The FReeper Foxhole Revisits "Desert Storm ~ The Ground War" - Jan. 24th, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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Remembering Desert Storm
The Ground War


M-198 155mm howitzers of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade firing on 24 February 1991 (the first day of the ground offensive) from positions just west of Main Supply Route (MSR) TEXAS in southern Iraq. (XVIII Airborne Corps photograph DS-F-210-21 by SGT Nathan Webster)

Operation Desert Sabre

The ground campaign, initially designated DESERT SWORD and subsequently designated DESERT SABRE, began on 24 February 1991. When ground operations started in earnest, coalition forces were poised along a line that stretched from the Persian Gulf westward 300 miles into the desert. Two corps covered about two-thirds of the line occupied by the huge multinational force.

The XVIII Airborne Corps, under Lt. Gen. Gary E. Luck, held the left, or western, flank and consisted of the 82d Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), the French 6th Light Armored Division, the 3d Armored Cavalry, and the 12th and 18th Aviation Brigades.

The Vll Corps, under Lt. Gen. Frederick M. Franks, Jr., was deployed to the right of the XVIII Airborne Corps and consisted of the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), the 1st Cavalry Division (Armored), the 1st and 3d Armored Divisions, the British 1st Armored Division, the 2d Armored Cavalry, and the 11th Aviation Brigade.

Three commands held the eastern one-third of the front.

Joint Forces Command North, made up of formations from Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia and led by His Royal Highness Lt. Gen. Prince Khalid ibn Sultan, held the portion of the line east of Vll Corps.

To the right of these allied forces stood Lt. Gen. Walter E. Boomer's I Marine Expeditionary Force, which had the 1st (or Tiger) Brigade of the Army's 2d Armored Division as well as the 1st and 2d Marine Divisions.

Joint Forces Command East on the extreme right, or eastern, flank anchored the line at the Persian Gulf. This organization consisted of units from all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Like Joint Forces Command North, it was under General Khalid's command.



General Schwarzkopf unleashed all-out attacks against Iraqi forces very early on 24 February at three points along the allied line. The main attack was designed to avoid most fixed defenses, drive deep into Iraq, envelop Iraqi forces from the west and attack and destroy Saddam Hussein's strategic reserve - Republican Guard armored and mechanized infantry divisions augmented by several other Iraqi Army heavy divisions. This wide left sweep was sometimes referred to as the " Hail Mary" plan.

XVIII Airborne Corps attacked in the west and deep into Iraq to control the east-west lines of communication along Highway 8 and cut off Iraqi forces in the Kuwait Theater of Operations. In the far west the French 6th Light Armored and the 101st Airborne Divisions started the massive western envelopment with a ground assault to secure the allied left flank and an air assault to establish forward support bases deep in Iraqi territory. In XVIII Corps' mission of envelopment, the 24th Infantry Division had the central role of blocking the Euphrates River valley to prevent the escape north of Iraqi forces in Kuwait and then attacking east in coordination with VII Corps to defeat the armor-heavy divisions of the Republican Guard Forces Command.

In the approximate center of the allied line, along the Wadi al Batin, Maj. Gen. John H. Tilelli, Jr.'s 1st Cavalry Division attacked north into a concentration of Iraqi divisions, whose commanders remained convinced that the coalition would use that and several other wadies as avenues of attack. VII Corps would conduct the main Coalition effort, attacking east of XVIII Airborne Corps and west of Wadi Al-Batin, driving to the north and then east to find, attack, and destroy the heart of President Saddam Hussein's ground forces, the armor-heavy Republican Guard divisions.



In the east two Marine divisions, with the Army's Tiger Brigade, and coalition forces under Saudi command attacked north into Kuwait. These forces held the enemy's tactical and operational forces in place by breaching Iraqi defenses in Kuwait and encircling Iraqi forces in the heel of Kuwait and Kuwait City. Once Kuwait City was encircled and Iraqi forces were ejected or defeated, Arab-Islamic forces would liberate Kuwait City.

