***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 20 - LIVE THREAD***

Multiple ^ | April 8, 2003 | Various

[MEG33]

We cannot always be looking for perfection in war...Many an innocent has died in war.We have spent a lot of our nations wealth on bombs that can hit one building...We have been cautious and still war is war.

[this_ol_patriot]

Ok Sky News doing drawings now and saying we couldn't hit that area from our KNOWN positions.

[Fitzcarraldo]

All the news reports I've seen in the last two days over the web cam have been "US is the evil empire" type stuff.

[Prince Charles]

Yes, it sounds like distant artillery... probably to the southeast.

[Mo1]

Ok Sky News doing drawings now and saying we couldn't hit that area from our KNOWN positions.

OK ... I am totally confused now

It's 5:30AM ... I need to get some sleep

Nite Y'all

[Sir_Ed]

No, but we sit 2' from guys with .50 machine guns.

I just don't know if we can say that just because an AJ reporter is next to an Iraqui that ipso facto he's an Iraqi partisan...

That's all.

Ed

[BagCamAddict]

We need to go in and liberate the hotel.

I'd like to see this. Then we continue to let the reporters "report." At least with us in control, they would be able to point the cameras in another direction once in awhile!

[CasearianDaoist]

2 HEAT shell would topple that building - maybe 3 or 4 Sabot rounds would do the same. could be a bush master, or a .50 cal round (probably the later.)

[dsmtoday]

Is the webcam looking at khulani square?

[A. Morgan]

I think it's Firdos Square.

[Prince Charles]

Well, I didn't say he was an Iraqi partisan -- I proposed that he was the dumbest Arab in the world.

[Timesink]

Thanks all re RPGs

[Tree of Liberty]

Is that wind or percussions that are shaking the camera?

[umbagi]

they use them against helicopters too, if there isn't a stinger laying around.

You betcha -- just have to be damned good, or get a "golden BB" opportunity. RPGs were the culprits in Blackhawk Down.

In Nam they found drawings showing VC/NVA how to lead and range helocopters with RPGs, and the choppers were particularly vulnerable low and slow (i.e., dropping off troops).

They were the primary nemesis of PBRs, too (because 12.7s were so heavy as to be rare).

[SirAllen]

2nd journalist dead at Palenstine Hotel.

[this_ol_patriot]

The hotel is in the slight shape of an U, squared at the bottom. We had tanks on the East and West side, along the sides of the U, the damaged wall and balcony was on the inside of the U, depending of what side was hit we may have had a slight lucky chance to hit it.

[Tree of Liberty]

Employed by Reuters

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

The wind is shaking the camera. Notice the empty flagpoles in the foreground shaking slightly.

[ChiefKujo]

30 degrees elevation from tank body (assume on level ground, 15th floor (assume 10ft per floor) that would put minimum range (assuming flat trajectory) at 80m away (260ft)