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It Will All be Over By Easter, Says Analyist [Greatest Advance in History of Warfare]
Manawatu Evening Standard (New Zealand) ^ | March 25, 2003 | Piers Reid

Posted on 03/25/2003 4:48:08 AM PST by ewing

The United States ground led assault on Iraq is 'the greatest advance in the history of warfare,' even compared with the German blitzkrieg of Europe in World War 2 a Massey University defence analyist says.

Piers Reid of the University Centre of Defence Studies said that United States coalition forces are 'going forward at an incredible rate.'

Dr. Reid, a former New Zealand army chief, predicted the war in Iraq would be wrapped up in a few weeks.

He said the superior firepower of Amercian forces was advancing virtually unchecked in the desert.

'The Americans own the desert,' If the Iraqis try and stall the Americans in the desert they just get shredded.

Dr. Reid said although pockets of resistance might remain all over Iraq, the Iraqi 'political apparatus' would succumb quickly after coming in for heavy attack from coalition bombing.

Dr. Reid also said that Saddam Hussein was counting on the fact that the coalition would have a low threshold for pain, but had miscalculated.

(Excerpt) Read more at stuff.co.nz ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: battleforbaghdad; easter; groundassault; historical; iraqcampaign; strategy
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Of course, I would give some credit to Patton marching 100 miles a day in heavy snow continuiously..

Credit the Brits and Aussies for their support as well!

1 posted on 03/25/2003 4:48:08 AM PST by ewing
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To: ewing
Of course, I would give some credit to Patton marching 100 miles a day in heavy snow continuiously..

Absolutely. Patton understood speed and shock- and used them at every opportunity- much to the chagrin of other Allied officers who preferred a more methodical approach.

2 posted on 03/25/2003 4:56:15 AM PST by Riley
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To: Riley
The early 1940's version of 'Shock and Awe..'
3 posted on 03/25/2003 4:58:54 AM PST by ewing
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To: ewing
"But it's all falling apart!!" Helen Thomas
4 posted on 03/25/2003 5:02:32 AM PST by ez (Advise and Consent = Debate and VOTE!!)
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To: Riley
There is nothing like the 3rd Army's March in the Ardennes in history. I'd also say the Wermacht was a more capable foe than the Iraqis. Not to take anything away from V Corps, the 3rd ID, I MEF and the Brits today. I hope they use Patton as their example and inspiration. Fortune favors the bold.
5 posted on 03/25/2003 5:04:00 AM PST by Credo
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To: ez
But Maureen Dowd says its another Vietnam! (same thing she said about Afghanistan)
6 posted on 03/25/2003 5:04:49 AM PST by ewing
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To: Credo
I think that its fair to say that Patton's ideas of tactical conduct have a visible influence on contemporary operations with heavy forces, particularly in open desert terrain.

And Patton was influenced by Rommel.
7 posted on 03/25/2003 5:08:24 AM PST by Riley
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To: Riley

8 posted on 03/25/2003 5:10:09 AM PST by ewing
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To: Riley
Yes, and Rommell was influened by Guiderian, and Guiderian was influenced by, believe it or not, the writing of a young frog officer named Charles de Gaulle.

Or so I've been told...

9 posted on 03/25/2003 5:11:29 AM PST by OKSooner
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To: Riley
I don't know if even Rommell could/would have marched his boys a 100 miles in heavy snow per day..
10 posted on 03/25/2003 5:11:32 AM PST by ewing
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To: Credo
Yeah but we didn't have to deal with their guerilla tactics like we are now.
11 posted on 03/25/2003 5:12:21 AM PST by Guillermo (Sharpton in '04!)
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To: Guillermo
Agreed. The Coalition forces advance is remarkable. You just have to think of the technology in 1944. M1 Tanks can roll like 50 miles an hour. The old Shermans maybe could hit 15 to 20. They were also outgunned by the Germans.

I guess both advances are unique magnificent accomplishments. They both have their unique challenges. Patton certainly didn't have to deal with the PC, Meals on Wheels, Kumbaya garbage, the current ground commanders are facing.

12 posted on 03/25/2003 5:17:01 AM PST by Credo
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To: ewing
Dr. Reid also said that Saddam Hussein was counting on the fact that the coalition would have a low threshold for pain,

This is Clinton's and his supporting liberals fault. Those peaceniks protesting have blood on their hands too bad they'll never face it.

13 posted on 03/25/2003 5:19:23 AM PST by VRWC_minion (Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and most are right)
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To: ewing
I don't know if even Rommell could/would have marched his boys a 100 miles in heavy snow per day..

Perhaps not, but he ably demonstrated maneuver warfare in the French campaign in 1940.

14 posted on 03/25/2003 5:29:30 AM PST by Riley
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To: ewing
Saddam's last mistake was parading our POWs on his TV.
15 posted on 03/25/2003 5:30:22 AM PST by goldstategop
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To: ewing; All
I would advise checking on the 1844 Winfield Scot campaign to capture Mexico City and unseat the dictator Santa Anna.

The paralells are striking and I am confident that General Franks is walking in General Scott's shoes as he fights the Euros diplomatically while striking an enemy capital with long supply lines. He had the support of the US Navy and the US Marines as he assulted the Halls of Montezuma.

To summarize, Franks is duplicating the campaign of Scott.

16 posted on 03/25/2003 5:33:49 AM PST by bert (Don't Panic !)
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To: bert
The paralells are striking and I am confident that General Franks is walking in General Scott's shoes as he fights the Euros diplomatically while striking an enemy capital with long supply lines. He had the support of the US Navy and the US Marines as he assulted the Halls of Montezuma.

Now this is a novel assertion!

Hmmmm, I'll have to be naughty and post the map...

The paralell that I see is that we are approaching the enemy from several different directions at once with a great, decisive battle (Resaco de La Palma, iirc) before the capitol city.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

17 posted on 03/25/2003 6:00:32 AM PST by section9 (You will all be shot unless you download the Saddam screensaver...)
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To: OKSooner
Actually, Guderian was a disciple of Sir Liddell Hart who wrote extensively on the subject. Rommel's Infantry Tactics concurrently detailed his own success leading Austiran troops on the Southern Front of Austria and Italy in the First World War; Rommel was a natural fit for frontline tank commander, but was never quite the intellectual that Guderian was.

De Gaul mostly wrote about French defense issues and advocated the importance of a reorganization around the tank unit-- less tactical, more organizational.

18 posted on 03/25/2003 6:20:20 AM PST by JohnGalt (Class of '98)
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To: ewing
Rommell had the opportunity to fight in the Desert and was outstanding given the lack of morale, logistics and Italian's.... Given the task of buidling the Atlantic Wall in which he had no belief, he put into place formidable defenses. I've walked Normandy.
19 posted on 03/25/2003 6:22:07 AM PST by Jumper
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To: ewing
Credit the Brits and Aussies for their support as well!

And don't forget the French for not showing up.

20 posted on 03/25/2003 6:26:12 AM PST by A2J (Those who truly understand peace know that its father is war.)
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