South African Reacts to Desert Storm The Ground War Day 1 

Part 3 is live on patreon now... patreon.com/JonoGrahamReacts

I served with the USMC - 2d Marine Div - in Red Lane 1 during the breaching operation. The Iraqis were high to think they could slug it out with the US conventionally on open dessert. Semper Fidelis.

Don’t forget that the US was able to move all of those planes, helicopters, troops, armor and their supporting equipment, fuel and food from half the world away.

No one I knew was scared at all. Anxious, absolutely. We were eager and ready to go. We practice so hard and so often it was actually exciting to get a chance to show what we can do for real. At that time, Iraq was said to have the 3rd largest army in the world, so that is why the numbers were so extensive.

Don't forget that this was in 91. Tech like GPS were still brand new. Friendly fire is an unfortunate part of war. My dad was with the 24th ID during desert storm as a tanker. He said most of the time it was like shooting fish in a barrel because of the differences in tech between the allies and Iraq.

Jeraldo Rivera almost got thrown overboard for reporting on the location of the ship he was imbedded on thus risking the security/safety of the operation.

Friendly fire is definitely more common than you think. It’s obviously very unfortunate, but when you’re conducting operations on such a massive scale and trying to do it with pace, it can almost be inevitable depending on the situation.

This was on TV and I remember several people I knew at the time watched it around the clock while it lasted, including my grandmother.

It's impossible to not have friendly fire deaths in war. It's all about mitigation.

Something ive learned in life and the military is that the soldier isnt to be blamed for war, the red right hand of the politician's that guided him there is.

CNN was the 24 hour news network. I slept on the floor trying to stay awake, I didn't want to miss a thing. I watched the war as it was happening, cheering them on.

I was with the 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment from VII Corps in the middle area of the battle. This thing moved way faster that you can imagine.

And remember not 1 Abrams was taken out even after some had been hit but those just needed some repairs and where right back in the fight

You'd be hyped up and seeing a hundred thousand infantry and hundreds of tanks and attack helicopters from all over the world would make you feel invincible. They made the earth tremble.

5:17 this was the birth of the phrase/tactic, *_"Shock And Awe"_*

"Softening up" is a term used at least since WW II. It's an artillery barrage used in advance of a ground attack, to disable or at least degrade any defensive preparations.

My American grandfather was a combat engineer in Algeria/Tunisia campaign in WWII.

Burying trenches is an *old* tactic that's been in use basically for as long as tanks have been used in battle.

2 of my uncles were part of that U.S 82nd & 101st Airborne divisions.

I was young but I remember this quite well, it was all over the news.

The US Navy called up a special group of WWII vets for Desert Storm. They were called up under Ronald Reagan, Vietnam and Korean war. Desert Storm was their last call up and they were in their eighties then, They were the turret captains for the sixteen inch guns on the Iowa class battleships.

My cousin had finished boot camp, had gone home to pick up his jeep. He and his brother drove to his new base. When they arrived and as he reported in, he was told to have his brother drive his jeep back. He would be deploying in a week.

Fairly well spoken at the end. THE BIG RED ONE, MUCH LOVE!!!!!

Friendly fire is very common, especially with the scale, pace and complexity in wars such as this. The reason it stands out so much is the enemy were so ineffective. Normally it would just get lost in the noise if it was even known about.

They are called MCLC (pronounced mick-lick) stands for Mine Clearing Line Charge. Really cool concept

I was with the 3/7 of the 1st marine division and was with task force grizzly. Our job was to find a way through the mine field's. Then head to a Kuwaiti air base and take it from the Iraqis.

Here's a story about how surreal combat is. One night there had just been a firefight involving the Bradley's(listening to the chatter on my headset). Our formation stopped. When I looked really looked around it seemed as if I could see for miles. It was 0200 (two in the morning), but there were clouds hiding the moon. At that moment when I poked my head out of the drivers hatch, I saw El Greco's "View of Toledo." The same kind of clouds. It's etched in my mind. Crazy.

