Day 32: 17 Feb 1991

17 February 1991 (Sunday): DAY 32

GENERAL:

v 20 Iraqi soldiers surrender to an Apache Helicopter

v Intell estimates say Iraqi's are sustaining 15% casualties

v 2 x US armoured vehicles fratricide, 2 x KIA and 6 x WIA. Cause considered to

be a mis-ID by an Apache

v India halts allowing US aircraft from refueling at its bases

v Two US ships (Tripoli & Princeton) hit mines

v Iraq blows up its own Masque near Basra

AIR WAR:

v weather turned marginal

v 2600 sorties

- 800 in the KTO

- 100 against the Rep Guards

- 150 against SCUD's

v The Brit's admit that one of their Tornado GR-1's dropped (3) LGB's that did

not guide on a Buccanneer's Pave Spike laser spot. Civilian casualties resulted.

The target was a bridge in downtown Bagdad

F-117 HIGHLIGHTS (17Feb/Day 32):

v Day 33/Wave One: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

4 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- takeoff during the p.m. of Day 32/17th to hit targets on Day 33/18th

- 1 x aircraft aborted, 9 x reached their objectives

- Scored 14 hits with 19 PGM attempts (74%)

- Ammunition Depot & Steel Fabrication Plant at Taji

- SAM Sites around Saad, Bagdad, and Habbaniyah

- Chemical & Biological Warfare Research Facilities at Salmon Pak

- A new Airfield at Wadi Al Khirr

v Day 33/Wave Two: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

4 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- takeoff during the p.m. of Day 32/17th to hit targets on Day 33/18th

- Scored 23 direct hits with 28 PGM attempts (81%)

- Salmon Pak Chemical and Biological Warfare Research Facilities

- Arms Manufacturing Plant at Al Iskandariyah

- The Wadi Al Kir Airfield

- Taji SAM Missile Storage Plant

- SCUD Missile Assembly Plant at Fallujah

- Motor Case Production Plant at Habbiniyah

- Artillery Production Plant at Habbiniyah

KILLS: None Recorded

LOSSES:

v 1 x F-16C Blk 25C from the 17th TFS/363rd TFW from Shaw AFB

- piloted by Capt Scott A. "Spike" Thomas (27) from Texas

- 84-1218, 5C55, Blk 25C, 30th coalition loss, 21st for the US

- Wingman 1/Lt Eric "Neck" Dodson

- engine trouble coming off target, on fire eating itself

- assumed hit by an Iraqi SAM Missile, but was classified as a Non-Combat Loss

- night interdiction mission, engine failure within Iraq

- ejected 40-60 miles north of the Iraq-Saudi-Kuwait border

- Wingman, 1/Lt Eric "Neck" Dodson, saw the plane go down and Thomas'

parachute was out

- Wingman established voice contact and notified AWACS of location

- Thomas was rescued after two hours on the ground

- 3rd Battalion. 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)

... Army Magzaine, "Hostile Territory Was Their AO In Desert Storm"

September 1991, pg 12-30.

... based at King Khalid Military City (KKMC) since Sept90

... LtCol Dell L. Daily, Commander

... utilized UH-60 Blackhawks in conjunction with USAF MH-53J

Pave Low Special Ops helicopters

... CWO-3 Thomas A. Montgomery....command pilot

CWO-3 Joel Locks, copilot

Paul Laduca & Kurt Hixenbaugh Crew Chiefs

PFC William Mudd, Medic

SFC Edmund Wilson & SSgt Douglas M. Patterson, SF Security Team

... the second helo piloted by CWO-3 Todd Thelin & John H. Aberg were

late on takeoff due to maintenance but joined at rendezvous point

... the two Blackhawks flew a zig-zagged 120 mile course through the

enemy radars guided by AWACS and protected by airborne CAP F-15E's

... Montgomery flew directly over Capt Thomas, who heard him

... Thomas turned on his survival beacon and the choppers flew to it

as a thunder storm started to arrive and enemy SAM radars came up

... SAM lock-ups were broken by ducking behind available terrain

... Thomas felt the helo's downdraft but was not sure who's it was

... after landing PFC Mudd got Thomas aboard

... when the helo's were clear the F-15E's hit approaching trucks

with cluster bombs

... the Iraqi's fired one missile at them which landed short

... Thomas' wingman landed at KKMC and met him

v 1 x UH-1H non-combat crash

v 1 x B-52 from England experienced a total electrical failure, jettisoned

bombs and made an emergency landing in Sicily

SCUDS:

v (2) fired at Israel

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Day 32: 17 Feb 1991