Iraqi forces, often isolated in static defenses for long periods, were steadily demoralized by air and psychological operations along with the harsh conditions Accordingly, many Iraqis lost the will to resist by the time the ground operation began.

In 100 hours of combat XVIII Airborne Corps moved its lead elements 190 miles north into Iraq and then 70 miles east. By the time offensive operations were halted, XVIII Airborne Corps had completed its advance into Iraq, cutting off Iraqi retreat and helping with the Republican Guard's final destruction. The 24th Infantry Division with the 3rd ACR continued its attack to the east to block enemy withdrawal and completed the elimination of the Republican Guard.



In ninety hours of continuous movement and combat, VII Corps achieved impressive results against the best units of the Iraqi military. Franks' troops destroyed more than a dozen Iraqi divisions, an estimated 1,300 tanks, 1,200 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 285 artillery pieces, and 100 air defense systems, and captured nearly 22,000 men. At the same time, the best Iraqi divisions destroyed only 7 MlA1 Abrams tanks, 15 Bradleys, 2 armored personnel carriers, and 1 Apache helicopter. And while killing unknown thousands of enemy troops, VII Corps lost 22 soldiers killed in action.

Due to the speed of the allied advance, the VII Corps began its attack ahead of schedule early in the afternoon on the twenty-fourth. Penetrating the minefields to their front, U.S. soldiers overran Iraqi positions within a few hours. The Iraqi troops—tired, hungry, and physically and psychologically battered—began surrendering in droves. The next day the 1st Armored Division quickly crushed the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division as VII Corps pivoted to the east. The 24th Infantry Division’s heavy armor moved rapidly to exploit the initial air assaults of the 101st and 82d Airborne Divisions. Linking up with the 101st battle positions, the 24th Division moved the 200 miles north to the Euphrates River by noon on the twenty-sixth, blocking the Iraqi retreat.

In the most decisive actions of the war, the VII Corps, moving directly east with three heavy divisions abreast, attacked the elite Iraqi Republican Guard units. Late in the afternoon on the twenty-sixth, the VII Corps hit elements of the Tawakalna Division in the battle of 73 Easting. In quick succession, the 2d ACR, 1st and 3d Armored Divisions, and the 1st Infantry Division smashed through the Tawakalna Division. Overwhelming the enemy with accurate tank fire and assisted by deadly Apache helicopter gunships, the VII Corps hit the Medina Division in the early afternoon of the twenty-seventh. At Medina Ridge, an attempted Iraqi ambush of the 1st Armored Division ended with the destruction of over 300 enemy tanks.



During four days of combat Tiger Brigade task forces destroyed or captured 181 tanks, 148 armored personnel carriers, 40 artillery pieces, and 27 antiaircraft systems while killing an estimated 263 enemy and capturing 4,051 prisoners of war, all at a cost of 2 killed and 5 wounded.

The battles of DESERT STORM soon wound down against crumbling resistance. With the VII Corps poised to crush the remainder of the Republican Guard units, only the declaration of a cease-fire saved the Iraqis. When offensive operations ended, the Coalition faced the beaten remnants of a once-formidable foe. Coalition ground forces, with tremendous support from air and naval forces, had defeated the Iraqi Army. Coalition armies stood on the banks of the Euphrates River, stretched across the Iraqi and Kuwaiti deserts and patrolled a liberated Kuwait City.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

.....


During the weeks prior to "G-day," Marine units, including artillery, reconnaissance and combined arms task forces, were busy disrupting Iraqi defensive positions. Marine artillery and Army multiple-launch rocket systems, using Air Force airborne spotters as well as Marine forward and aerial observers and clandestine recon teams inside enemy territory, had enormous success with artillery raids and roving gun tactics. Coalition air forces pounded the enemy day and night. Naval gunfire from the battleships Missouri and Wisconsin provided the "Sunday punch" that helped soften up the future battlefield.

