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Wolfowitz Asserts Value of Ground Forces, Touts Their Role in Joint By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2003 – Ground forces are an important part of the Defense Department's plans in transforming itself to meet 21st century challenges, the department's deputy secretary asserted here. Speaking at a luncheon for members of the Association of the U.S. Army, Paul Wolfowitz said he's puzzled by media reports that say civilian leaders think ground forces are obsolete. "Yes, the armed forces today have mind-boggling long-range precision-strike capabilities," Wolfowitz said, "and yes, we intend to take full advantage of...

They call them "lessons learned" reports in the Pentagon, and few are getting as much attention as the review of the Army's lumbering M1-A1 Abrams tank's performance in Iraq. Revered by soldiers as the world's best, the report found that lone Iraqis armed with simple rocket-propelled grenades halted a few Abramses in their tracks. Just like those Battle of the Bulge scenes of GIs firing at the bellies of Nazi tanks, a rocket aimed at the armored skirts on the side and back of the Abrams would occasionally disable the tank. That's led some to question the plan to replace...

AL AZIZIYAH, Iraq – The Iraqis fired rocket-propelled grenades from behind a taxi parked along a distant canal. One grenade zipped across the nose of an armored amphibious vehicle and exploded in the dirt. That angered Maj. Andrew Bianca, executive officer of the Marines' 2nd Tank Battalion. Sheathed in aluminum plate, the tracked amphibious vehicles known as amtracks can withstand rifle fire, but not rocket grenades. And Maj. Bianca's support team was in amtracks. He ordered his tank crew to fire a round at the Iraqis. The 120 mm cannon barrel dropped slightly, then erupted with smoke and flame. The...

Tanks for the Memory By Ralph Kinney Bennett TCS One of the enduring images of the recent war in Iraq is a column of M-1A1 Abrams tanks barreling down the streets of Baghdad on a "thunder run," deep into the city. This spring, American tanks in Iraq gave a small reprise of their astounding successes in the 1991 Gulf War. The superiority of both American and British tanks (and their superbly trained crews) was beyond question. When they engaged Iraqi armor directly, their ability to get off the vital first shot and make it count was decisive. Iraq is littered...

Kim Burger JDW Staff Reporter, Nick Cook JDW Aerospace Consultant, Andrew Koch JDW Washington Bureau Chief, Michael Sirak JDW Staff Reporter With the regime of Saddam Hussein soundly defeated by overwhelming military force, coalition leaders are analysing what initial lessons can be drawn from Operation 'Iraqi Freedom'. A high-level Pentagon team is already sifting through the data. The team-members will be aware that their conclusions will be leapt upon by proponents of two quite disparate camps: those who will use the war to bolster the process of the military's transformation from a Cold War-era fighting force to one that is...

Despite being outnumbered, the U.S. group vanquished the Iraqi Republican Guard force within minutes, thanks to superior armed vehicles and devastatingly powerful ammunition. "My commander called me, gave me the warning order to be prepared to conduct an attack on 22 stationary T-72s [Soviet-built tanks used by the Iraqis] that the [U.S.] Air Force had identified," Lyle said. "I selected a force, tank heavy, almost all the tanks in my troop, with some Bradleys [armored fighting vehicles] to go with it."

WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- On Saturday, an armored task force from the 3rd Infantry Division started south of Baghdad, pushed through the city and ended its journey at Baghdad International Airport, west of the capital. In the raid, the task force is believed to have killed about 1,000 Iraqi defenders. Apparently, most of those killed were members of the Special Republican Guard. American losses were one killed and six wounded. The results of this raid should not be taken as proof that the capture of Baghdad will be easy. It is, however, a strong indication that it won't be...

"America's Stunning Victory"by J. R. Nyquist  It is now apparent that Iraq is on the verge of defeat. The threat to U.S. lines of communications has been countered. Any delays to America’s forward advance were therefore insignificant. At the same time, Iraqi forces were unable to launch an effective counterattack. As these words are written, Iraq’s best divisions are being shredded, the Iraqi people are turning against the regime of Saddam Hussein, and the prospect of a sudden Iraqi collapse is before us.If Saddam’s army collapses or surrenders in the next two or three weeks the war will be...

