts explained that Iraq was trying to use tactics similar to those that it used against Iran. The iraqis used Static defences along the saudi Kuwait Border concentrating on building forts digging bunkers sowing minefields piling up barricades and filling trenches with Oil. Allied forces were supposed to be led or driven into these areas where concentrated artillery fire could do the rest. But the Allied forces did no to play along and were Able to easily outflank contain and destroy the iraqi forces. Tusa said the mistakes of the iraqi leadership extended to the Central question of the conflict would the americans actually fight a they did no to think the . Would fight a he said. A they thought a lot of what the americans said was strictly Bluff. They were banking on the West not wanting to go to War. This was a serious  contributing to this report staff writer Janet Howelle Tierney in Wash Langton desert dispatches people with a lot of time on their hands can think of some pretty wild things to do. Take the great pita bread Experiment. In Northern saudi Arabia three soldiers were sitting in a Small army tent recently trying to determine just How Long it is possible to play Frisbee with the round bedouin Staple. Tossing the Flat bread Back and Forth the soldiers found that pita flies As straight and True As any plastic disc. But a few floor landings and collisions with Rucksacks took a toll on the flexible bread causing it to lose some of its aerodynamic qualities. Small tears soon turned to Large rips and the goal of the Experiment changed from How Well the bread flies to How Well the shreds could he thrown without having any piece break off. Exactly nine throws later the pita was in pieces and the Experiment turned to one of engineering. The troops found that All the pieces could be held together and thrown As one with the use of a single Clothespin. The barely recognizable pita pieces stayed together even better when wrapped in toilet paper then clothes pinned. Luckily there a usually More than pita bread to fill the empty hours Between maintaining equipment and pulling desert details like guard duty and up. In Many locations the troops have tried to make the Sands More like Home including using the Sun to heat water in Large Black Shower bags. It maybe the arabian desert but a hot Shower nevertheless beats a cold one. Of course showering can also be hazardous if you serve with soldiers who like to fill their spare time with a prank or two. A plastic water bottle filled and buried in the Sand All night will remain quite cold. Dump the contents of the bottle onto an unsuspecting Soldier who is enjoying a hot Black bag Shower and there is a morale boost for All. Except the swearing bather that is. If the Shower is risky the latrine can be downright dangerous. A definitely not a Safe place to be at night a noted one Soldier. Pranksters like to wait until the facility is occupied in the dark before crawling up to the latrine and tripping a camera Flash. Its not a picture they re after just the resulting heart seizure. For Many troops in the desert adopted dogs provide a source of diversion and entertainment. Such is the Case with staff sgt. Les Carder and an iraqi dog named �?odude.�?�. Carder a platoon sergeant with the 4th in 22uth attack helicopter regt says the  found hanging around an abandoned enemy Hunker. Dude is now very protective of the platoon and its tent. A the barks at anyone who comes near but he does no to bite a Carder a said. A a a a a. A a a a v a a the dog does no to flinch when helicopters blow past or machine guns Are fired but will literally crawl into the tent and hide under a cot when an air Force Jet screams Over. Dude makes up for this cowardly trait by braving Chicken a la King Field rations a the Only member of the platoon with the panache to do so. Spec Bob Smiley an oh-58c Kiowa scout helicopter Crew chief fills his empty time by listening to heavy Metal Rock on his Walkman. The problem is that he has been frequently interrupted by things falling out of the sky a a  y.  �?T-.-�7 for example Smiley was listening to his favorite tunes in a traffic Jam in the City of Hafar Ai Batin a few weeks Back when a scud missle landed a Block or so away. A a. A. Y Quot. A. A a. A a 7 a that got the traffic Jam moving a he said. Next the 26-year-old from san Diego was relaxing to head banging Rock at a compound in Northern saudi Arabia when a helicopter crashed just outside. The Rotor Blades of the downed Bird just missed him As they flew though his tent. Smiley still listens to his music even though it seems to attract heavy Metal of a different kind. Quot its still my favorite a he says. Free time in the vast deserts of the Middle East can dig at a troops soul leading him to dwell on the loneliness the boredom and the ache for loved ones Back Home. Pranks and puppies All help fill the empty space in time. A pita bread is health food for the soul. The Star and stripes