European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sector of the Battlefield remained 10 Miles from the intersection. In the confusion of the final attack there were misunderstandings about the cease fire deadline and a bogus report of Friendly artillery fire that temporarily brought Vii corps including the1st inf to a halt the big red one had come up Short. The division s attack helicopters controlled the sector from above but the Only troops physically occupying the Airfield and Road Junction wore Iraq Green. After the cease fire Schwarzkopf unaware of the Gap formally proposed Safwan As a site for the Armi Stice. Gen. Colin l. Powell chairman of the join chiefs of staff agreed. He subsequently informed first Cheney and then the White House of the Choice carefully noting that it s Safwan not Saffron ". Shortly before Dawn of March 1, Yeosock Learned of the True disposition of his forces from it. Oen. Franks the Vii corps commander whose units had been responsible for the main attack against the iraqi army. Yeosock called Schwarzkopf. The Deci Sion we made about Safwan is probably not Good one he began. We Don t own  a deep flush Rose from Schwarzkopf s neck Pur pling his face. What do you mean we Don t own Safwan ? you assured me that you had that  the map in Central command s War room clearly showed the area under . Army occupation. We have it under observation Yeosock replied but we Don t control it. There Are some enemy forces Down  goddammit that false reporting Schwarzkopf bellowed each syllable exploding into the  s a direct Viola Tion of my  fumbled for an explanation but Schwarzkopf Cut him off. He had been angry John Yeosock at the army almost fro the Onset of the ground attack a week beforehand this mishap triggered new paroxysms of Wrath. Staff officers in the War room prudently edged away. After threatening to replace the army with .marines and further railing at Yeosock Schwarzkopf called Powell in Washington. Goddammit he told the chairman we Don town the goddamn place relax Norm Powell said. Calming his com Mander enough to get a coherent account of the mix up Powell agreed that the solution was to eject the enemy from Safwan cease fire notwithstanding. Soon an armoured brigade from the 1st div rumble Forward toward the Road Junction encircling the baffled iraqis who refused to Retreat. For several hours the deadlock persisted. In Riyadh Schwarz Kopf anger flared with each report. He ordered ranks and Yeosock to write detailed explanations of Why my orders were  at 1 30p.m., Yeosock s operations officer Brig. Gen. Steve Arnold scribbled in his log cinc has repeatedly threatened to relieve Franks Yeosock it  division commander Rhame met with his brigade commander to relay an ultimatum from Schwarz Kopf. Tell the iraqi general Rhame warned that if he does t leave by 1600 you re going to kill him. You re going to kill All his forces and attack right through  shortly before dusk the iraqis pulled Back. Safwan fell to the americans. However justified Schwarzkopf s anger the Epi Sode cast a Shadow Over his commanders exhilaration. As a Fleet of Chinook helicopters began to ferry Tenis tables and generators to the captured Airfield Franks retired to the privacy of his command vehicle Southwest of Safwan to write Schwarzkopf the required apology. Any failure of Vii corps units to seize the Road Junction with ground forces is mine Franks wrote. There was never any intention to disobey  two Days earlier the corps commander had precisely orchestrated five divisions against the iraqi Republican guard in a Man Euver that Many believed among the most extraordinary in the history of a Mored warfare. Now he was just another target for with the air War on Schwarzkopf details . Bombing of iraqi controlled Oil terminal off kuwaiti coast. One of Schwarzkopf s rages. The Vii corps operations officer col. Stan chem a thought Franks looked like a whipped  normally a Man of impermeable Reserve Frank permitted himself a Small outburst. My god he told chem a How could he not know we were trying to do what was right clawed by the Bear As Leo Tolstoy observed about families All Happy military Headquarters Are alike but every unhappy Headquarters is unhappy in its own Way. Centre Alcoma suggested several cheerless antecedents the fractious Camp of sir John French saturnine com Mander of the British expeditionary Force in August 1914 or the world War ii Fleet Headquarters of these genetic adm. Ernest j. King who was said by his daughter to be the most even tempered Man in the Navy because he is always in a rage or even the internecine greeks besieging the Walls of Troy. Yet none quite captured life in Norman Schwarzkopf s Riyadh Bunker. In its misery it was unique. It. Gen. Calvin . Waller s first inkling of what he would find there came in Early november 1990, when he phoned Riyadh from fort Lewis wash., total to Schwarzkopf about Waller s new appoint ment As Deputy cinc after placing the Call at 8 30a.m. Saudi time he encountered resistance from first one staff officer then another. Schwarzkopf they explained had worked late the previous night and was still asleep. Well Wake his ass up Waller suggested. They refused. A few minutes later Waller took a return Call from the cinch chief of staff Marine maj. Gen. Robert Johnston who was courteous solicitous and firmly disinclined to Rouse Schwarz Kopf. Sir Johnston said we Don t want to Wake him up. That would be , a handsome Broad shouldered Man bom in Baton Rouge la., was much admired for his com Mon touch and geniality. His army commands had included an infantry brigade the 8th inf div and most recently i corps at fort Lewis. Now As Deputy commander in chief of Central come he was nor Man Schwarzkopf s principal lieutenant. In More than three decades of military service this was Wal Ler s fourth occasion to serve with Schwarzkopf an Honor he had stoutly resisted this time until Colin Powell himself called in Early november and barked what s this about you not wanting to go to Saud Arabia get your stuff  yet nothing Cal Waller had seen since leaving his corps in the Pacific Northwest and arriving in Riyadh As cinc had allayed his initial qualms. He knew As Well As any Soldier that there was much to Admire Abou Norman Schwarzkopf intelligence combat prowess loyalty to his troops. But Waller soon wearied of the tirades the histrionics the Rega trappings. Small Imperial rituals offended Waller s native simplicity. Each of the affectations seemed inoffensive collectively he thought they Signi Calvin Waller find a Man infatuated with his position and himself. He s the cinc Waller complained in exasperation. He s not your  before Schwarzkopf entered a briefing room for example an enlisted aide would precede him and with the care of a grandmaster setting chess continued on Page 6 Vii corps mounts its Armor in the saudi desert on feb. 16, eight Days before the ground War. November 28,1993 sunday Page 5