I guess you were to young to remember the Iraq war. I was 25 when it started and my friends and I were glued to the radio and TV's. The war was highly televised so you could follow along as it played out. While at work we all had our radios tuned to the same channel and there would be outbursts of cheering when we dealt another blow to Saddam,especially when we took out Saddam's vaunted republican guard who were supposed to be badass and fearless. They didnt want anything to do with the coalition troops either and a lot of them surrendered without a fight. Saddam was so outmatched it was ridiculous,and I cant believe he expected to win. Maybe he thought we were bluffing but after getting waxed from the air you'd think he would've known we weren't fucking around. In the end we got to see Saddam hung by the neck until dead.

In my humble opinion; this campaign wasn’t just about pushing Iraq out of Kuwait. This was both a test of US tactics/leadership and to show Russia it’s capabilities. This was a flex as much as anything else.

10:28 this mine clearing system/method has it's roots in the *_"Bangalore Torpedo"_* which is a 1900's or 1910's invention by a British man. it's certainly not new.

Friendly fire incidents are becoming less common as Tech improves. Remember, this was 1990-1991.

Since you don’t know much about mine clearing, look up the M1150 assault breaching vehicle (based on the Abrams hull), and the MCLC (mine clearing line charge) pronounced mick lick. Those are a good starting point for you.

The entire operation was a masterpiece. If war were to be compared to art, like a famous Chinese general once did, this was a Rembrandt.

That's why they called it a Storm literally!! I just want to say those soldiers were miserable in those tanks, they were literally in them forever. I remember guys saying they started to wish they had diapers. They were on Storm mode and there wasn't exactly much stopping.

16:35 has to deal with fog of war with nervousness, fear, eagerness to get a kill and many other things so you see what you want to see like how police officers see a gun when it is just a comb

So many years abo but I remember it like it happened yesterday. I was with the 101st in the first wave of helicopters. 2/320th field artillery. I knew we were flying fast and close to the ground just didn't know how close it actually was. lol.

USMC Taskforce Grizzly was in Kuwait on February 22nd, 2 days before the ground war

I was with the 1st Marine Division 5 Battalion 11 Marines, that artillery barrage was something I will never forget.

I worked with two veterans in this invasion. One was a forward observer, operating 50 kilometers behind enemy lines! This was enough force, it could have invaded the Soviet Union ... which is what it was designed to do.

I was there a part of ARCENT, Army Central Command, stationed in Riyadh.

Friendly fire is one of those unfortunate things that happen during war, usually the bigger the action, the more often it happens, IT SUCKS, but it comes with the package, I am actually amazed that there was not a lot more friendly fire incidents than there was due to the sheer number of nations, equipment, and weapons being moved and expended and the very high pace of combat that we waged, Saddam Hussein thought that we were going to fight like the Iranians did for 8 years and only engage in the daytime, but we prefer to fight at night, that is when we hunt, so he really was not prepared for a round the clock fight for 5 solid weeks with not even a second of time to relax and catch their breath.

Friendly fire happens, it sucks, miscommunication, sometimes bombs fly further than they were intended. It happens alot,

I was a 12B Combat ENGR with the 20th during that war.

Friendly fire is always a problem in war.

Was waiting for this. Was not disappointed.

I served with the 1st infanyry division during desert storm and yes we where scared as it wss our first war for most soldier

Those special forces they named are hands down the best in the world. Get them all together.. better just run!!

Was freaked out with pow passing our site

General Norman Schwartzkopf was a real star of that war. He was greatly responsible for the success of that war. He was a true Amercan hero.

I went in with 3rd AD under 7th Corps. Crossed the berm into Iraq on GW day one. Nobody seemed scared. More anxious to put years of training to use in combat. Actually had moments when I empathized with the enemy due to the horrible situation most of them were put in. As a medic I spent most of my time there treating enemy POWs. You could ID Republican Guard since they weren't malnourished. The regular soldiers were horribly abused by their leadership. Hated removing their boots for treatment because their socks were rotting on their feet.

Yes alot in vietnam with triple canopy and no clear lines.

