Shock and Awe: I Think Not.

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According to the inspectors it was more or less disarmed. Scott Ritter claimed that Iraq was disarmed to 90-95%.

I can actually in some bisarre way understand if Saddam was hesitant to comply with the inspectors this time, Bush's rhetorics left little doubt that he would attack either way as long as Saddam didnt step down or was throwned out in a coup.

Would you have complied if the person threathening you more or less says it straight out that he will kick your arse no matter what you do as long as you do not kill yourself?

The US put alot of pressure on Saddam to comply,perhaps too much? I atleast have had the impression that this war was inevitable since the Bush II administration first turned their eyes on Iraq.

 

Ragusa - I think the German army did manage to take Stalingrad. But after a few months of freezing cold weather and Goering's failed airlift to resupply the army, they had to surrender it back to the Russians.

It is thought by some that before winter, the 6th army could have broken out of Stalingrad, been reinforced and retaken the city. But it was a matter of large egos between Hilter and Stalin, and Hitler ordered the 6th to fight to the last man, rather than loose face by retreating from Stalingrad.

In the end, Hilter got part of what he wished, because out of the 250,000 German soldiers at Stalingrad only a few thousand ever lived to see Germany again. Incidentally, I had a great uncle who was a general there and Hitler ordered him to kill himself rather than surrender the army. The large egos of some leaders have almost no limits.

 

I was generalising, both cities were long fought for, under heavy casualties on both sides.

When the german army in the south attacked the russians they withdrew carefully as they had plenty of land to sacrifice. The german attack gained ground but failed to defeat the enemy, the german supply lines were stretched, and they had to secure an increasingly larger front to prevent the rusians to break through - that forced them ton rely on a thin front and mobile reserves in the secured sectors.

The german army never managed to fully drive resistance out of the city (russian resistance remained on the left wolga bank) even though they controlled large portions of it. After doing that under heavy losses in a purely infanteristic close quarter slaughter the russian counteroffensive on 19.11.1942 put the germans under heavy pressure and eventually encircled them. They wanted to withdraw but Hitler ordered them to hold and fight "to the last bullet".
Attempts to establish an airbridge (to supply 300.000 troops ... ... that would be quite a job even with C-17, but with Ju-52 ... ) failed under heavy losses of the already struggling air force - as well as attempts to relief the besieged 6th aermy from the outside. The end came quick and after 2 more months on 31.1.43 Gen. Paulus had to capitulate.

Stalingrad is pretty much glorified by the german participants as well as the russians. It didn't bring the end of the fight at the easter front, that was kinda predetermined after 1941 when the german army failed to take moscow as that showed germany was unprepared for the winter and a long war.
There were later german defeats with much heavier losses. It only accelerated the war as it was a big "bone grind" annihilating soldiers in thousands a week. Stalingrad is a symbol for a hopeless fight in germany and for a glorious victory in russia. And a reminder how war really is like.

[ March 28, 2003, 08:57: Message edited by: Ragusa ]