Apache attack not ver successful

Washington Post ^ | 03/24/03 | Mary Beth Sheridan

[madison46]

U.S. Apache Helicopter Downed in Iraqi-Held Territory
Cause of Helicopter's Crash Not Clear

By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, March 24, 2003; 4:40 PM

CENTRAL IRAQ, Iraq, March 24-The Iraq war's first deep assault by attack helicopters turned into a frenzied battle early this morning as U.S. pilots came under intense fire from anti-aircraft artillery and individual Iraqis with rifles, pilots said. One AH-64 Apache Longbow helicopter went down in Iraqi-held territory, due either to enemy fire or mechanical failure.

The pre-dawn attack was aimed at tanks and other armament of President Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard around Karbala, south of Baghdad. Col. Bill Wolf, commander of the Army's 11th Aviation Regiment, said the air assault by Longbows crippled

[madison46]

Not 70 by that Col's estimate. That mission was less than a success and full of warnings to us about further operations in and around Baghdad. We best loosen up the rules on civie or we will lose our guys and then the American public won't be so forgiving IMHO...

above is exerpt and I don't post much, so don't know the full extent of the limitations on posting Washington Post articles. I added their copy right mark and didn't post too much of the article.

[PhiKapMom]

Why aren't they using the A-10, Warthog?

[Illbay]

Or Cobras. Aren't Cobras like "flying tanks" anyway?

[RightWhale]

Why aren't they using the A-10, Warthog?

Right now there is a military planner, a high level officer whose bright idea and career both just went up in smoke.

[Steel Wolf]

More third rate armchair generalship. I'm amazed at how skewed people's view is of the merciless beating we're giving the Iraqis. You'd think we're barely fending off attacks on Washington D.C., to listen to the doom and gloom.

[Iscool]

Maybe we've become a little too high tech for a low tech war...

[Porterville]

CNN is a bunch of whores, can you believe they are filming the families emotions of the Apache POW. CNN is without shame or class; disgusting whores..

[tomahawk]

We need to hit the Iraqi tanks where they are, wherever they are.

[dfwgator]

IMHO this was not meant to be a major engagement but more of a test to see what the response from the Republic Guards was going to be. Based on these results the proper adjustments will be made.

[Travis McGee]

I think they consider the A-10's 30mm gatling cannon is considered to indiscriminate and 'over penetrating' for urban warfare. They are trying to use enough force, without killing civilians two blocks away.

Bagdad could come down to massive iege warfare, which will raise an entirely new set of problems.

Arabs who hate Saddam may still be turned into fierce Jihad warriors in their own city.

Remember the Russians who hated Stalin and Communism ended up fighting fiercely for Mother Russia.

[CrimeOf73]

Tawdry exploitation.

[Iwentsouth]

I agree. Just think what these people would say if they sent in the A-10's and they came back shot up.

[Travis McGee]

Geez, I gotta try that preview and rpoofreading function now and hten.

[thesoothsayers]

why don't they send the appaches back at the same time that B52s are flying over and if the civilians are still there shooting things up, let the Bs carpet bomb them. If "innocent" civilans are sitting in their homes as their kids sit outside shooting at our copters, then how "innocent" can they be? These people are not civillans, they are all fighters, anybody who wants out would have left.

[John H K]

Who said they aren't using A-10s?

Apparently 90% of the sorties in the whole theater today were against the Republican Guard.

[PhiKapMom]

Cobras make sense to me too! I keep reading about Apache's and Blackhawks, and couldn't figure out if you are up against tanks why not go to the workhorse of tank busters -- the A-10! May not be pretty, but it sure does work!

[Poohbah]

Remember the Russians who hated Stalin and Communism ended up fighting fiercely for Mother Russia.

Getting your house blown up and members of your family killed tends to do that.

[madison46]

I think we are pounding them, but frankness is not weakness. If folks want 'yes' men like Saddam demands, fine, but this was a very unsuccessful mission and can give us a clue to what they are going to do and what we are going to face.

Personally, I think the M-1 will wreck havoc and weather the storm much better than Apache's. In fact, using them together would be MUCH better. AK and AAA ain't gonna hurt the M-1

[Poohbah]

Or Cobras. Aren't Cobras like "flying tanks" anyway?

The Apache is much closer to that description than the Cobra is.

[madison46]

Ditto...CNN stinks

Screw the grammer!