1:27 That was so long ago. I was a medic (91A) in the 3ID. Segments of the 3ID were attached to the 1st AD. All in VII Corps. The 3ID at that time was based in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The 3ID is of course infantry but mechanized with Tank assets. I drove a M113 in the HHC 4/66th. There were no cellphones in 1991, so I didn't know where I was. The soldiers in my brigade were flown down there piecemeal. I think I was among the last batch flown on a C130 on New Years Day. Combat is crazy stuff. It's very surreal. Very, very stressful. I did get the CMB and since my Brigade was attached to the 1st AD we were allowed to wear either the 3ID combat patch or 1st AD combat patch. The 3ID patch is more prestigious, I think. After Iraq, I PCS'ed to the 8ID which was based in Monterrey, California. In one of my first formations there, my 1st Sgt called me into his office. 1st Sgt's terrify me to this day. I didn't know what it was about, but he had noticed my 3ID combat patch and told me that he had started his career in the 3ID. I was young and as I wrote scared of 1st Sgt's, so I didn't let my guard down. I was very formal.

My cousin was Airborne in Desert Storm he was in the front line. The stories he told me about his time there are no joke. A friend that served with him brought back with him some pictures of the carnage and believe me some of those images actually made me puke.

We were guarding Heidelberg with the 8th Infantry Division during Desert Storm. After the conflict, I went to Ft. Campbell and the 101st Infantry Division, the 2/327th Infantry. I was assigned as driver for one of those HMMWVs that had been on the western flank, the air cleaner still packed with sand. I heard a whole lot of stories, including those with the engineers burying guys in trenches. The guy who was our training NCO had his Bradley hit by an M1 in a case of friendly fire, killing 2 of his crew and injuring his legs pretty badly. No excuse; nothing Iraq had looked anything like a Bradley.

I find it funny that there's a battle group of 333 bradleys and 333 tanks. 666 lmao

2:31 As I wrote, I didn't know where I was in Saudi Arabia, but each night I heard and felt the airstrikes. It was a constant dull murmur with tiny split-second umbrellas of light. Every night, I kinda felt sorry for the soldiers on the receiving end. One interesting thing was star gazing. Orion was upside down to me but extremely clear.

To answer you. no fratricide or friendly fire is not common. The problem in Desert Storm is the terrain. Terrain in almost any other environment would prohibit such large formations being in close proximity. Think forests, mountains, rivers, etc... They prevent large formations of this size from being amassed in such close proximity. In a desert you have nothing preventing it. Fratricide chances increase the greater our force, and the more complex the assault. In this case the numbers almost guaranteed it. It's actually pretty amazing that it wasn't more of an issue.

I served in the Army in 3rd Armored Division and was there.

The moment that you get past the initial shock of hearing the order to "Mount up" is the worst. Its weird but the closer you get to your objective your training kicks in and you are able take care of business.

First must say ADA in house was scariest night of my life I was scud hunter patriot guy

I'm happy you are doing the whole series. I highly recommend checking out the channel Real Engineering they have some good videos on different machines including some military equipment including: The Insane Engineering Of The A10 Warthog The Insane Engineering Of The SR71 Blackbird Even though you may have seen stuff on this channel in other videos, the info and videos on it are extremely worth watching.

187,689 Kitchen sinks were thrown at them as well. 😉

2:02 they were wearing like 90+ lb of gear

Being so clueless of Desert Storm, I guess it really does mean that South Africa really is way out in the bush.

Keep in mind, that in 1991, there was maybe as many as 4 countries on the planet that could absorb continued airstrikes from 2 American aircraft carriers, and Iraq was NOT one of those 4 countries, and only 1 country that could hold out against 4 American aircraft carriers, and we used 6 Aircraft carriers against Iraq, alongside the USAF and the USMC aircraft, and 2 battleships that shelled the daylights at any Iraqi forces in range of those big guns, Iraq never had a chance once we began lighting them up.

Friendly fire isnt very friendly..... You dont pull on super mans cape, and you dont spit into the wind...

When Schwarzkopf arrived after the ceasefire to meet with his Iraqi counterparts a reporter asked him what his "negotiation strategy would be, he replied "I'm not here to negotiate, I'm here to tell them what is expected of them."

You might like a video titled MICLIC Explosions • M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge

The largest tank battles fought since WW2.

