January 1 - 16, 1991

1991

01 January 1991 (Tuesday):

GENERAL:

v VP Quale in the Sandbox, Saddam visiting troops in Kuwait, and two Naval Battle

Groups (America & Roosevelt) sail again from Norfolk to the Gulf to place six

carriers on three strategic stations. Heavy outlays of conventional Tomahawks are

deployed. VR-94 from Dallas and Carswell MP unit are mobilized.

v Missouri Battle Group arrives in the Gulf

v Iraq rejected an appeal from Egypt to pull out.

v The Jordanian Army digs in along the Israeli border

v Iraq imported $14 billion worth of high-tech equipment from Germany, Italy,

Britain, France, and the US during 1984 to 1989

... machine tools, computers, electrinic test & manufacture equipment, and heavy machinery for use at its research facilities

AIR WAR:

v The F-15E "Strike Eagle" Experience: 4th TFW at Seymore Johnson AFB

... Only (20) LANTIRN Targeting Pods have been delivered by Aug 90

... LANTIRN Navigation Pods are operation with

- Seymore Johnson F-15E - Nellis AFB F-16C

- Moody AFB F-16C - Hill AFB F-16C

- Osan AB F-16C - Luke AFB F-15E

02 January 1991 (Wednesday):

GENERAL:

v Turkey has finally begun to deploy a significant amount of force to the Iraq border.

A squadron of F-16C's was deployed and much of the Air Force is being beefed up.

NATO has agreed to send three ACE Mobile Force units. Finally the EPAF

mobilizes the Twenthe (RNLAF) and Beauvachain (BAF) wings. Each Gov't wants

to send one F-16A unit and the Germans will deploy their CAS Alpha Jets.

v It turns out that the NATO ACE Mobile Force gets energized, not independent

F-16 units from the EPAF. Belgium sends Recce Mirages and the Italians

send F-104's. The Germans still send Alpha Jets.

v US troops number over 325,000, coalition adds another 245,000.

AIR WAR:

v 6 x UK GR-1 Tornado's depart Bruggen for Dhahran to form No 31

(Composite) Squadron under WngCmdr Jerry J. Witts. Other aircraft will

follow on the 3rd and 4th. These GR-1's have upgraded engines, new IFF, and

provisions for 495 gal (2250 litre) drop-tanks, GPS Navigation equipment,

and other minor items.

03 January 1991 (Thursday):

GENERAL:

v SecState Baker will go to Switzerland to possibly meet with Iraq's Aziz. Both sides are

trying to get visibility but on the surface they are holding firm. The Paris Match

publishes a story saying that Saddam's half brother, now Ambassador to France, has

indicated that Saddam was ready to pull out of Kuwait but now needed time to unseat all of his dug in troops. Will we be that dumb. UK expels 7 Iraqi Diplomats.

v President Bush proposes "one last attempt for peace" in the Gulf, and offered to

send SecState Baker to Geneva for talks with Aziz. Britain expels 75 Iraqi's.

v Pan Am suspends flights to Israel and Saudi Arabia

v US Congress starts an open debate on the war possibilities

04 January 1991 (Friday):

GENERAL:

v All Liberal minded factions are scurrying for a "peace-angle". The Iraqi

Gov't has agreed to have Aziz meet Baker in Geneva on the 12th. It doesn't

look good for any progress. The French have launched an independent

approach and have offerred a seven point peace plan with "linkage". It seems

however, that Saddam has made his mind up for blood.

v 4th MEB (LPH-9/Guam) evacuates 65 US Citizens from Mogadisu, Somalia.

05 January 1991 (Saturday):
GENERAL:

v The Iraqi Gov't reaffirmed its position not to ever pull out of Kuwait and

that it is their 19th Province forever. More A-10's are mobilized and

enroute. Three Squadrons of NATO Fighters deploy to Turkey part of the

NATO ACE Mobile Force. Turkey requested backup from NATO to be in place

before15 January. It is assumed that the US VII Corps and two armoured

divisions will also move to Turkey and not the Persian Gulf to open up the

prospects of a northern Front.