On the night of 23 February, Marine units all along the Kuwait border moved into final attack positions and waited for the order to commence the ground offensive. Real-time and near-real-time tactical reconnaissance were provided by Navy and Marine Corps UAVs and Navy F-14s equipped with the tactical air reconnaissance pod system (TARPS). The deadline set by President Bush for Iraq to get out of Kuwait had expired.



Iraq had no "eyes" over the battlefield with which to observe the allied strategy. While the United States and its coalition partners unleashed General Schwarzkopf's "Hail Mary" play, the Iraqis were convinced that the battle would be joined at the center of their defensive lines along the Saudi-Kuwait border, and by amphibious assault.

What the Iraqis could not realize was that the allies had secretly moved two entire corps of American forces (the Army's 7th and 18th), supported by British and French divisions, far to the west in one of the largest and swiftest battlefield troop movements in history. This giant "end run" by more than 250,000 soldiers spread over several hundred miles, moved deep into Iraqi territory from the Saudi border behind the Iraqi forces to deliver a fatal "left hook." The flanking maneuver not only cut off all avenues of retreat north and west of Kuwait, it fulfilled Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell's prediction that the coalition-- specifically the American military --were going to "cut off the head ... and kill" the Iraqi army.



The Marine Corps, with the support of Navy air power, was tasked with going for the jugular. Afte rperforming their own deception by shifting both Marine divisions some 40 to 50 miles northeast from their original staging area, the Marines stepped off into battle. The 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions, each more than 18,000 strong, and the U.S. Army 1st Brigade ("Tiger Brigade"), 2nd Armored Division, plunged into the attack. They were supported by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and thousands of combat service support staff from the 1st and 2nd Force Service Support Groups, and by Navy air forces.


Prototype AH-58D Kiowa Warrior from 4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry, at Manama Air Base, Bahrain, 12 February 1991. Elements of this squadron flew off of US Navy frigates to attack offshore oil platforms and islands. (XVIII Airborne Corps photograph DS-F-178-32 by PFC John F. Freund)

On their way, the Marines had to cross two belts of minefields, 12-foot high sand berms, barbed-wire defenses, booby traps and fire trenches, all the while under sporadic attack by Iraqi artillery. These "impenetrable barriers" were quickly breached by the Marine teams. As the two Marine divisions advanced, two Saudi and Qatari task forces moved up Kuwait's east coast in a similar drive. The initial Marine advance was described by Schwarzkopf in his 27 February briefing as follows:

"It was a classic, absolutely classic military breaching of a very, very tough minefield, barbed wire, fire trench-type barrier. They went through the first barrier like it was water. Then they brought both divisions steaming through that breach. Absolutely superb operation -- a textbook, and I think it will be studied for many, many years to come as the way to do it."



Overhead, Cobras, Harriers and Intruders provided close-air support as the Marines pushed forward meetingoccasional resistance. Navy A-6 Intruders laid down heavy barrages. Marine aircraft attacked in waves as engineers continued to shoot line charges and drop bundles of plastic pipes near trenches so the blade tanks could form makeshift bridges. Even though the 1st Division Marines encountered artillery fire and a mechanized counter-attack, their attack proved unstoppable. Most Iraqis fought for only a few minutes before surrendering. Massive artillery and air support from Navy and Marine aircraft sparked a frenzy of surrender that, at times, slowed the progress of advancing Marine units.

The 2nd Marine Division enjoyed equal success. With the Army's Tiger Brigade on the west flank, the 8th Marine Regiment to the east, and the 6th Marine Regiment in the center, the division kicked off its attack. Within hours they too had breached both defensive belts. Facing enemy mortar and small arms fire, the 2nd Division drove into Kuwait and took more than 5,000 EPWs by the end of the first day.



