B52S TO HIT WITHIN HOUR [Explosions in Baghdad]

skynews ^ | 3-21-03

[Indy Pendance]

A wave of B-52 bombers are set to hit Iraq within the hour, according to reports.

Eleven of the giant warplanes took off from RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire shortly earlier.

The plane has been in service with the United States Air Force since 1955.

It established its fearful reputation with carpet bombing raids during the Vietnam War.

More recently, it has seen service in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Yugoslavia.

[RGSpincich]

I think reborn pointed that comment at Skynews.

[floriduh voter]

Is this the shock and awe or awe shucks?

UK Defense Briefing in London on Fox right now. They all talk like Prince Charles.

[Enemy Of The State]

I hardly find this anything to be top secret since it has been reported by FOX, CNN and pratically every other news agency in the world. I really doubt that if saddam is still alive , his only news source is the Free Republic website.

[glennaro]

Could the advance notice to the enemy of the pending attack be part of a larger strategy to encourage their surrender? The bombs may not have to fall, but if no mass surrender occurs, the bombers are there to execute the attack.

[ladtx]

his only news source is the Free Republic website.

I heard his screen name is "SadSack".

[Real Cynic No More]

Would like to know the validity of the source: if it's just speculation because they left Britain, then they could merely be flying to the air bases located inside Iraq that our forces liberated earlier today. If we can stage our operations from within Iraq, we don't need any Turkish or anyone else's airspace.

[floriduh voter]

Turkey changed their mind today. Powell is trying to work it out with the Turks. Powell had a short presser about a half an hour ago.

[CougarGA7]

Baghdad is CST +9 and it's already dark.

[Joe Hadenuf]

You can't be serious....

[Cyber Liberty]

I watched the B-52H's taking off before I left for work this morning. A quick mental calculation put the results at about 1/2 to 1 hour from now.

This isn't a "loose-lips" deal. They *want* this info spread as far and as wide as we can get it out there.

[petuniasevan]

Just wanted to remind Freepers that the B-52's flying today are B-52H's and haven't been in the inventory since 1955. B-52H's the latest version are upgraded as much as any plane in the inventory

Yep, these are babies indeed. Some of them were built as late as 1962.

No other heavy aircraft comes close to the B-52 in terms of longevity and usefulness.

But they're still awful to maintain.

[Sender]

President Chirac is disturbed...

[Polybius]

BUT...isnt is 6:25pm over there now?

One hour later than that:

Current Local Time in Baghdad

[justshe]

The flyover permission was paired with permission for Turkish troops to enter Iraq from the north. We said no thanks. Powell is still attempting to separate the 2 issues but so far the Turks will not budge from this demand.

[Cyber Liberty]

If that's the case, I say screw the Turks. We're not gonna trade one bloodthirsty bunch for another, vis the Kurds.

[dogbyte12]

Why would you tell the whole world about this??? I bet those bomber crews appreciate it alot

Firstly, everybody within a 20 mile radius of the base in England knows that the B-52's have taken off. You can not fly out of there and keep it secret. Secondly, we don't give a rip if Iraq knows. We want them to know. We have softened up the targets, Iraq has yet to put one fighter in the air, and this is all part of the psych ops. If they wanted this done in secret, it would have been done in secret. Trust the leadership, they know what they are doing.

[discostu]

There's a definite possibility that spreading the news far and wide of the Bufs is part of the psy-ops. Given what we're being told and when we're being told it I think the press and the net are the unrealizing weapon of this war. Notice we weren't told anything about the decapitation strike on day one, in fact the press was told to "go home, nothing is happening tonight", but the smart stations notice that the Oval Office stayed "hot" (wired for immediate TV broadcast) so they stayed anyway, but the hole tone of the coverage was still very subdued as nobody expected anyting. All these promises of shock and awe, running coverage of action. I'm fully comfortable with the knowledge that if I know the Bufs have taken off it's OK for Saddam to know too.

[r9etb]

More likely they'll be dropping JDAM's.

Stories yesterday had them being loaded with racks of 500 lb bombs. If these buffs are bound for a Republican Guard concentration, massive quantities of 500 pounders will be a far more effective encouragement to surrender. JHMO.

[VOA]

B52S TO HIT WITHIN HOUR

As much as I like the Rolling Thunder effects (on bad guys)...
I'd love to see jaws hit the ground at CNN if the bomb-bay doors opened...and load, upon
load of humanitarian aid was parachuted on the bedraggled Iraqi soldiers and
civilians...with a message that "we're here to help anyone who wants to
save Iraq from Saddam; please signify your desire to help us by running up a white flag
within the hour; otherwise, we'll return to make sure you don't have a part in
the new Iraq."

(yeah, I know B-52s are not the usual carrier for humanitarian aid drops)