Desert Shield/Desert Storm (the Invasion

¶ … Desert Shield/Desert Storm (the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein in 1990). The Gulf War began in the oil fields of Iraq, and ended with the liberation of Kuwait by American and allied forces through the United Nations. Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, which were forged by the Americans, became collectively known as the Gulf War, and much has been documented about the war since its' end.

What actually led up to the Gulf War was Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's desire to raise oil prices to help pay off massive debts his country had incurred during its' war with Iran. The Arab nations bordering Iraq did not support the plan to raise prices, and refused to go along with Hussein's plan. He thought that by entering Kuwait and defeating the country, he would gain access to their massive oil reserves, and save his country. He did not think about the world's reaction to his plan, and "At 0200 2 August 1990, the Iraqi Hammurabi Armored and Tawakalna Mechanized Divisions supported by Iraqi Special Forces and the Median Armored Division invaded their neighbor to the southeast, the sovereign nation of Kuwait."

Immediately, the United Nations passed a resolution calling the invasion illegal and placing sanctions on Iraq. Iraqi forces were also massing along the Saudi Arabian border, indicating they planned to attack there, too. Then President George H.W. Bush put together ground, air, and sea forces to repel the Iraqi attack, and eventually 30 other allied countries joined in the attack, with another 18 sending aid in some form or another.

Operation Desert Shield was the five and a half month United States response to the invasion, moving a massive amount of military people and equipment into the area. Operation Desert Storm was the five-week assault on Iraq, driving them out of Kuwait and resulting in their surrender on February 28, 1991. The United States spearheaded these operations, and they indicated the mobility and strength of the country's military power.

Documents and Other Source Materials

Bush's Address to the Nation

On January 16, 1991, President George H.W. Bush addressed the nation regarding the Iraqi invasion. In his "Address to the Nation on the Invasion of Iraq (January 16, 1991)," he chronicles the steps the United Nations, the Arab League, and the United States had taken in an attempt to get Hussein to leave Kuwait peacefully. He shows how Hussein consistently ignored or rebuffed those overtures, and how the United States and other countries, including Great Britain and Canada, had been massing troops in the area, with the consent of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, to invade and repel Iraqi forces in Kuwait. He also addresses sanctions, and how they had some effect, but they did not force Saddam out of Kuwait. He says, "While the world waited, Saddam sought to add to the chemical weapons arsenal he now possesses, an infinitely more dangerous weapon of mass destruction -- a nuclear weapon."

This speech is a clear and excellent example of a president taking his country into war with another country, and playing up the nuclear angle to gain the support of the American people, who were extremely wary of another war outside the country that people compared to Vietnam, and was the first major conflict since Vietnam. Bush and his speechwriters continually play on the atrocities Hussein's forces committed in Kuwait, including "maimed and murdered innocent children," and he quotes our brave fighting forces several times in an attempt to swell national pride and support. He ends his speech by saying, "Tonight, as our forces fight, they and their families are in our prayers. May God bless each and every one of them, and the coalition forces at our side in the Gulf, and may He continue to bless our nation, the United States of America."

This is a speech geared to stop argument, defend his position, and gain support for the invasion, and it largely did its' work, because many people supported the war, believing that chemical and nuclear weapons were at stake, and that American forces effectively destroyed them during the war.

The Whirlwind War

The Whirlwind War is a U.S. Army book detailing the war and its participation in the war. The book begins with an overview and background of the region and the reasons for tensions in the region, and it then chronicles the buildup of troops, masterminded by the United States, creating and expanding the shield, building the offensive, the offensive itself, the victory, and the aftermath of the war. Written by and for the U.S. Army, the document is a pro-Army look at the operations and decisions that led to the deployment of troops to the Gulf War. It is a history of the campaigns and fighting forces, but it is also a document designed to place the Army and its' leaders in a favorable light. For example, in one chapter, the authors state, "Cheney's directive unleashed what became the most concentrated and complex projection of American military power since World War 11."

Later they write, "Wherever they went in those initial attacks, Peay's troops achieved tactical surprise over the scattered and disorganized foe. By mid-afternoon they had a fast-growing group of stunned prisoners in custody."

This book involves opinion and speculation, something that most history books and source docs avoid, which reduces its credibility.

The book is a very detailed look at the operations and battles in Iraq and Kuwait, and it is a good source for anyone wanting to understand the detailed operations of the units fighting the Gulf War. However, they should weigh that with the fact that the book is clearly a promotional piece for the Army to show their successes in Iraq, and to place the Iraqi operations and dictator in a bad light. Near the end of the book they write, "Even as the men of the 3d Armored Division departed on 7 May, after providing nearly 1 million meals, over 1 million gallons of water, and 28,000 medical visits, they saw the children 'by the sand track, one hand tapping their teeth, another their stomachs in the universal refugee sign language for 'Give me food.'"

This excerpt indicates how the work is essentially a promotional piece, illustrating how many good deeds the Army accomplished in Iraq, but it does give some excellent descriptions of the action Army members faced in the country, and is a good history of the actual pre-invasion build-up and preparation for the attack, too. It also contains numerous illustrations and photos that identify many of the key players, and show much of the action on the ground. The photos may be one of the best aspects of this book, because there are so many of them, and they help the reader get a feel for what was going on in the air and on the ground in Iraq and Kuwait during the operations.

Operation Desert Shield

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm: Chronology and Fact Book by Kevin Don Hutchison, in contrast, is a more neutral look into the operations and combat forces serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The author based his book on official source docs and reports available after the war, and he deems it "the most complete history of the war that will be available for years to come."