As Marines continued their attack the sea-based arm of the Navy-Marine Corps team continued to provide support. The battleships continued rapid, responsive gunfire on targets designated by Navy and Marine spotters on the ground and in the air. The amphibious task force in the Persian Gulf continued to demand difficult decisions from the Iraqi generals. Because of the threat of an amphibious landing and the uncertainty of where and when it [word/words missing in text] to ten divisions, totaling 80,000 men, to the defense of the Kuwait coastline. In addition they garrisoned troops and equipment on Bubiyan and Faylaka Islands which command sea approaches to vital areas.



About 7,500 Marines from the 5th MEB were off-loaded from amphibious ships at Saudi Arabian ports at the beginning of the ground attack to serve as the 1st MEF reserve force. Marine AV-8B Harriers, AH-l Cobra helicopters and special operations units from the 4th MEB aided the Arab forces in the east coast drive. On the second day of the ground war, both Marine Divisions faced sporadic resistance as they pushed further into Kuwait. They fought some intense battles along the way, and by the time Kuwait's International Airport was secured on the fourth day of the ground war, the two Marine divisions had defeated an Iraqi force of 11 divisions.

At 0800, Persian Gulf time, 28 February, American forces ceased offensive combat operations by order of the President. In 100 hours of offensive combat, the Marines and one Army Brigade, supported by Navy, Marine and coalition aircraft, destroyed or damaged 1,060 tanks, 608 artillery pieces, five Frog launchers and two Scud launchers, and captured more than 20,000 Iraqi soldiers.

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:


http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/photos/gulf_war/ods.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/desert_sabre.htm

[snippy_about_it]

War Summary

The Iraqi armed forces had extensive experience of warfare. They had just brought an eight year war with Iran to a successful conclusion. The Coalition troops, on the other hand, were largely inexperienced. Britain had found the Falklands War with marines and paratroopers; this war was fought with tanks and mechanized infantry instead. The Syrians had fought within the last decade in Lebanon, but the 9th Division had not been involved. The Egyptians had last fought a war in 1973, shortly after the US had wound down its involvement in Vietnam. Of the gulf states, only Omani Army had anything approaching extensive combat experience.

One reason that the Iraqis' experience did them little good was that it was the wrong kind of experience. They had plenty of experience in fighting a positional war of wearing down Iran forces. Instead of helping, this was a positive disadvantage when fighting a mobile campaign; they would have been better off starting fresh without a lot of bad habits.

Of Iraq's 545,000 troops in the Kuwait Theater of Operations, about 100,000 are believed to have lost their lives. Of IRaq's 44 army divisions, 42 were found to be combat ineffective. By the end of the war, estimated losses of equipment were as followed:

 

                                 Total Equipment 

                             Iraqi          Coalition 

                           Lost  On hand  Lost On hand 

Tanks                     4,000    4,230     4   3,360 

Artillery                 2,140    3,110     1   3,633 

Armored Personal Carriers 1,856    2,870     9   4,050 

Helicopters                   7      160    17   1,959 

Aircraft                    240      800    44   2,600 

[snippy_about_it]

'First we're going to cut it off. Then we're going to kill it.'

-- General Colin Powell

'Iraq went from the fourth-largest army in the world to the second-largest army in Iraq in 100 hours'

-- Lieutenant General Tom Kelly

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Saturday Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[snippy_about_it]

A NEW FEATURE ~ The Foxhole Revisits...

The Foxhole will be updating some of our earlier threads with new graphics and some new content for our Saturday threads in this, our second year of the Foxhole. We lost many of our graphic links and this is our way of restoring them along with revising the thread content where needed with new and additional information not available in the original threads.

A Link to the Original Thread;

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Desert Storm - The Ground War - Dec. 30th, 2002

[snippy_about_it]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

Feisler Storch.

