War ReportJonathan RhodesWar Report 27 March 2003 Consolidation/Preparation

efreedomnews ^ | 27 March 2003 | Jonathan Rhodes

[efnwriter]

efreedomnews         WAR ON TERRORISM - AN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE

War Report Jonathan Rhodes 27 March 2003

consolidation/preparation

Supply Problems: Pockets of Resistance: Redeployment of Forces: Reconnaissance: Fight for Public Opinion It was quiet today - too quiet. The great battle is yet to come. Saddam feels the pressure of being trapped. Iraqi diplomats at the UN- soon to be ex-diplomats -  hoping to shape world opinion, are setting timelines and threatening US deaths in Baghdad . We recommend you pay no attention to that. Take a step back and reassess. That is what the US Military is doing. Unfortunately, that leaves a news void - that will be filled with hyperbole and fantasy. Here is what we are and will be hearing - and what it really means: Supply Problems: In the normal course of events, after a rapid advance in severe weather, men and equipment need to be mended. You will hear about supply "problems" but they are problems that are expected - and being solved. In the course of that resupply the enemy will attack the supply lines. We will attack the Iraqis by air, the Iraqis will use ground elements because they have been denied use of the air. The supply troops will get lost, run into mines and get ambushed by regular and irregular troops. US troops are moving in to protect the logistics train. The press will try to interpret this as dramatic and problematic. Some, still living in the Vietnam era, will call the pause a quagmire. It is neither. It is normal - in war. Pockets of Resistance: Enemy elements that were missed in the initial assault to the outskirts of Baghdad continue to be hunted and killed. You will hear about "fierce fighting." In fact, it will be fierce, up close and personal. It could be easy - but we have decided to preserve Iraqi life and infrastructure in order to win the peace. Knowing this, the enemy will use civilians and civilian installations as shields to deny the US use of massive force. The press will interpret this as Iraqis fighting for Saddam. They will be wrong. These will be Iraqis fighting for their lives, faced by US troops in one direction and Saddam's death squads in their rear. Redeployment of Forces: This was the big news with the 173rd Airborne 1000 man airdrop in the north, and the false reports of Iraqi armored counterattacks. The 101st Airborne is in full gear with clear skies and moving up to join the 3rd Infantry outside Baghdad. These are essentially redeployments for the anticipated next phase. The 173rd suffered no casualties. The Iraqis were decimated once they came out of hiding. Expect lost Iraqis to try and rejoin their units - exfiltrating north and east. Movement will cause previously hidden troops to be seen. Many will be killed, captured or surrender. Some will make it back. This will again make news because small unit firefights will break out as these troops and units are engaged. The press will interpret this as major battles, Iraqi advances and attacks. They will be wrong and the Iraqis will be killed. The next phase: In the north, massive air supply, including armor, is anticipated. A C-17 Globemaster can carry one M1-A1 Abrams tank or three Stryker wheeled armored attack vehicles. The 173rd is providing security for the airbases. Although lightly armored, they also can be used in the attack. The heavy 4th Infantry may appear on the attack from the north, from the west, or follow on from the south. Regardless, the airbases long established in Kurdish northern Iraq are operating beyond capacity and a considerable force will soon be available from that front. There is no reason for Tommy Franks to rush into Baghdad. We control 80% to 90% of Iraq and have the luxury of building whatever force needed to achieve victory. The quietest sector is the western desert - where Bedouins and camels rule - where the enemy is not. Watch this area with great interest. A large US force there could easily be hidden from Iraq's limited reconnaissance abilities. Eastern Jordan has been closed to the civilian population for several weeks, and regardless of what Jordan says, US troops have open access to western Iraq through Jordan. Reconnaissance: The Iraqis will probe, from the ground because they have no air. They will seek out small battles to find out where our strengths and weaknesses are. (tactical probing of the lines). There may be movement in the southeast near Al Kut. The Marines and Brits may go there soon - or not. Watch the use of US air power. Strategic air power will be used prior to employing ground troops in the advance. The weather has cleared and is forecast as clear until April 5. On the Homefront the most important issue is the fight for public opinion. Stratfor has said it well: Over the next 24 hours, expect to see a large number of media stories with two themes -- the logistics foul-up for the 3rd ID and Marines and that the fighting was much heavier than reported. The former will result from inexperienced reporters who have seen what they think is chaos in resupplying units, coupled with interviews with troops griping about the service. In addition, when interviewing combat soldiers on a badly needed break, griping and heroic bullshit are ancient rites and traditions. Reporters listening to this will conclude that all rear-echelon personnel are hopeless screwups and every engagement was the Battle of the Bulge. With reporters present, the tales will become mighty indeed. Investigate reports with a jaundiced eye.