... Belgium: 18 x Mirage 5A's Recce from Bierset (No. 8 Squadron)

... Germany: 18 x Alpha Jets (JBG 43)

... Italy: 06 x Recce F-104's (No. 3 Stormo)

08 x G222 Transports

v Turkey had refused the Dutch basing for F-16's from 315 Squadron and

augmented by 316 Squadron, which was first offered in September

v General Merrill A. McPeak, new USAF Chief of Staff, arrives in an F-15C on

a visit to the 37th TFW at Khamis Mushait.

06 January 1991 (Saturday):

GENERAL:

v USS Saratoga Battle Group transits Suez Canal to Red Sea station

07 January 1991 (Sunday):

GENERAL:

v Iraq ordered the nations 225 hospitals to clean out all but the critically ill, in

preparation for war casualties. US Embassy officials have begun destroying all files and documents. US citizens in the Gulf area are being warned to get out of the area.

Oil prices rose $2. US and Britain make a secret handshake on the use of force and

weapons during Baker's visit with Foreign Secretary Hurd. The A-12 Program is cancelled, Jim Loop ordered home on same day. Six Iraqi Helicopters defect to

Saudi Arabia and it was reported that they were full of troops.

v 48th Brigade, Georgia NG deploys to Fort Irwin for war refresher training

08 January 1991 (Monday):

GENERAL:

v No proof that the Iraqi helicopters were real. It brings up the subject of

"spoofing" the AWACS again.

v Pentagon estimates on Iraqi forces in Southern Iraq and Kuwait rest at:

- 537,000 men

- 4000 MBT's

- 2700 AFV's

- 3000 Artillery pieces

- 700 total fixed wing IqAF plus helicopters for support

LOSSES:

v 1 x F-16C from the 4th TFS/388th TFW based out of Hill AFB, Utah now

deployed to the UAE. Capt Micheal L. Chinburg was killed on a night

training mission at around 20:45 PM. He was the 9th USAF death in the

Gulf. It was said that he was not carrying a LANTIRN Navigation Pod.

- aircraft 88-0483 Block 40C (1C85)

- ground impact on night low level training mission

- 2nd F-16 loss due to Gulf War

v 1 x UK F-4 Phantom based at Akrotiri, Cyprus is lost at sea

09 January 1991 (Wednesday):

GENERAL:

v The Baker / Aziz talk in Geneva ended in failure. Cheney is asking for a

State of National Emergency. The President signed an Executive Order

requiring civilian industry to give priorities to military orders.

10 January 1991 (Thursday):

GENERAL:

v Britain's ambassador in Bagdad Harold Walker, left the embassy, and drove 800 miles through the desert to Amman, Jordan.

v Elements of NATO's Ace Mobile Force Deploy to Turkey

11 January 1991 (Friday):

GENERAL

v State Department warns the world about Iraqi terrorism plans

v MAC passes 10,000 sortie mark, 370,000 passengers & over 346,000 tons

12 January 1991 (Saturday):

GENERAL:

v Congress gives President Bush the resolution he has been seeking

authorizing the use of force if Iraq doesn't pull out of Kuwait.

v US closes its Embassy in Bagdad, and expels all but 4 from Washington.

v Press reporters observe a number of helicopters coming in from occupied

Kuwait and land at a Saudi base. This leads to reports about mass defections

which are at first confirmed by the US but denied by the Saudi's. After the was

it is learned that this was the return of a joint US/UK special forces operation

designed to capture key Iraqi Air Defense Personnel and documents to gather

intelligence on the up and coming Air Campaign.

v USS Midway Battle Group re-enters the Persian Gulf

13 January 1991 (Sunday):

GENERAL:

v US SecGen Javier Perez de Cuellar left Bagdad after failing in a final attempt to

persuade President Saddam to agree to withdraw his troops unconditionally

from Kuwait.

v Precision Guided Weapons Kits start being built-up ast 37th TFW.

LOSSES:

v 1 x UK GR-1Tornado crashes in the Saudi desert on a training mission

... ZD718/"BH", crew was killed

... No 14 Squadron aircraft, deployed from Bruggen 04Jan91

... FltLt Kieran Duffy (pilot) and FltLt Norman Dent were KIA

... was part of a four-ship that planned a long-range sortie that included low level work down to 100 ft MSD/AGL. The a/c were configured with large tanks and outboard stores. No.3 a/c ground aborted, therefore a missing man formation was used. The weather during the low level was excellent, sun high 8 o'clock. Towards the end of the low level leg, with the No. 4 a/c flying 40 seconds behind the lead pair, the No. 2 a/c looked back and saw smoke. Upon going back, a trail of wreckage was found.