[Valin]

On this Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on January 24:
0076 Publius A Hadrianus 14th Roman Emperor (117-138)
1679 Christian von Wolff German philosopher
1712 Frederick II (the Great), king of Prussia (1740-86)
1746 Gustav III king during Swedish Enlightenment (1771-92)
1798 Karl von Staudt German math professor (projective geometrician)
1820 John Milton Thayer Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1906
1828 Adam Jacoby Slemmer Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
1832 John Pegram Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1865
1888 Ernst Heinrich Heinkel German inventor (1st rocket-powered aircraft)
1891 Walter Model German field marshal
1909 Tiny Winters musician
1915 Ernest Borgnine Hamden CT, actor (The Wild Bunch, Ice Station Zebra, McHale's Navy, Marty)
1918 Oral Roberts Televangelis(Oral Roberts College)
1925 William Hudson California, actor (I Led 3 Lives)
1927 Paula Hawkins (Senator-R-FL, 1981-86)
1928 Desmond Morris English zoologist (Human Ape, Body Language)
1936 Doug Kershaw Louisiana, plays electric fiddle
1939 Ray Stevens Clarksdale GA, singer (Ahab the Arab, The Streak)
1941 Neil Diamond Brooklyn NY, singer/actor (Jazz Singer)
1941 Aaron Neville US singer/keyboardist (Neville Brothers)
1943 Sharon Tate Dallas TX, actress (Valley of the Dolls)
1944 David Gerrold [Jerrold David Friedman], author (World of Star Trek)
1947 Warren Zevon Chicago IL, rocker (Excitable Boy)
1948 Elliott Abrams assistant secretary of state
1949 John Belushi Chicago IL, comedian/actor (SNL, Blues Brothers)
1951 Yakov Smirnoff Russia, comedian (It's a wonderful country)
1952 William F Readdy Quonset Point RI, astronaut (STS 42, 51, 79)
1960 Nastassja Kinski Berlin Germany, actress (Tess, Cat People)
1968 Mary Lou Retton Fairmont WV, gymnast (Olympics-gold/2 silver/2 bronze-84)
1969 Stephanie Romanov actress (Teri Spencer-Models Inc)/model (Elite)
1974 Layla Linn Miss New Mexico-USA (1996)

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Deaths which occurred on January 24:
0041 Caligula [G C Germanicus], Roman emperor (37-41), assassinated at 28
0661 Ali ibn Abu Talib kalief of Islam (656-61), murdered
0772 Stefanus III/IV pope (768-72), dies
1336 Alfonso IV the Benignant, king of Aragon (1327-36), dies at 36
1805 Giacomo Conti composer, dies at 50
1812 Eligio Celestino composer, dies at 72
1862 James McIntosh US confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at about 33
1864 Stephen Gardner Champlin Brigadier General (Union), dies at about 36
1913 Gustav Luders composer, dies at 47
1953 [Karl R] Gerd von Rundstedt General-field marshal (Normandy), dies at 77

1965 Winston Churchill PM of Britain (C) (1940-45, 51-55), dies at 90


1973 J Carrol Naish actor (Charlie Chan-Adventures of Charlie Chan), dies at 72
1975 Larry Fine actor (3 Stooges), dies at 72
1983 George Cukor director, dies of stroke & heart attack at 83
1986 Gordon MacRae singer (Oklahoma, Carousel), dies at 64
1986 L[aFayette] Ron[ald] Hubbard author/founder of Scientology (Dianetics,Death Quest), dies at 74
1989 Ted Bundy serial killer of up to 100 women, executed in Florida at 42
1991 George Gobel comedian(Ol Pea Picker), dies of a heart attack at 71
1992 The state of Arkansas executed convicted cop-killer Rickey Ray Rector after Gov. Bill Clinton refused to intervene.
1993 Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the father of gospel music for adding rhythm to church hymns, died at age 93.
1993 Thurgood Marshall 1st black supreme court justice (1967-91), dies 84

