Posted on 05/18/2014 3:50:01 PM PDT by gaijin
Seymour Hersh first exposed the My Lai Massacre and kicked off the hubbub regarding Abu Ghraib. He is now writing a history on the W.O.T.
How many bombers are typically in a "wing" of B-52's...? Is the proper number SIXTY, or is it less?
I think Hersh is describing a once-planned bombing mission of ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY B-52's, ordered by a NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER...?
I must be mistaken...?
As Mr. Hersh wrote at the London Review of Books:
In the aftermath of the 21 August attack Obama ordered the Pentagon to draw up targets for bombing. Early in the process, the former intelligence official said, ‘the White House rejected 35 target sets provided by the joint chiefs of staff as being insufficiently “painful” to the Assad regime.’ The original targets included only military sites and nothing by way of civilian infrastructure. Under White House pressure, the US attack plan evolved into ‘a monster strike’: two wings of B-52 bombers were shifted to airbases close to Syria, and navy submarines and ships equipped with Tomahawk missiles were deployed. ‘Every day the target list was getting longer,’ the former intelligence official told me. ‘The Pentagon planners said we can’t use only Tomahawks to strike at Syria’s missile sites because their warheads are buried too far below ground, so the two B-52 air wings with two-thousand pound bombs were assigned to the mission. Then we’ll need standby search-and-rescue teams to recover downed pilots and drones for target selection. It became huge.’ The new target list was meant to ‘completely eradicate any military capabilities Assad had’, the former intelligence official said. The core targets included electric power grids, oil and gas depots, all known logistic and weapons depots, all known command and control facilities, and all known military and intelligence buildings.
(Excerpt) Read more at lrb.co.uk ...
Seymour Hersh has been trying to find another “My Lai” for the last 40 years. And so far hasn’t found anything new that could be proved true. His last big claim (aka fiasco) had to do with a bogus US special forces used nerve gas in Laos—that was a dozen or so years ago. He is a ‘has been.’
I hope somebody pointed out to Obama that the Russians have supplied their very latest anti-aircraft systems. The Israelis send in their bombs(I forget what they’re called) by launching them 70-100 miles away. They then glide in. That way they don’t trigger the anti-air systems because they’re launching from Lebanese airspace.
I don’t know if they’re still on station but at one point Syrian air defense was directed from Russian ships. To get in you’d probably have to take out the ships which has its own dangers. (But he has more flexibility now...)
Likewise, in the 1980s, a squadron was generally 12 or 13 jets, one of which was in Phase for major routine maintenance.
1-2 squadrons in a Wing, so, tops, 48 bombers. . .
And here I had an old fashion and impressive bombing dancing in my mind of a fly-over-the-target, Arc Light, Linebacker mission dropping big ole iron bombs on jihad Johnny heads or likely boy Assad's noggin.
Hey I know, first attrit those bad Syrian SAMs with good old fashion SEAD missions with some AGM-88 action. We still have that capability or has OButt given that up for Lent?
I recall, there are only two bases in that part of the world that have handled B-52s during recent contingency operations, RAF Fairford in the UK, and Moron AB in Spain. Yet, we supposedly sent dozens of heavy bombers to those installations and no one noticed.
Right, true only 2 Spook.
Hersh has been resting on his laurels for years. This claim is laughable and easily disprovable.
We can dream. LoL.
I read that as the deployment was planned and not that it actually took place.
True, but that sort of deployment (and the required preparations) don’t take in absolute secrecy, particularly if you’re trying to send a message. In fact, some of the preparations are deliberately publicized, to convince your adversary to change course. Think of all the deployments and preceding actions that were front page news during Desert Storm, Kosovo and Enduring Freedom/Allied Freedom. None of that transpired for Syria...Obama was completely unserious about going after Assad and our lack of activity underscored his cowardice.
He often spends months or years nailing down the whole story. And, he knows everybody.
He'll drink whiskey with them 'til they tell the whole truth.
In the olden days it was three squadrons of 12.
About double for fighter wings.
Or so I've heard:)
Active Duty ping.
I notice that none of this was for Iran which is trying to create nuclear weapons which they have promised to kill millions and millions of people.
I'm sure it wasn't all of them, a couple of wings now days is about 24 bombers.
Many of the Buffs have to remain at home to fulfill their Nuclear Triad responsibilities. They are the only Bomber is US inventory that still carries nukes.
Likely, if Obama was serious (is that even possible?) there were another couple of wings of B1B's standing by, raring to go.
Nearly twice the conventional load of a B52, faster and better able to defeat air defense.
If I was going to wreak havoc, I'd employ a couple-three wings of B1B.
what airbases close to Syria? Israel would not be a party to such an occurrence (though if the target was Natanz they would be much more gracious hosts - as gracious as Israelis can be anyway..)
WTF?
You can't Win the Future with BS.
Was there ever a recent massive B-52 attack on Syria I missed somehow?
What is this thread talking about?
No.
It is impossible.
The USAF no longer flies B-25s...
Read post 14.
“what airbases close to Syria?”
Incirlik and Izmir, Turkey
RAF Akrotiri on Cypress
Aviano, Italy
Cypress = Cyprus
Damn auto-correct...
can these fields even deal with a buff? putting aside the diplomatic cover that would need to accompany this.
oh that’s right. he’s a liar.
I thought there was a wing at Grand Forks, too.
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