The Battle of 73 Easting would go down as an epic demonstration of American superior military technology and tactics, but years later, McMaster would cite America’s success in the war as luring leaders into thinking the American military was indestructible. We had the advantage and had to finish the battle rapidly.” Had we halted, we would have given the enemy farther to the east an opportunity to organize an effort against us while we presented them with stationary targets. … If we had stopped, we would have forfeited the shock effect we had inflicted on the enemy. “Gifford explained the situation to the squadron headquarters on the radio. However, later.“ called me from the command post to remind me that the 70 easting was the limit of advance. Early CENTCOM estimates claimed that before G-Day, that number was 2,600. To make this point he cites the number of armored vehicles destroyed by fixed-wing aircraft. Houlahan credits the air campaign for paving the way for the successful land campaign, but takes issue with the perception that the air campaign destroyed the bulk of the Iraqi army. Here the author analyzes the strategic concepts behind the air campaign and discusses in detail the aerial platforms, weapons, and tactics that the coalition and Iraqi air forces used. The second section concerns the planning and execution of the air campaign.
The author reviews the history of Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraq's rationale for invading Kuwait, the initiatives of the Bush Administration to garner international and domestic support for its policies, and the initial coalition military response to the invasion. The first is a short tutorial on the diplomatic and military background of the Iraqi invasion. Houlahan divides his book into nine sections. The author used extensive research-including interviews with more than 200 commanders, staff officers, and enlisted personnel-to weave an interesting and illuminating history of the conflict, focusing particularly on the ground campaign. A good place to start for novices and for historians as well is with Thomas Houlahan's Gulf War: The Complete History. 471 pages.Īs we observe the tenth anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, there will inevitably be a great deal of renewed interest in the conflict. New London, Conn.: Schrenker Military Publishing, 1999.
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