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1966 BOOZE DELMAR G.---PAPILLION NE.
1966 HELBER LAWRENCE N.---LOGAN OH.
1966 PITT ALBERT---HAMPSTEAD NY.
1966 SPRICK DOYLE R.---FT CALHOUN NE.
1967 SIMPSON MAX C.---CARLSBAD NM.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0772 Stephen III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0817 St Paschal I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding Stephen IV
1076 Synod of Worms German King Henry IV fires Pope Gregory VII
1458 Matthias I Corvinus chosen king of Hungary
1568 In the Netherlands, Duke of Alva declares William of Orange an outlaw
1634 Emperor Ferdinand II declares Albrecht von Wallenstein a traitor
1639 Connecticut colony organizes under Fundamental Orders
1644 Battle at Nantwich Cheshire Parliamentary armies win
1656 1st Jewish doctor in US, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrives in Maryland
1679 King Charles II disbands English parliament
1722 Edward Wigglesworth appointed 1st US divinity professor (Harvard)
1722 Czar Peter the Great begins civil system
1848 James Marshall finds gold in Sutter's Mill in Coloma CA
1861 Arsenal at Augusta GA seized by Confederacy
1861 Federal troops from Fort Monroe are sent to Fort Pikens
1874 Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov" premieres in St Petersburg Russia
1899 Rubber heel patented by Humphrey O'Sullivan
1900 Newcastle Badminton Club, world's oldest, formed in England
1900 Battle at Tugela-Spionkop, South Africa (Boers vs British army)
1901 1st games played in baseball's American League
1913 Franz Kafka stops working on "Amerika"; it will never be finished
1915 German-British sea battle at Doggersbank & Helgoland
1922 -54ºF (-48ºC), Danbury WI (state record)
1922 Eskimo Pie patented by Christian K Nelson of Iowa
1922 Lehman Caves National Monument established
1923 Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico established
1924 Mussolini disallows non-fascists work union
1925 Moving picture of a solar eclipse taken from dirigible over Long Island

1935 1st canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale", is sold by Kruger Brewing Co in Richmond VA

1936 Benny Goodman & orchestra record "Stompin' at the Savoy" on Victor Records
1939 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile
1939 Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler & George Sisler elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1943 Hitler orders nazi troops at Stalingrad to fight to death
1943 Jewish patients/nurses/doctors incinerated at Auschwitz-Birkenau
1950 Jackie Robinson signs highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history
1956 96.5 cm precipitation at Kilauea Plantation, Hawaii (state record)
1958 After warming to 100,000,000º, 2 light atoms are bashed together to create a heavier atom, resulting in 1st man-made nuclear fusion
1960 Algeria uprises against French President De Gaulle
1962 28 refugees escape from East to West Germany
1962 Jackie Robinson is 1st Black elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1963 Buddy Rogers & Lou Thesz wrestle in Toronto, Rogers becomes WWF wrestling champ & Thesz becomes NWA champ
1964 CBS purchases 1964 & 1965 NFL TV rights for $28.2 million
1964 24th Amendment to US Constitution goes into effect & states voting rights could not be denied due to failure to pay taxes
1972 WRIP (now WDSI) TV channel 61 in Chattanooga TN (IND) 1st broadcast
1973 Warren Spahn is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1975 "Hot l Baltimore" situation comedy premieres on ABC TV
1976 George Foreman KOs Ron Lyle in 5th round of a real slugfest
1984 Apple Computer Inc unveils its Macintosh personal computer
1986 Voyager 2 makes 1st fly-by of Uranus (81,593 km), finds new moons
1988 1st WWF Royal Rumble - Jim Duggan wins
1999 Jordan’s King Hussein, who was seriously ill, named his son Abdullah as crown prince. Abdullah replaced his father’s younger brother as successor to the throne.
2000 Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore were the winners in the Iowa presidential caucuses.
2001 The last two of seven escaped convicts from Texas were captured in Colorado after 42 days on the run; four others were captured on Jan. 22, and one committed suicide.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Aymara Indians, Bolivia : Alacitis Fair
Romania : Union Day
US : Cuckoo Dancing Week Ends
US : Television Game Show Day
Wheat Bread Month