Have you read Mark Twain's The War Prayer? It's short and something all of us should read now and then. 🖖

The flail tank was not a new invention - the Matilda 'Scorpion', the first flail tanks were built in 1942. These Matilda Scorpions were developed following the idea of a South African officer named Capt. Abraham du Toit & used during the Battle of El Alamein in 1942 to clear mines. Under British General Percy Hobart's direction, the 'Scorpion' flail was adapted for use on the Sherman. The Crab tank is one of the “funnies“, a nickname given by the British and American military to the engines invented by the British General Percy Hobart and intended to best support the land forces during the landing of Normandy.

When we go off to war we font fuck around

thank you

Was there on a ship at the last stages of the war.

If we threw everything at them... Well...🤯

Which would be worse-buried alive, or as was the case with many Japanese (who preferred to fight savagely until killed) dispatched with flame throwers?

(24th Infantry and 3rd Armored Cav) 333 Bradley Fighting Vehicles + 333 M1 Abrams = 666 Armored vehicles.😈

We were told Iraq had the 3rd strongest military in the world, so we were on edge but not scared. I had already been in combat in Central and South America, so it wasn't my first rodeo. Still, it was the first against what was considered a formidable nation-state military. In the end, it was more dangerous to be stateside as we lost more people to drunk driving than to the Iraqi military. Surrenders slowed us down more than military action.

While friendly fire was somewhat common at the time, there has been a lot of new tech equipped on military vehicles to prevent cases of friendly fire in the future. Im pretty sure that in todays age there would be a lot less friendly fire incidents compared to during desert storm.

All is not as it seams. Stormin Norman has an Ace or two up his sleve.

Not everything but when Americans go in we go in and we don’t go alone as you can see

when you get to the battle of 73 easting i emailed you a video for that part if you want you can look at both parts

7 corp was pulled from europe they had been in europe in defence of a potential soviet attack into germany with ww3 but it never happened

We didn't have the technology then to prevent the friendly fire like we do today. Part of the problem was we were moving so fast that you just expected people around you to be Iraqis.

They're using those mine clearing vehicles in Ukraine right now. There's video.

You said "they threw everything..." but that was by no means the full force of the US military. That was just what was sent to - ableit sizable - to Iraq. :)

F around and found out is right!

Watch it now!

Schwartzkoff was a badass

Theres so much going on and its moveing so fast

Recommend watching the battle of 73 easting

I think the cause of death for the Iraqis killed in the trenches was suffocation and not literally eating dirt.

😂 You keep saying they used everything but the kitchen sink, well during the Vietnam War, the American Military dropped not only a bomb with a sink attached but also a modified tiolet...😂😂😂

So... You've seen how hard we play and what risks we are willing to take in the pursuit of happiness. BUT when we are serious, WE DON'T PLAY! We will hit you seven ways from Sunday and twice on Tuesday! When we are serious WE DON'T MESS AROUND!! Love the reactions! You keep makin' 'em and I'll keep watching! Deal?

If you get a chance check out " highway of Death" in Kuwait

when i went into iraq i was partly in shock though confident in my abilities. in my head i was of course scared but sure enough i could head shot someone within 200m and body shot them at 300m (maybe a little more). we crossed in (as a unit) something like 3rd - 4th in line. it was days before we saw anything worth while. by then the shock had worn off and i along with many others were angry and wanting to see something, anything. it would have been a very bad day for anyone dumb enough to stand in our way. (army veteran, 1988-2002)

i remember seeing this on tv and there would be at some points several hundred or thousand iraqis surrendering to individual soldiers those soldiers would see all these iraqis coming at them they would lay their weapon down to surrender to the iraqis the iraqis would pick up the weapon give it back th the soldier and they would raise their hands we surrender to you

According to US Army Lt Gen H. R. McMaster, who as a captain commanded an armored cavalry troop in the Gulf War, one of his M2 Bradleys had a picture of Erwin Rommel inside. An Iraqi officer prisoner asked the Bradley's driver why he had a picture of America's enemy inside his armored personnel carrier. The driver replied that if the Iraqis had studied Rommel's campaigns perhaps he wouldn't be an American prisoner. 💯✨🤩‼

You know what they say play stupid games win stupid prizes

You should check out the battle of 73 easting major battle