Posted on 11/02/2001 7:48:05 PM PST by scannell
Take off 12,000 feet for the ground altitude. I don't know for sure as I have not physically been present at such a circumstance, but the reporters on site made the claim, and I did presume they were telling the facts. Sound is funny stuff, so if other similar matters hold true, the process may be unreliable. In any case, in the camera shots of the planes they were distinctly visible and identifiable.
Combined weapon usage is always highly preferable. The problem with the Apaches will be the high altitude and those ridge lines. Really handy for getting a stinger in through the heat flares.
The dangers of relying on expensive equipment and highly trained personnel is that you lose numbers and each equipment loss is costly. It's quite possible the war could be more effectively fought by large numbers of GI's, but who wants to go there and live on the level of the Taliban guys? Our rangers and such could cope, but we just don't have that many. The other alternative will produce something very akin to the Russian experience.
Read this as "they'll march in after we make it safe for them."
Much like the French. If you haven't read it, "Is Paris Burning?" is a GREAT book.
Patton was hopping mad about the lost time, manpower and materials required so the frogs could march in. He wanted to bypass Paris, but the frogs manipulated his plans using the media. Patton claimed that liberating Paris made the war last several months longer.
Yes, but a few firebases would be nice. Artilary can wreck more havoc, cheaper, than airstrikes. An MLRS strike can be almost as devastating as Long Stick bombing. They have no idea the destruction we can rain down on them from a fully equiped firebase.
The only problem would be that we would have to keep moving these firebases as they would quickly destroy everything in their perimeter of fire.
The only problem would be that we would have to keep moving these firebases as they would quickly destroy everything in their perimeter of fire.
I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but the parallels to Dien Bien Phu are quite interesting. They are of course not mirage image parallels, but it remarkable how the military thinking has converged on an old concept.
There is also an earlier parallel. Yorktown.
When the French did their thing, the heart of the strategy was to deprive the other side of their artillery. That's not the real problem here. Our compromise solution here is to occupy the country 400 square miles at a time. It sounds like a manageble and acceptable escalation, but where does it really go? It can not project control of the country politically, it can only help get Bin Laden. Once Bin laden goes, we can justify going, but the place will be ripe for the next Bin Laden and the rest of his followers.
They are talking of a perimter roughly 20 miles on a side. How many men do you think would be necessary to control that real estate?
I suppose you are right in that it depends on our goals. I believe phase I of this war is capturing OBL (dead or alive) and dismanteling the Taliban regime, and it should be done quickly and in an overwhelming manner. We do not need our enemies to like us, but they MUST respect us. Therefore it is essential that we win our early battles decisively.
P.S. EB you are quite wrong on the ceiling for B-52's and if you don't believe me do a little research on the subject via Link No. 2 as well as this Link
Then the real problem can be dealt with. (Iraq)
I don't know how I could be wrong when I was talking about the altitude figures you gave. Your confusion comes from the fact that when our B52's are over Northern Afghanistan, the ground comes up 12,000 feet above sea level. When the B52's are at 50,000, it's only 38,000 to the ground.
The issue is really troop density. Beyond that, we caved at the Paris peace talks and conceded the issue to them in exchange for time to disengage somewhat gracefully. Now, take a people used to living under tyranny like the Iraqi's, and you get a far different result as we did in the Gulf War. Technology does not operate in a vacuum, and a man who refuses to quit has to be killed.
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