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| Iraq |
| So that’s where they disappeared to |
| 2003-04-17 |
| 145 of my 150 men fled, says Guard officer Demoralised soldiers from Iraq's Republican Guard thought Saddam Hussein was "mad" and deserted en masse before the first American tanks rolled into Baghdad, according to a colonel in the supposedly elite force. Speaking in the shabby family quarters given to Republican Guard officers in Baghdad, Col A T Said explained how the units that Saddam relied on most never had any intention of fighting for his regime. In the event, American forces were able to enter the capital with relative ease last week. They confounded predictions of prolonged, costly fighting. Saddam entrusted the Republican Guard's six divisions with the most crucial strategic task of the war: defending the approaches to Baghdad. Their 50,000 soldiers and 800 tanks were drawn up in a tight circle around the city. Col Said, 42, commanded 150 soldiers in an engineer unit attached to the Hammurabi division, charged with defending the north-western approaches. Yet even before the fighting began, Col Said said, most Republican Guard soldiers viewed Saddam with hatred and contempt. "We would say, 'Our leader is mad, mad, mad. And he wants to cut all our throats'. "We knew we would never fight. I thought the war would never start because it was madness." Col Said described the cynicism of sycophantic Republican Guard generals who assured Saddam of victory during televised meetings. "They told him we would fight any power in the world. When we heard this, we couldn't believe it. But then the generals told us, 'No, no - don't worry. Just keep quiet. Stay in your positions. It won't happen'." On March 19, only hours before the Americans launched the first cruise missile strikes, Col Said's unit was deployed to guard a bridge north of Baghdad. But that day, before a shot had been fired, the security officer charged with ensuring the unit's loyalty to Saddam deserted - and the way was open for more to quit. Col Said watched as his men deserted in groups of five or six every day. After heavy coalition bombing raids, the rate of desertions accelerated. Col Said said he wanted to save the lives of his teenage soldiers, and had no objection to their leaving. "A soldier would say to me, 'Sir, excuse me, but I cannot stay here because of the bombing. I fear for my family. I'm sorry, sir.' I would say, 'Don't worry. God go with you. I will be joining you soon'." On April 5, Col Said was ordered to withdraw into Baghdad and guard a strategic site. By this time, only five of his soldiers were still with him. The others had fled, along with his commanding officer, Gen Mahmoud al-Ani. Without orders, and threatened by US tanks, Col Said and his remaining soldiers discarded their uniforms and went home last Tuesday. None had fired a shot in defence of Baghdad. None had died in combat. |
| Posted by:kgb |
| #9 I happen to know a bit (ahem, nevermind where) about Arab command structures. They are very "Top Down", with little indepenndance allowed for lower officers and non for NCOs. Lower ranking officers who show initiative are a threat to the regieme - if they can gain rank they beomce a threat to the leadership, which relies on abosolute obedience. this produces an anomoly in Arab armies: pormotions are ased on political trust, not ideaology. And only the most promoted (i.e. proven loyal to a given point) are given command positions. A USMC Gunnery Sgt has about the same command span and authority as an Arab Colonel or even a One-Star General in some places. We expect our soldiers to be independant, to interpret orders, adjust to situations, and exercise initiative. Anyone behaving like a mindless automaton is soon removed from the chain of command and thence from the service. They expect blind obedience and hewing to the part/regligous lines. Anyone behaving with originality or initiative is either killed, jaield (for insubordination) or simply thrown out of the military. This leaves you with a lot of reliable Arab Colonels who are unqualified to command much anything larger than a platoon, and a lot of US Non-Coms who can move 2+ levels up in the chain of command if needed (and have done so in war). Small wonder the worst armies in the world are those from Arab dictatorships that never seem to learn from the past and the best are from Western democracies that maintain solid military traditions. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-04-17 18:58:39 |
| #8 I can't agree that the colonel was smart - he was one of the last to leave. I gotta give credit to the security officer - showing the way by voting with his feet. I've been reading "The White Flag Principle" by Simon Tzabar. I ordered it via Amazon months ago and it arrived the morning after Baghdad fell. There must have been a temporary shortage caused by a bulk purchase by the Iraqi army. |
| Posted by: A 2003-04-17 16:59:15 |
| #7 145 of 150? If the remaining 5 men discarded their uniforms, and went back home, wouldn't that be 150 of 150 men fled? |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2003-04-17 16:08:23 |
| #6 Come to think of it, even the Volksturm put up more of a fight. Ouch. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-04-17 13:56:25 |
| #5 Their 50,000 soldiers and 800 tanks were drawn up in a tight circle around the city. Heck, that's what any "elite" force led by a "shrewd", "cunning" genius would do, when confronted by overwhelming air superiority and surrounded by a three-pronged armored invasion... gather the wagons in a circle and concentrate the targets. The comparisons to the invasion of Germany are certainly a disservice to the Wehrmacht. |
| Posted by: Mark IV 2003-04-17 11:45:57 |
| #4 Slightly off-topic, but what does it tell you about the Republican Guard when you have a full-bird colonel commanding what amounts to a combat engineer company? I'm no military analyst by any means, but I can't imagine that's a good sign. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-04-17 11:39:39 |
| #3 Gotta say, thats one of the smartest Colonels in the Iraqi Army. Covers for his men to save their lives, then lets go the rest to save the lives of the civilians who would have been killed had he defended in force. Gutsy too, considering they are finding hundreds of Iraqi soldiers in shallow graves with their throats slit for desertion by Saddam's "SS" enforcers. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-04-17 09:49:56 |
| #2 so all the Psy-ops, contacts with RG officers, etc, actually worked. Whoda thunk it? |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-17 08:34:31 |
| #1 Considering Saddam's history, his recruitment techniques of threatening to kill family members for failure to fight, his punishment of any dissent, that was pretty brave of the Iraqis to bail the way they did. If we had not won, Saddam would still be in power and free to wreck retribution on those who walked away. Sometimes it takes more courage to walk away from a fight, than to walk into it. |
| Posted by: Ben 2003-04-17 07:19:38 |