Saddam's plan is a replay of the Battle of Stalingrad??? - S

[Larissa]

I was asked to translate into Spanish the paragraph you'll read below...
What do you think about this "weird" idea?
"Saddam Hussein's plan for fighting the US is to turn all of Iraq into a replay of the Battle of Stalingrad."
"If I were [Sadam Hussein], here would be my 3-part battle plan. First I would contaminate all my oil wells with nuclear, chemical, and biological poisons, to prevent US forces from getting near them to fight fires. Then I would ignite them all, as in the 1990-91 war, producing thick clouds of smoke that would restrict US air operations and blind airborne surveillance. Third, with the playing field leveled, I'd make it a house-to-house guerilla war, turning each city in Iraq into a Stalingrad... Stalingrad in World War II was the worst battle in all of human history. A house-to-house slaughter, it lasted 5 months and killed 1.1 million. This was about the same as the US has lost in all the wars it has ever fought. Stalingrad was so awful it was the point of no return for Germany."
(Richard Maybury, January, Early Warning Report)
http://www.chaostan.com/Jan03_issue.html



(Edited by Larissa at 5:35 pm on Feb. 2, 2003)

[redstar2000]

From what I've read, Larissa, that's a reasonable summary of the Battle of Stalingrad. While it was being fought, other Russian forces launched attacks around the western edges of the German Army...finally cutting it off from its supply routes. Without fresh supplies, the German Army withered...and finally surrendered. I think it is the consensus of historians that it was the turning point in the European theater...just as the Battle of Midway was the turning point of the Pacific theater.

Would Iraqis actually fight house-to-house and door-to-door to repel American invaders? I have no idea.

Cubans, I think, would do it. But they have a lot more to fight for than Iraqis.

:confused:

[Eastside Revolt]

I agree with Redstar in that I don't believe the Iraqi people give enough of a shit to win that kind of war. But do agree that if there is anyway to slow an American invasion that would be it.

[Domitian]

Does Saddam have the will and determination of Stalin? Seriously I'm just asking. Well?

[Behind enemy lines]

How the fuck are we supposed to know?

[Dhul Fiqar]

Even if Saddam has *some* chemical and nuclear materials, he doesn't have nearly enough to actually contaminate large swathes of land. We're talking tons and tons of material for that kind of operation.

--- G.

[Domitian]

Quote: from Behind enemy lines on 7:50 am on Feb. 3, 2003
How the fuck are we supposed to know?



Take an educated guess.

[Son of Scargill]

People generally take offense to invasion of their country.Saddams popularity has also risen as a result of US declarations of "regime change".
Many Iraqi's will fight for their homes and their families,as most of us would.Saddam Hussein isn't the issue for them,just their national pride.Shit,I'd even defend Tony Blair if the yanks attacked the UK tomorrow.I want to kill him myself,not let some US squaddie do it!

[Ian]

Isn't 1.1 million a bit of a low estimate? I mean, something like 97 000 Russians died (on average) per day for 21 days, according to Antony Beevor.

A Mesopotamian Stalingrad would be a bit of a crazy idea, Saddam doesn't exactly have the industrial strength the Soviet Union did, but what does he have to lose that he hasn't already lost? ie. 1.5 million people.

IMHO The main difference between Germany vs. Russia and America vs. Iraq is that America will have Iraq outflanked from the start, this could lead to a siege very early on which may last for awhile, Saddam has also sent his most elite forces back to their homes so they can harass Americans like poltergeists, in a Guerrilla War.

Of course, I am no military genius, but this looks like the way things will occur to me.