Day 4: 20 Jan 1991

20 January 1991 (Sunday): DAY 4

GENERAL:

v (2) Patriot Batteries arrive in Israel

v Iraq broadcasts taped "interviews" with (7) POW's, three of which

are American's, total coalition POW's seen is 10

v (12) Iraqi POW's are collected

v Soviet Commando's shoot their way into the Interior Ministry Building

in Vilnius, Lithuania and take over

v 19 anti-ship mines thus far have been found and destroyed

AIR WAR:

v 2300 mission flown, 246 from Turkey, total exceeds 7000

v Kill total was put at (17)

v RAF passes 300 sorties, having attacked 12 runways

v Coalition losses are said to be 10

v An Air Transportable Hospital arrives at King Khalid AB (Khamis Mushait)

on 9 x C-141's to provide rear echelon treatment for war casualties.

F-117 HIGHLIGHTS (20Jan/Day 4):

v Day 4/Wave Two: 9 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

- launch & recover during Day 4

- 10 x hits on 13 x attempts (76%)

- Bagdad

- Salmon Pak Chemical & Biological Warfare Center & Research Center

- Karbala

- North Taji

- Abu Ghurayb

- Al Taji

- SCUD Operations Center

- Ammunition Dumps

- Signals Intelligence Station

- Bridges & Command Bunkers

- Integrated Air Operations Center

- Other military targets

KILLS:

v McPeak's Briefing has a total of (16) Kills, press reports say (15)

v Air Combat Kills given at (17)

- 10 x MiG-29 (reduced to 8 then eventually to 5)

- 01 x MiG-23

- 04 x F-1 Mirage

- 02 x new kills on the 20th

v International Press reported 2 x MiG-25's Foxbat A's downed this date

which has never been verified through CENTCOM

LOSSES:

v 1 x F-15E from the 335th TFS Strike Eagle was downed in Western Iraq

- 4th TFW from Seymour Johnson AFB, became 10th US Combat Loss

- Corvette Flight #1 Col Scott #3 Col Eberly/Griffith

#2 xxxxx #4 xxxx

- Col David W. Eberly (43), pilot, from Brazil, IND, DO of the 4th TFW

- Maj Thomas E. Griffith (34), WSO from Sparta, New Jersey

- both men evaded for two days working towards the Syrian border

- returned on 11Mar91 with the first POW's

- originally fragged as a 24 ship package against ammunition depots in the

Euphrates Valley, but changed after Presidential order was received to go after

the SCUD launchers and missiles (on the 19th Washington time)

- Intell had located a comples of missile bunkers and assembly areas in Western

Iraq at Al Qaim, which was also surrounded by many SAM sites

- a SCUD missile "barrage" was thought to be scheduled against Israel tonight

- 12 x F-15E's from the 335th TFS would hit at 22:00pm followed by 12 more

aircraft from the 336th TFS using cluster bombs and gator mines

- the required TOT's and Aim-Points came by fax as the crews manned aircraft

- the Mission Commander was Col R.E. "Scottie" Scott who had flown two

nights ago when Don Holland and Tom Koritz were lost

- Weather made refueling difficult above Ar Ar, and 2 x F-4G Wild Weasel

support aircraft from Shiek Isa had not received the TOT change, although

2 x EF-111's did arrive on station SE of Al Qaim.

- An Iraqi MiG-25 flight vectored on the EF-111A's and fired one missile at the

lead Raven and two missiles at the Wingman. The Raven's broke away from the

missiles & aborted the CAP, returning to Taif, thus leaving the Eagles exposed.

- Scott led six jets northeast toward Al Qaim highway ("AAA Alley") and Eberly

took his formation southweat, both to attack from different directions and they

were intent at bombing from 20,000 ft after the 1st loss was at low altitude.

- Point to ponder, critics point out that Col Eberly should not have been flying

combat missions because of his indepth knowledge of the "plan". The fact that

no real sophisticated interrogation occurred, although it was brutal, could it

mean that the Soviets/East Germans were really "hands off" on this war.

- 30 miles from the target area SAM activity began, at 10 miles SA-2's and 3's

were launched at Eberly as the first flight bombed at 580 kts.

- Eberly debriefed that saw an orange fireball on the right, stationary &

tracking, and pulled 60° to the right, reversed and went into a dive attack. He

never saw the missile that hit him & the Beagle lurched up and departed. They

ejected at more than 500 kts.

- Rumor out of USAFE was that Eberly's aircraft was engaged at low altitude by

an SA-2 that made a classical pitch over at the F-15E. The SA-2 missile

passed over and behind the F-15E before it detonated, then as the WSO was

calling to Eberly that things looked good, Eberley punched them both out. After

the ejection Eberly did not grab his survival gear so during the E&E portion

his WSO had to feed and nurse him. The post-war debrief discounted this

entirely, Eberly joined with Griffith after ejection and they worked as a team,

serving with honor once captured. It will make an interesting book.

v 1 x Saudi GR-1 Tornado downed by AAA fire over Iraq

- attacking West Tallil Airfield with CBU's

- the crew was rescued

v 1 x UK GR-1 Tornado from 20 Squadron, suffered control problems soon

after takeoff from Tabuk. Jettisoned bomb load on a Saudi range and returned

to base but control problems prevented landing, crew ejected and are OK

- Wng Cdr Mike Heath, NAV and Commander No 20 Sqdn

- SqdnLdr Peter Battson, pilot

- GR1 ZD893/AG, based at Tabuk

- medivac'ed back to the UK with injuries

SCUDS:

v 10 x SCUD's fired at Saudi Arabia, Patriot's intercept 9 x SCUD's, (1) into Gulf

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Day 4: 20 Jan 1991