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B52's Leaving Fairford United Kingdom
Stratfor ^
| March 18, 2003
| Staff
Posted on 03/19/2003 12:49:50 PM PST by richardtavor
http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq =================================================================
At 1808 GMT (1:08 p.m. EST, 9:08 p.m. Baghdad) B-52 bombers were reported taking off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom. Flying time to Iraq is about six hours. Earlier today, they were reportedly loaded with cruise missiles. The British press has also reported that skirmishing has commenced between Iraqi troops and U.S. and British special operations forces near Basra. Coalition aircraft also have attacked 10 Iraqi artillery pieces in the southern no-fly zone, and Israelis have been ordered to open and fit their gas masks, keeping them nearby at all times.
War has not yet commenced, but this is a war alert. More information will be forthcoming as it is available.
=================================================================
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: endgameapproaches; stratfor; warlist
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Hopefully not already posted, just breaking 2 minutes ago.
To: richardtavor; *war_list; W.O.T.; 11th_VA; Libertarianize the GOP; Free the USA; knak; MadIvan; ...
To: richardtavor
Deadline ends in 4 hours and 15 minutes.
3
posted on
03/19/2003 12:51:56 PM PST
by
richardtavor
(Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the Christians and Jews of Iraq.)
To: Grampa Dave; Dog Gone; NormsRevenge; SierraWasp; Carry_Okie
ping!
To: richardtavor
It was posted earlier as saying that they were loaded and ready. This is the first confirmation of launch. Flight time to Baghdad 6-7 hours.
5
posted on
03/19/2003 12:53:10 PM PST
by
CholeraJoe
(Curtis Loew was the finest picker who ever played the Blues)
To: richardtavor; hchutch; Dog; PhiKapMom; Poohbah
RED ALERT! SHIELDS UP! ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS!
Alert Starfleet. We are about to engage the Borg...
6
posted on
03/19/2003 12:54:21 PM PST
by
mhking
To: richardtavor
You may want to add this story over
here as a confirmation report.
To: richardtavor
BBC apparently televised the take-off of B52s. As someone noted earlier, B52s are not a first-wave attack aircraft.
However, the exception is if they are indeed loaded with cruise missiles. Cruise missiles are usually the first (or among the first) munitions fired at the enemy. Ingress to the Middle East is, what, 7 hours or less for B52s?
To: richardtavor
Good work posting this.
Less than six hours from now?
9
posted on
03/19/2003 12:54:40 PM PST
by
Catspaw
To: richardtavor
Flying time to Iraq is about six hours. Probably will release Cruise Missiles over the Mediterranean Sea.
To: Dog
FYI!!!
11
posted on
03/19/2003 12:57:13 PM PST
by
PhiKapMom
(Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US)
To: CholeraJoe
they needn't fly to baghdad. they'll be in target range (cruise launch) by the 8pm est
12
posted on
03/19/2003 12:57:57 PM PST
by
glock rocks
(LET'S ROLL)
To: CholeraJoe
![](http://www.liveconcertphotos.com/Media/b52/b52.jpg)
![](http://www.popfolio.com/b52s/images/b52s1.jpg)
B-52s?
Let 'em have it!
13
posted on
03/19/2003 12:58:28 PM PST
by
Smedley
To: richardtavor
Go BUFF's!
To: Mike Darancette
From something I saw on Sky News earlier in the day, "5 hours for the aircraft to reach firing distance to their targets, and another 1-1.5 hours for the missiles to then reach their targets"
To: richardtavor
This looks like official confirmation of the earlier BBC post. The liberation of Iraq has begun. USAF advance spotters are lasing targets.
Expect fireworks over Baghdad at the dinner hour as the CNN cameras in the al-Rasheed hotel go dark with the first magneto-electric bomb.
God Bless our soldiers and allies.
To: Mike Darancette
would you suggest that they would still be the second wave, with the stealths coming in from Diego first?
17
posted on
03/19/2003 12:59:38 PM PST
by
The Wizard
(Demonrats are enemies of America)
To: Mike Darancette
I would bet my house the N.Koreans are watching more carefully than anyone else int he world! Shock and awe?... Hey Il, want some?
18
posted on
03/19/2003 12:59:45 PM PST
by
MHGinTN
(If you can read this, you've had life support from someone. Promote Life Support for others.)
To: richardtavor
Part of the opening salvo.
19
posted on
03/19/2003 1:00:35 PM PST
by
cynicom
To: richardtavor
There was a 200-reply thread on this a few hours ago that claimed to have been verified by the BBC with video. To my knowledge, that report was discredited (no offense intended to the one who posted it).
Unless this report can be verified with actual video footage, eyewitnesses or confirmed by other news sources, I'll have to remain dubious.
Nevertheless, if the B-52s were to take off tonight on a mission, this would be about the right time for them to do so (currently midnight in Baghdad). If they are just now taking off, they should be there just before sunrise - now that's what I call quite a wakeup call!
20
posted on
03/19/2003 1:00:43 PM PST
by
SamAdams76
(California wine beats French wine in blind taste tests)
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