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April 08, 2003
U.S. Army Repels Major Iraqi Counterattack
Iraqi forces staged a major counterattack Tuesday morning, sending buses and trucks full of fighters across the Tigris River in an attempt to overrun U.S. forces holding a strategic intersection on the western side of Baghdad. A U.S. Army commander says at least 50 Iraqis were killed during the battle, which apparently was Iraqi retaliation for a U.S. airstrike on a residential complex that U.S. intelligence indicated may have held senior Iraqi leadership, including Saddam Hussein and his sons. The fate of Saddam remains unclear.Posted By Michele Catalano at April 8, 2003 01:11 PM | TrackBack Comments
"Major" counterattack - like "fierce resistance" - is a hilarious term for an attack that doesn't sound much above company level in size. Posted by: R Roberts at April 8, 2003 01:18 PMI was just thinking the same thing. Carentan was a major counterattack. This is swatting flies. Posted by: tenbase at April 8, 2003 01:22 PM"I was just thinking the same thing. Carentan was a major counterattack. This is swatting flies." Pah? Carentan? Kharkov 43 was a major counterattack! =P Regards / GulGnu -Stabil som fan! Posted by: GulGnu at April 8, 2003 01:33 PMThis is precisely why I think all arabs who would like to join the fight with the Iraqis, should get an Allied escort into the battle field. Bring on the Yemeni, Palestineans, syrians....all of the arabs in one place is a good thing. Ship em all to Iraq ....and turn em into a bloody lifeless corpse. Posted by: Frank DeGamma at April 8, 2003 01:39 PMYes, but don't forget, we're fighting an 'Elite' company of guardsmen. Posted by: Mean Dean at April 8, 2003 01:42 PMI haven't been watching too much TV coverage, but I certainly hope we've put to rest the whole "elite republican guard" nonsense. I doubt there's been a modern fighting force less deserving of that appelation. Posted by: Joshua Martin at April 8, 2003 01:44 PMI am increasingly reminded of the comments of the Artilleryman character to the Narrator in H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds"... "...Bows and arrows against the lightning!" Busses and trucks up against tanks? What military theory are those guys following? Posted by: Fred Kiesche at April 8, 2003 02:11 PM"...I certainly hope we've put to rest the whole "elite republican guard" nonsense." Yes, we have put them to rest. Eternal rest. Silly Fred Kiesche: Soon you will run out of ammunition! Then we will have you!! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Posted by: Sahaf at April 8, 2003 02:21 PMThey're using trucks because the Iraqi tanks have been either: They must really be regretting option b) right about now! Posted by: Jon at April 8, 2003 02:25 PMYou can have the best fighting force in the world and if they don't have a command and control structure in place to utilize them, they have big problems. They have even bigger problems when they are fighting a force like the US military which has taken command and control to a whole new level. Compared to alot of other military forces around the world, the Iraq Republican Guard is probably pretty decent. But against the best trained and equipped military the world has ever seen, they are minor leaguers trying to play ball in the majors. This war is the equivalent of the local high school baseball team playing baseball against the New York Yankees. Nice idea and every once in awhile one of those high school kids might get lucky and hit a homer, but the outcome of the game is 100% certain. Posted by: towns at April 8, 2003 02:29 PMYeah, a "Major" counter-attack would have to be at least a Battalion in size - sending in just a company would be a "Captain" counter-attack. Posted by: The Other John Hawkins at April 8, 2003 02:38 PMThen this must have been a "2nd LT" attack, since it was about platoon strength. Posted by: Bill Twist at April 8, 2003 04:09 PM90-day Wonder attack, based on the quality of the tactics... Posted by: The Other John Hawkins at April 8, 2003 04:58 PM"Elite Republican Guard"? More like E-lite Republican Guard. Fewer calories, less carbohydrates. Posted by: hagar at April 8, 2003 07:26 PMYou can have the best fighting force in the world and if they don't have a command and control structure in place to utilize them, they have big problems.The Iraqi military forces are all completely controlled top-down -- there is almost no possibility for independent action by those lower in command, much less at the level of the individual soldier. Saddam has carefully removed all officers who show independent thought and motivation -- after all, those are the ones who just might assassinate him! The US/UK forces, OTOH, are told what the objective is, and generally left to achieve it as they see fit. Of course the Iraqis are losing! Posted by: Troy at April 8, 2003 10:03 PMPost a comment
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