14 January 1991 (Monday):

GENERAL:

v UN Secretary General failed in Iraq. The Iraqi Parliament gave Saddam a

unanimous vote of confidence for War. France's Six-point Proposal is

being brushed aside. The US goes into a war watch. In Tunis, two key aides

of Arafat are assassinated. Salah Khalaf, PLO 2nd in Command, and Hayel

Abdel-Hamid, the PLO's security chief both showed up dead for a morning

meeting. Hamid's family also was killed. The assassin was a PO'ed PLO.

v France, Algeria, Yeman, & Libya appeal to Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait before

the UN deadline. Israeli Intelligence says that War is inevitable as Israeli

officials reiterate that Israel had the right to retaliate.

v Saddam sent King Fahd an open letter telling him that he will be responsible if War

breaks out and condemns him for inviting foreign troops onto his soil.

v Abu Lyad, deputy to Arafat, is assassinated

v Israel issues gas masks to Palestinian residents

v USS T.R. Roosevelt BG transits the Suez for duty in the Red Sea

v USS Ranger BG moves into the Persian Gulf

v US Navy strength in the region reaches 108 ships

... 34 in the Arabian/Persian Gulf

... 35 in the North Arabian Sea/Gulf of Oman

... 26 in the Red Sea

... 13 in the Mediterranean Sea

v 17 anti-ship mines discovered to date, 16 confirmed Iraqi

AIR WAR:

v 6 x recce Tornado GR1A's out of Laarbruch, called No 2 (Composite)

Squadron, depart for Dhahran Air Base under the command of WngCdr Al Treadgould. These will bring the total of UK GR1's in the Gulf to 42.

LOSSES:

v 1 x F-16A lost in an accident from the 174th TFW

... Syracuse ANG

... 79-0400, A185, Blk 10B

... training mission over Saudi Desert

... engine seized and EPU quit/failed

... pilot ejected OK

... 3rd F-16 lost during Desert Shield (all types of accidents and losses)

15 January 1991 (Tuesday):

GENERAL:

v UN deadline passes, American's stay glued to the TV, a question of "when"

v The US JCS declares Defense Condition 2 (DEFCON 2)

v Iraq closes its border with Turkey, France abandons diplomatic efforts.

v Desert Shield ends as the VII Corps completes arrival, the build-up is done.

v Gen Schwarzkopf accuses the Air Force of ignoring orders by not including the

Republican Guards on their initial war sortie plans (Crusade, by Rick Atkinson, pg

509). At this time there was also "rumors" that Schwarzkopf was furious that

A-10's were not immediately sent over to the War Zone. It appeared as if USAF Generals carefully avoided Schwarzkopf for fear of getting his wrath which was full

of traditional Army distrust of Air Force arrogance about CAS.

AIR WAR:

v US Navy has completely traded out all 3.5G limited A-6E's from the theater

16 January 1991 (Wednesday):

AIR WAR:

v Aircrews start briefings for strikes around 1000 PM on the 15th local time.

v All deployed Provisional Wings receive Execute Orders on D-Day Taskings.

First Wave of F-117's will launch after midnight local time on the 17th.

v At 06:35 CST, 7 x B-52G Bombers from the 2nd Bomb Wing (8th AF)

departed Barksdale AFB, La., carrying (39) new conventional variants of the

Boeing produced AGM-86B cruise missile (ALCM-C). Newer ALCM-B's

will replace the (35) expended which will themselves be eventually replaced

by the GD advanced AGM-129A system. The (35) missiles (90%) that

launched were targeted against classified points in Iraq. (AW&ST 17Jan92, pg 7). The mission would last 35 hours and cover over 14,000 miles with 4 x refuelings.

GPS updates were utilized during the route and on final target run. The 1,000 Lbs

warhead were reported as being 80-88% effective. The Pentagon announced on 16Jan92, that the B-52's were the 1st aircraft launched in the Air War.

v Bush orders 30 day supply of oil from US strategic reserves be made available

v French Forces are placed under US control

v Greece agrees to let the US use its bases and ports

v CENTCOM announces troop strength at 425,000

... 19 countries in the coalition

... 14 participating in naval efforts (6960 intercepts/832 boardings)

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

January 1 - 16, 1991