War in the Gulf

The Weapons of Desert Shield (1x6)

: 08, 2004

On August 2, 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait prompting a coalition of forces led by the United States to build up in the Gulf region in preparation for conflict with the largest and most battle -hardened Arab army. This programme, produced before the outbreak of the Gull War in 1991, is the next best thing to a classified Pentagon briefing on the military power of both sides of the then ensuing conflict. Based on previously classified intelligence reports, it examines what was known of the massive arsenals of the Iraqi armed forces and the multi-national forces based in Saudi Arabia. Major weapon systems on both sides are examined, including previously unseen views of little known Iraqi weapons. America's top experts on Iraq predict the outcome of the battle with uncanny accuracy. Some of the questions considered are : - "How good was the Iraqi army considered to be?" — "What was the record of the Iraqi Republican Guard shock force?" - "How did the MI Abrams tank stack up against the Iraqi T-72?" - "What advantages would naval power offer to the coalition forces?" — "Did the Iraqi army have advantages in artillery firepower?" - "How did the F-15 Eagle stack up against the Iraqi MiG29 Fulcrum?" These questions and more are addressed in this programme, an excellent primer to any student of the War which serves as the first in a three-part series which examines the 1991 Gulf War in detail.