<p>U.S. Army and Marine Corps ground forces smashed two of President Saddam Hussein's prized Republican Guard divisions and then moved relentlessly yesterday to attack other units to clear a direct invasion path to Baghdad.</p> <p>American divisions moved within 15 miles of the capital and began chasing down two other Republican Guard divisions in a two-sided buzz saw of tank fire from the ground, and bombs and missiles from allied jets and AH-64 Apache helicopters. One U.S. military official said Baghdad's outer ring could be cleared of Republican Guard troops in the next two days.</p>

<p>US ground forces punched through a crucial pathway known as the Karbala Gap at dawn today and surrounded the city of Karbala, advancing toward a much-anticipated assault on Baghdad. The movement occurred after elements of the US Army's Third Infantry Division unleashed an assault on key Iraqi Republican Guard divisions. The attack signaled a new phase in the war: engaging Iraqi tank divisions in ground fighting within a defensive perimeter less than 50 miles from the capital.</p>

U.S. Forces Drive Within Sight of Baghdad By RAVI NESSMAN and ELLEN KNICKMEYER .c The Associated Press SOUTH OF BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. forces fought to within sight of the Baghdad skyline 20 miles away Wednesday, seizing key bridges and shattering two divisions of the vaunted Republican Guard as they thrust north from two directions - the Army from the southwest, Marines from the southeast. Along the way, some Iraqi soldiers shed their uniforms for plain robes, and smiling civilians proffered the troops Iraqi-brand cigarettes. ``It feels better going north,'' said Marine Cpl. John Edwards of Clovis, N.M. ``The...

Col. Hunt on O'reilley: 3rd ID Has killed 10,000 Iraquis and lost 6 in battles. AMAZING.

<p>The ground offensive to capture Baghdad began last night, as tanks and helicopters from the Army's 5th Corps started a major attack against the Republican Guard Medina division defending the city's southern approach.</p> <p>In the battle for Baghdad, heavy fighting was reported north of Karbala, a holy Shi'ite Muslim site about 50 miles from the capital.</p>

April 2, 2003 Onward Toward the Tigris, With Iraq's Capital in MindBy DEXTER FILKINS ITH THE FIRST MARINE DIVISION, in central Iraq, Wednesday, April 2 — Heavy armor and troops from the First Marine Division crossed the Tigris river overnight and continued to move north along the east bank of the river toward Baghdad. Troops and equipment were continuing to pour across after sunrise this morning. Overnight there was a heavy firefight employing tanks and artillery as well as AC-130 gunships. Marine officials said 85 prisoners were taken in the fight. The move by thousands of troops and tanks was...

Army Battles to Clear Way to Baghdad By DAVID ESPO .c The Associated Press Army ground forces attacked Republican Guard units Tuesday near Karbala, scarcely 50 miles from Baghdad, part of around-the-clock combat pointing toward an assault on the capital. An American POW was rescued in Iraq. Defense officials said Army units attacked elements of the Medina Division of the Republican Guard in the clash near Karbala, hitting an elite Iraqi force weakened by heavy air bombardment over several days. Pfc. Jessica Lynch, a 19-year-old supply clerk from Palestine, W.Va., was freed after nine days in Iraqi hands. Military officials...

LONDON - US-led forces are poised for an "imminent" attack on Baghdad which according to senior military sources at US Central Command in Qatar is likely to begin "within 48 hours," the British press said Wednesday. The "big push" for Baghdad would begin "within 48 hours" with an intensive artillery bombardment supported by close air cover before the main body of troops stepped forward, said The Times. The assault is likely to start to the southwest of Baghdad with an initial strike to breach Iraq's elite Medina division's lines north of Karbala and head on to the capital, it said....

American forces attacked a Republican Guard division tonight at Karbala, on the Euphrates River approach to Baghdad, in what officials said was the beginning of a drive to push through the outer defenses of the Iraqi capital, 50 miles to the north. Officials also said that several thousand marines positioned south of Baghdad were veering east and pushing toward the Tigris River to confront a Republican Guard division reported to be massing southeast of the capital. ``This is the big battle,'' a senior American military officer told reporters at the forward headquarters of the United States Central Command, in Qatar....

THE “big push” by coalition forces on Baghdad was said to be imminent last night as thousands of frontline US troops learnt that their four-day operational pause was over. More than 60,000 men from the US 3rd Infantry were poised to begin the ground war against the Republican Guard ringing the capital. Senior military sources at US Central Command said that Operation Iraqi Freedom’s main ground offensive would begin “within 48 hours” with an intense artillery bombardment supported by close air cover before the main body of troops stepped forward. Preparations for an offensive that would answer the growing chorus...

The Government warned the public last night to prepare for a fierce last stand by Saddam Hussein's forces as US troops resumed their advance on Baghdad. Allied officials said a major battle that may decide the fate of Saddam's regime could be "no more than hours away". Gen Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "serious combat" operations against Iraqi forces had begun. The US 3rd Infantry Division, which had been consolidating its positions on a narrow front 50 miles south of the capital, moved towards the Medina Division of the Republican Guard. Allied intelligence believes it...