1000-vehicle Republian Guard convoy??

TomF

Could this be true? If so, it will surely result in a vast slaughter of whoever is in the vehicles of that convoy. Remembe the "Turkey Shoot" of the First Gulf War when Iraqis in a rag-tag kind of a convoy of stolen and other Kuwaiti vehicles were racing back into Iraq when they were caught on the highway by U.S. aircraft?

Maybe whoever is in charge in Baghdad has loaded the vehicles of this convoy with his enemies and is sending them to certain destruction and thereby scoring a media coup.

And by the way, is "elite" a required modifier of "Republican Guard"?

"A large contingent of Iraq's elite Republican Guard headed south in a 1,000-vehicle convoy Wednesday toward U.S. Marines in central Iraq... ."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31358-2003Mar26.html

mike65

I'd be sceptical about a 1000 vehicles but they may well
be trying to use the poor weather as cover to launch a "surprise" attack on the US 7th Cavery. Of course if the sand storms clear then it will be a turkey shoot.

Mike.

KdjaCL

70 -120 vehicles on euronews.


kdjac

mike65

Originally posted by KdjaC
70 -120 vehicles on euronews.


kdjac

Wrong armoured column! That one is moving south from Basra and last I heard was being picked off by the airforce.

Mike.

bonkey

Originally posted by TomF
Could this be true? If so, it will surely result in a vast slaughter of whoever is in the vehicles of that convoy. Remembe the "Turkey Shoot" of the First Gulf War when Iraqis in a rag-tag kind of a convoy of stolen and other Kuwaiti vehicles were racing back into Iraq when they were caught on the highway by U.S. aircraft?

There is a significant difference between - on one hand - running for home after an invasion and counter-attack which has left you damaged, weakened, and far from supply lines, and - on the other hand - having any form of armoured column in your own country, where you have long prepared for defence, are well armed, easily resupplied, know the territory, and have pretty much every advantage you're ever gonna get.

Lets not forget that the US fly-boys have already made several comments about the ferocity of ground-air fire which has seriously limited their capabilities by forcing them to keep at further distance, and the ambient weather conditions are frequently such that this "further distance" is effectively out of any sort of range, especially visual - which the pilots need to be able to doge the incoming fire.

Now, dont get me wrong...if this info is correct, I have every faith that the coalition army will slaughter the Iraqis, but it will be far from a turkey shoot. There is every likelihood that serious damage could be inflicted.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

davelerave

convoys are sitting ducks out in the open, how can they be so dumb

Sand

Perhaps theyre recognising their choice to fight from civillian areas places an undue and inhumane level of risk and suffering upon their own citizens and thus wish to fight the war in a way which will result in less collateral damage.

Or theyre simply mad - they have little or no chance in the open, theyll most likely be annialated. According to the news the Basra column is moving along a road - practically sitting ducks, perhaps this is where the americans utilise their MOABs to greatest effect?

As for the Republican Guards and elite... I think its a relative term.

dathi1

It could be a diversion tactic to take pressure of Iraqi positions north of nazeria or they're getting the hell out of Basra before the dam at cordola is blown further upstream??? or they're just commiting suicide.

davelerave

you can be sure they won't be taking too many prisoners -literally,too much trouble and imo it's only window dressing for the cameras, geneva convention etc

Sand

Hard for a jet to take prisoners.

Interesting tactic might be that they've loaded the convoy, with civilians, and are waiting for the US airforces to attack it. Then they could claim an unjust attack. Wheels within wheels.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.