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The Persian Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War. By Natalie Wessels , Daniel Jacobson, and Jared Reed. Causes and Background. Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq, invaded Kuwait doubled his oil supply He threatened to invade Saudi Arabia He would then control 1/5 of the world’s oil supply

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The Persian Gulf War

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  1. The Persian Gulf War By Natalie Wessels, Daniel Jacobson, and Jared Reed

  2. Causes and Background • Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq, invaded Kuwait • doubled his oil supply • He threatened to invade Saudi Arabia • He would then control 1/5 of the world’s oil supply • Operation Desert Shield: Saudi Arabia called for help from NATO. Troops were deployed in defense of Saudi Arabia. • Operation Desert Storm: An invasion of Kuwait and Iraq to drive back the Iraqis. Offensive, consisting of fighting both in the air and on the ground.

  3. Leaders of the War • Saddam was born April 28, 1937, he died on December 30, 2006. • He was the leader of Iraq for twenty-four years, his regime beginning in 1979. • At a young age Saddam was sent to live with his uncle in Talfah, after his father left and after his brother died from cancer. • In 1957 he joined the Ba’ah party, where he and others tried to assassinate an important leader. • Saddam was shot in the leg. • After this incident he fled to Syria, and then to Egypt where he would study law.

  4. Saddam Hussein returned the man he previously tried to overthrow was toppled from leadership. • Saddam was sent to prison, only to resurface and to help Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr to become president in 1968. • After gaining a very large amount of politicial influence, Saddam ousted Bakr after Bakr tried to unite Iraq and Syria, which would have left Saddam virtually powerless, this occurred in 1979.

  5. Norman grew under of the influence of his father. • Norman attended school in Iran, Switzerland, and Italy. He became fluent in the German and French languages. • After training in Fort Benning, Georgia, and after a tour in West Germany he returned to the U.S. to study guided missile engineering. • Norman returned to West point to teach engineering, only to go to Vietnam in 1965. After the tour Norman returned to West Point to teach.

  6. After a marriage to Brenda Holsinger, and after attending Command and General Staff College at Leavenworth, Kansas, Norman felt obliged to return to Vietnam. Norman returned in 1969. • After a minefield incident Norman and after receiving three Silver Stars, after experiences with Vietnam, and the public reactions to the war and to the military Norman decided any war that was fought under his command would go very differently.

  7. Timeline • January 17, 1991 – Operation Desert Storm began with air warfare • January 25 – Iraq creates a massive oil slick in the Persian Gulf • February 23 – 700 oil wells ignited in Kuwait • February 24 – The ground war began • February 28 – Cessation of hostilities declared • April 6 – Iraq officially accepts cease-fire

  8. Air Warfare • Air warfare lasted 38 days • Key Iraqi military targets were heavily bombed • Command centers, communication centers, missile launch sites, radar facilities, airports, runways, etc. • Great care was taken not to bomb historically important sites, only military targets. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lq749AEEBbA

  9. The Ground War • Day 1: US Marines led troops across the Iraq border. They advanced halfway to Kuwait City, as well as towards the Iraqi western flank • Minimal American casualties • Day 2: Iraqi missile destroyed US barracks in Dhahran. US troops advanced, and the western flank began to cut off the Iraqi Army’s retreat. • Day 3: Largest tank battle in history, but US didn’t lose a single tank. As Iraqi troops retreated they set about 700 oil wells on fire.

  10. T-72 Main Battle Tank • The T-72 Main Battle Tank was used by the Iraqi armed forces in the Persian Gulf. • It had a smooth bore 125mm gun that could shoot fragmentation, armor piercing, and high explosive rounds. • It has shock absorbers that are angled at sixty degrees, so that it can handle sixty degree inclinations. • It has eleven inches of turret armor, and the equivalent to 21.5 inches of armor on the hull nose (actual armor thickness is 8.8 inches, but the armor is spaced and laminated, improving endurance). • Has an infrared spotlight.

  11. T-72

  12. M1A1 Main Battle Tank • Entered service in 1980. • Throughout the Persian Gulf war, the coalition did not loose a single M1A1 tank crew. • Uses a 1,500-horsepower gas turbine engine. It can achieve 0-20 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds. The most recent M1’s have 490 gallon gas tanks, which give them the range of 265 miles. • It is equipped with the German made 120mm smoothbore gun. • Fires Sabot (like a massive anti tank arrow) and HEAT rounds (High Explosive Anti-Tank).

  13. M1A1

  14. Battle of 73 Easting • The term 73 Easting does not refer to either a town or a particular point of interest in a map, instead it refers to a north south line on a coordinate grid. • The battle occurred on flat desert ground, the perfect place for tank warfare. • The American VII Corps job was to seek out and destroy an Iraqi Republican Guard forces. • It consisted of four armored divisions. • In the front of this American Force was the 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment.

  15. Due to serious weather conditions it was extremely impossible to locate enemy tanks before physical contact. • At 3:30 pm a small American force (Eagle Troop) accidently found itself in the heart of an Iraqi battalion. • Eagle troop (headed by Captain H.R. McMaster) was able to destroy three Iraqi tanks in eight seconds. • McMaster though outnumbered six or five to one engaged. • Aided by Iron and Ghost Troops the Americans destroyed the Iraqi formation (Eagle Troop alone destroyed thirty Iraqi tanks).

  16. Results • US Casualties: 148 battle deaths, 145 non-battle deaths • Iraq Casualties: 100,000 killed, 300,000 wounded • Gulf War Syndrome: An unexplained medical illness with varying symptoms • Such as fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems • More than ¼ of the 700,000 US veterans of the Gulf War suffer from Gulf War Syndrome • Led to the 2nd Gulf War (Iraq War) in 2003

  17. Resources • http://www.ushistory.org/us/60a.asp • http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=45404 • http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/dstorm/ds5.htm • http://www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war • http://www.desert-storm.com/ • http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2020.html • http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/affacts/blairpowerinoperationdesertstorm.htm • http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/medically-unexplained-illness.asp • http://www.biography.com/people/saddam-hussein-9347918#early-life&awesm=~oE4hvhyXtgg4Z8 • http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/sch0bio-1 • HowStuffWorks.com

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