The author maintains he wanted to present the truth of the war and its activities, in chronological order, without discourse on politics or speculation on motives and desires. He wants to present a factual account of the war, and the book does accomplish this goal.

The book is laid out in a day-by-day format, somewhat like a diary, with entries written at the time they occurred in chronological order. For example, the author writes in the first pages of the book, "To the west, the Medina Armored Division screens any possible counterattack from the Gulf Cooperation Council's Peninsula Shield Brigade. At 0530 the battle for Kuwait City begins, and by 1400 is over."

The book continues in this factual account of what happened throughout the campaigns, while showing what the U.S. military did in reaction to the attack on Kuwait. In another example, he writes of the opening moments of the attack on Iraq, when operation Desert Storm begins, "First Coalition missiles strike Iraqi early warning radar sites at 2339Z (Z or Z-time is Greenwich Mean time). They are fired by AH-64s led by M-H-53s. Operation Desert Storm begins at 0200 (local time). By 0230 Baghdad is under heavy attack." He also periodically notes how many troops are in the area and from which military organization, what ships and planes are fighting the war, and how many different divisions are engaging in the attack.

He follows each operation of the attack, noting commanding officers (on both sides, if the information is available), their maneuvers, and the outcome of the attacks. He does not offer personal commentary, he simply offers the information straightforwardly and succinctly, which he said was his purpose in writing the book. He also presents several appendixes with facts and data about the Gulf War, from lists of coalition and Iraqi forces in the war, to lists of prisoners of war and coalition members killed. In fact, the appendixes are so detailed; they take up more than half the pages of this book.

This book is much more than a promotional piece, it is a detailed and important history of the war, from start to finish, and it is a good reference for anyone wishing to dig deeper into the war and its outcome. He writes of the end of the war, President George Bush addresses the United States. He announces that 'Kuwait is liberated. Iraq's Army is defeated.' He further states that at 12 a.M. Eastern Standard Time 'all U.S. And Coalition forces will suspend further offensive combat operations.'"

One of the best features of the book are all the illustrations. Many are of the action on the ground, but many more are official portraits of the commanders and fighting men who led the offensive, which helps put faces with the many names the author uses throughout the book. This is a definitive look at the Gulf War and the people who fought it, and it is probably one of the best available books on the Gulf War.

Desert Shield at Sea

Desert Shield at Sea: What the Navy Really Did by Marvin Pokrant is another detailed look into Desert Shield operations, this time from the U.S. Navy point-of-view. A huge assortment of ships also took part in the Gulf War, something that many people may forget entirely. This book is somewhat of a blending of the last two. It attempts to show the day-to-day operations and decision-making processes naval leaders faced. The authors write, "A major goal of this book is to be objective. We describe candidly how command was exercised, how decisions were made, and what alternatives were considered.

Unlike Hutchison's book, which simply narrates the facts, this book attempts to show both sides of the issues the command faced, along with removing judgement or speculation. Like Hutchinson, they based their book on military documents and other formal sources, along with personal interviews of many of the sources of the book.

This book is mostly a narrative, although it does contain some day-to-day diary entries, which makes it more compelling to read. The authors are nearly compulsive about listing their sources, and note sources for what they write at the end of every chapter. Many of the sources were military records and messages taken directly from military transcripts, along with speeches, treaties, and other primary sources. One interesting aspect of the book is that it details earlier naval actions in and around the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, beginning in 1980, that had given the U.S. A poor reputation with at least some of the Arab nations. For example, they write, "On 3 July 1988, the Aegis cruiser USS Vincennes (CG 49), believing she was about to be attacked, shot down an Iranian civilian airbus, killing 290 people."

This is just one example of what many viewed as U.S. aggression in the area, which helped lead to some unrest about the United States operations in the area. This book also looks at more than just the command operations and deployment. It delves into the surrounding incidents, from the United Nations issuing its sanctions to the reactions of top foreign leaders and their actions. Thus, this book is more than a military history; it is a history of each of the different areas of the war, with concentration on the naval operations and decision-making.

The author uses a lot of military jargon and abbreviations in the book, which makes it a bit more difficult to read. Here is an example of the jargon and how it is often difficult to follow, even with the author's explanations. He writes, "Initially, the Army's 82nd Airborne Division occupied defensive positions on the approaches to al-Jubail. On 20 August, the 7th MEB Marines relieved it. Marine AH-1W helicopters and AV-8B Harrier 'jump jets' (fixed-wing aircraft capable of vertical takeoffs and landings) arrived in-theater."

While he does offer explanations and additional information, it does tend to jumble together to seem like gibberish when too much of it is contained in a paragraph. This book ends with the preparations for Desert Storm, because it is the first volume in a set that looks at the naval operations during both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. That means that it can be much more detailed and informative about the command operations for Desert Shield, and that it can go into more details about the background information, as well.

This book is the most detailed in that it uses other history and background besides the military. For example, near the end of the book the author writes, "More than half a decade after the war, it is difficult to remember that the coalition expected -- and greatly feared-that Iraq would use chemical weapons. At the time, all indications were that Iraq would use chemical, and perhaps biological, weapons."

This is the type of information that helps readers understand what was going on at the time, what the people feared, and what demands the military faced, and it adds credibility and depth to this book. The author also includes numerous maps and illustrations, so the reader understands where the Navy was positioning their vessels in relationship to the fighting on the ground, which helps orient the reader and give perspective.