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Religious Observances
old Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Timothy, bishop/martyr (now 1/26)
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Francis de Sales, bishop/doctor

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Religious History
1722 In Cambridge, Mass., Edward Wigglesworth was named to fill the newly created Thomas Hollis chair at Harvard College. Mr. Wigglesworth thereby became the first divinity professor commissioned in the American colonies.
1738 Four months before his celebrated Christian conversion, Anglican missionary John Wesley wrote in his journal: 'I went to America to convert the Indians. But oh! who shall convert me? I have a fair summer religion... But let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled.'
1818 Birth of Anglican clergyman John Mason Neale, who was one of the first to translate ancient Greek and Latin hymns into English. Neale thus rendered the hymns known today as "All Glory, Laud, and Honor," "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."
1975 Rev. F. Donald Coggan, 66, was consecrated the 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (primate of Anglicanism). In the audience was Johannes Cardinal Willebrands Ä the first Vatican representative to attend this Anglican ceremony since the time of the Reformation.
1989 The Rev. Barbara C. Harris, 55, of Boston, was confirmed as the first female bishop in the 450-year history of the Anglican Church.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"Nothing beats reading a good book when there is work to do."

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Question of the day...
If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty liter?

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Murphys Law of the day...(Newton's Little-known Seventh Law)
A bird in the hand is safer than one overhead.

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ABSOLUTLY Amazing fact #87,126...
The world's largest alphabet is Cambodian, with 74 letters.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. We received about 3 inches of snow yesterday evening and throughout the night. It's 18 degrees with a wind chill factor of 4.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather. I hope you are feeling better today. More bad weather on the way. After us it will probably head your way.

We have a winter storm watch for tomorrow. :-(

Winter storm watch in effect Sunday and Sunday night.
The national weather service says snow will spread into east cental indiana, the miami valley and central ohio early on Sunday. The snow may be heavy at times and could also mix with sleet during the afternoon. South of i-70, the precipitation may turn to freezing rain during the afternoon. 3 to 5 inches of snow and sleet will accumulate north of i-70. South of i-70, a wintery mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will likely have significant icy accumulations.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut. I looked this one up. ;-)

Finished in Luftwaffe (W. Europe) low level camouflage
Facilities for dropping diplomatic bags & spies on parachutes.

Thank you for peaking our interest every day!

[Aeronaut]

Finished in Luftwaffe (W. Europe) low level camouflage Facilities for dropping diplomatic bags & spies on parachutes.

One of these landed in Paris on the Champs d'elesies (sp - durned frensh) with a woman pilot at the controls.

[snippy_about_it]

1965 Winston Churchill PM of Britain (C) (1940-45, 51-55), dies at 90

I thought it would be nice to post a picture we aren't so familiar with of Winston Churchill. At age 20.


Young Winston Churchill as a Subaltern in the 4th Hussars, February, 1895

[Soaring Feather]

Yes, I have been watching the Weather Channel and they are talking snow. We did have some in the night, fluffy stuff, it has stopped for the time being.

[The Mayor]

Be steadfast, immovable, . . . knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:58

To survive the storms of life, be anchored to the Rock of Ages.

[The Mayor]

Thanks for your reviews on my son's report for school.

He got some of his information from a book called
"Vietnam for dummies" that is where he got the info
on the Tet offensive. I agree with you Sam.

[snippy_about_it]

Whoever writes those "for dummies" books must be making a fortune. I never knew they had them for other subjects other than computer software.

Good morning Mayor.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

'Iraq went from the fourth-largest army in the world to the second-largest army in Iraq in 100 hours'
-- Lieutenant General Tom Kelly

I love that quote :-)