CNN: Apache helicopters shot up in Republican Guard attack

CNN live ^ | March 23, 2003 | cnn

[mikegi]

Live report from Karl Penhaul after Apache choppers attacked Republican Guards near Karbala (sp?). This is north of Najaf and WSW 70mi of Baghdad.

He reports that our Apaches were shot up pretty bad. The IRG put up a "wall" of AAA. After returning to base, Apaches were "strewn around" instead of being parked neatly. He wouldn't confirm that all our Apaches made it back.

[dennisw]

"On the Road to Hell"

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Let's get real here, people. B-52's have no capability against enemy armor. Apache's are made specifically for that purpose. And Apache's can take hits from triple A close in -- it would not be all that hard to have a B-52 be shot down if it tried to fly close ground support. They are big and slow and carry nothing designed to kill armor. These Apache's were taking out enemy tanks -- and did an incredible job of it by the same accounts that headlined one of them taking triple A hits.

Bringing in a B-52 to do something it is not designed or intended to do would indeed show us that our leaders are fighting the war badly. And that we are panicking.

Neither is happening. The right weapon for the right purpose -- and if you need to kill enemy tanks use your Apache's, your own armor or an A-10.

[meema]

May he wasn't active then...must have been Korea, but I remember our guys hollerin' for some of that Curtis LeMay's China!
I don't remember Arc-Light right now, but I sure remeber Overlord.
Just saying the names macnamara & westmoreland bums me out.

[Paleo Conservative]

: Paraclete Good point, C-141 would be an easy juicy target.

Apaches fly at much lower altitudes. The MOAB is specifically designed so is doesn't need a pararchute to take it all the way to the ground. This allows it to be deployed at much higher altitudes than its predecessor the "Daisey Cutter". The whole purpose of designing MOAB was to make the cargo plane that carries it much less vulnerable to ground fire.

[PianoMan]

All this talk of MOAB...what happened to the FAE fan club during Afghanistan?

[r9etb]

The "disruptor" has been here since 5/01.

Has he been a jackass the whole time, or is that something new?

[Travis McGee]

THANK YOU!

Please don't hesitate to educate us further. I really appreciate it when a pro joins the discussion.

[panaxanax]

Calm Down Travis.

I'm referring to the fact that Saddam is using babies and women as shields and if we avoid bombing critical site because of this, we are the fools.

[Jorge]

I think the B52's are on their way. Seems like they left England about 7PM ET

Which means they should be over Iraq within the next hour or so. Hope they deliver a nice surprise to the Republican Guard..

[Arkinsaw]

Let's get real here, people. B-52's have no capability against enemy armor.

No, but they can do a hell of a job against the guy with his finger on the AAA trigger.

[LdSentinal]

I also think a lot of frustation comes from the accounts from Basra.

We keep going back and forth on whether or not Basra has been liberated. Yesterday, I heard all of Basra was under coalition control. Now today I read that the southern part of Basra is still under Iraqi control.

The conflicting information is frustating, but understandable.

[red-dawg]

I posted earlier today that I saw a VERY large explosion/FLASH south of Baghdad. I opined that it appeared that the Republican Guard south of Baghdad had been MOAB'd because of the clouds of smoke after that very large flash were rolling northward into the city. Later on Al Jazeera was showing a shot at street level that showed a hazy cloud in the neighborhoods around the camera coverage area. I honestly think we have used the MOAB. An hour after that, the air around Baghdad seemed to clear up.

May God bless our troops.

[Theophilus]

There's nothing better at killing armor than the Apaches (well except the A-10s)

M1A2

[cake_crumb]

"The reporter did (paranthetically) quote the American commander as stating over 70 T-72s were destroyed."

Ah HA!! That is exactly what I've been ranting about all day. The media is concentrating WAAAAAAY too hard on making it look like we're losing this war, and we have hardly even begun. I turned off all the media feed in disgust a few hours ago, because I was so SICK of hearing the same three stories stated and restated, combined and recombined over and over all day long, in an effort to make them seem like 'new' news.

In contrast, the SUCCESSES of our troops are barely mumbled and buried in a long drawn out list of Allied casualties. The media never even gives estimates of Iraqi dead, because we might get a little PERSPECTIVE on just how few casulities have avtually been taken by our side in comparison.

IIRC, the media did the same thing in the opening stages of operations in Afghanistan. And some FR posters jumped to back up the propaganda.

[section9]

I suspect that the Apaches got pretty shot up, but I also suspect that there are a lot of dead T-72's out there.

This attack occured at the Karbala Gap area, which is covered by the Hammurabi division.

Main thrust will come on the west side of the river. Seventh Cav and some of the Third will take out the Hammurabi. Then, the 101 gets engaged to help the Third/Third take out the Nebuchadnezzar. Methinks there will be an approach on Baghdad from the South and West.

I suspect we are about to lay down some serious smack on these guys.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Stopislamnow]

Where are the OH-58D's?

They can stay hid behind hills and designate for any laser guided munitions in the inventory.

<---former 58D CE

[Paraclete]

There has been amazingly little triple-A shot up during the strikes we've seen on TV. Evidently, they moved it all out into the repubguard units and are using it on the Apaches and maybe Warthogs.

[Theophilus]

C141 cannont air drop any large cargo. The C130 is used for fuel-air bombs.

[rivercat]

AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missiles; AIM-9 Sidewinder Air-to-Air missiles

Apaches don't have Sidearms or Sidewinders... (They only hame them in video games).

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Apaches do not go in alone against an entrenched enemy with AA...this is just stupid.

First, it is a wacky assumption that they were going in alone. Nowhere is that stated anywhere in the report. Secondly, Apache's are used to attack enemy armor from the rear of the enemy's position, while that armor is moving toward or facing our own front. They are meant to take AA hits, they are designed to be survivable, because it is assumed that they will be moving amongst the enemy's rear, where AA positions are to be found.