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[efnwriter]

To all concerned re: Vanity Post:
First, thank you all for reading and commenting. Second - let's keep the fight in Iraq - not here.

My intention in posting to Free Republic is to address what has always been an appreciative audience. I welcome commentary and have learned a lot from freepers. I did not intend to insult the site or any of the readers. I posted this to Breaking News because the catagory seemed an appropriate vehicle to address the nonsence in the major press outlets. This is NOT an advertisment. I post to Free Republic because it is the most intelligent, informed forum on the web. I don't mean to sound rude, but there are much better ways to "advertise" than posting to Free Republic.

The guidelines for posting state: "Do keep "vanity" posts to a minimum - Free Republic is primarily a place to discuss news, articles, and editorials. Vanity posts, creations of the poster him or herself, should meet a high standard of quality before one is even considered worthy of posting."

I believe the posting meets these requirements. I have not found any specific guidelines on choosing catagories and I welcome guidelines from the Admin.
Replies Welcome.

Jonathan Rhodes

[ArneFufkin]

This seems odd to me. I would hope that the Commmanders would have anticipated this moment when setting up their game plan. You've got your Marine and the 4th Light right here where they rolled like demons to reach.

They must have anticipated the RG positions and defenses and formulated a plan to eliminate them. 30,000 troops doesn't seem THAT large a force to me. Didn't the bombing satisfy the mission it was originally slated to achieve?

What is the 4th Infantry going to bring to the table except an Army heavy metal stake in this game? Is that why the advance has been stalled, is it weather or an unforseen chemical threat?

I'm hoping that there aren't some vicious power politics being played here to get that Infantry crew into the scorecard. I'm puzzled why the original plan has been modified.

It's obvious that this slew of retired Generals and planted stories are designed to create a need for that 4th Artillery capability. It's really transparent and clumsy, the Army guys are threatened by Rummies new Armed Forces and they are fighting back. I hate that, these guys are all Clinton scumbags. Creating doubt among the American people, on TV and in newspapers, about the wisdom and effectiveness of the Operational Officer of our Military - in the middle of a shooting war? That's outrageous to me. STFU Clark, McAffery et al.

[Sir_Ed]

I appreciated this column...thanks.

Ed

[dennisw]

We will win in Iraq in a few weeks. But this will be the last massive intervention for a long, long time. The last GWBush war, and I support him. Iraq has shown the way for nations to avoid being pushovers (cakewalks?) for the USA.

What do we do about the rest of Axis of Evil now that we see the fight that Saddam has been able to mount?

[rebel]

This is the best report/analysis yet.

I believe it to me right on the mark.

[Alas Babylon!]

I disagree with you Diddle E. Frankly, Breaking News is a mess with all the over-hyped reports that constantly pop up every time Fox News reports a rumor. How many threads have we seen that tell us that chemical weapons have been found, or 20,000 Iraqis surrender, or Saddam is still dead, that turn out to be wrong only a few minutes later? On this particular thread, however, we get a mature and positive wrap-up on the overall sitiuation as it currently is, and this is desperately needed amongst all the breathless hype Breaking News has become.

[efnwriter]

In defense of the Army, I don't think the war would stop just to let the cheerleaders for the 4thID to have their way. WHen the British took Baghdad in WW1 (1916) under General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townsend, They used "economy of force" and got stuck at Al Kut for months. A year later a force four times the original resumed th e campaign and finally took Baghdad.

[Travis McGee]

I appreciate all of your posts and have found them superior to the vast majority of what I read in the mainstream media.

[wardaddy]

That was pretty concise and well written....even I could understand it. Nice perspective as well.

Thanks!

[Travis McGee]

I think Iranians will be heartened, and win freedom from within. Syria will either turn into North Korea, or implode like Iran. North Korea, who knows? Sanity does not rule there.

[wardaddy]

EFN,

You needn't explain DiddlySquat.

Your posting is no more of an advertisement than a link to any other website from Drudge to Fox to Print Media to even Lew Rockwell et al.

I'm glad Travis pinged me to it....I agree with the other poster that Breaking News is all out of whack. This is living history (as I was reminded last nite). The forum can settle back to "normal" structuring when we're done.

I don't know about you guys but my TV is about all news right now at home....mainly FOX or some filler if FOX has some cretin on momentarily. I've got 2 decent VHS rentals just sitting there....they'll be returned unviewed.

Your analysis is appreciated by this layman.

[houstonian]

Thanks for the post.

The aversion to vanity posts here comes from those 30 watt posters with a single 25 watt idea. Those extended posts by Freepers which sustain insightful, factual thinking really don't fall into the "Vanity" category even though they may not be published in a (more or less) mainstream outlet. Your post obviously doesn't fit into the former class, and is welcome here.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Amen to that!

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