Welcome to all you new subscribers off the back of the Desert Storm Air War video! You fine people left me so many kind comments last time, I just had to put in another very big effort to produce this video for you all. Again, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed producing it for you, and it would be so great if you'd leave me a comment if you do!

The biggest flex is getting bogged down by surrendering enemies

When surrendering is more effective than fighting in terms of slowing down coalition.

It’s funny, as a United States marine that was there during desert shield and storm, I’ve learned more about what actually went down in the overall picture from news and KZfaq videos than I knew when I was there!

I know it's grim, but I do love the "No, fuck that" attitude displayed when presented with trench warfare. "We're not doing that again, let's just skip it, bring up the bulldozers."

Imagine being upset because your are 15 hours ahead of schedule and have suffered casualties in the single digits

This is like Iron Man punching an eight year old

As a former Marine, I’m not surprised that the Marines here, with older tanks and equipment, ended up 8 hours ahead of schedule.

As a kid I was concerned just before the war as Saddam reportedly had one of the "largest, best, and combat tested" militaries in the world. One of my teachers said it would be a bloodbath for the allies. I asked my Vietnam veteran father about it "I wouldn't worry about it. There's no jungle to hide in over there." The old man was right!

Iraq: fights 35 nations all alone Germany: first time?

This is like teaming up with 8 friends to take on an extremely easy computer enemy in Command and Conquer.

Anyone else watching this and thinking at how laughably pathetic Russia's invasion plan was?

The amount of planning and logistics that went into this invasion by the coalition force is just baffling. The US and its allies can invade what at the time one of the strongest military in the region who was prepared from half a world away while Russia can't even invade its barely prepared neighbor in 2 weeks.

My dad was in desert storm and he said that for about 2 weeks they litterally just sat in foxholes and then one day they litterally just loaded up and went to war with zero warning at all.

General: What’s the got dang hold up soldier?! Everyone: You told us not to shoot prisoners and they won’t stop surrendering!

Desert Storm was twice as large as the D-Day invasion. A last hurrah of the super power's finely tuned Cold War military machine. Working together like it was meant to be. Impressive.

As an Iraqi this breaks my heart that we had to go through this cuz of one ignorant man in power and we still not healed.. , but good video explaining the horrible war

Imagine if he scales this up with staff. This is top top quality of this content genre, with editing prioritized for contemporary platforms.

Soldier: How many Tanks ,Helicopters, Jets, Men, Artillery, Ships we need for the Saddam Line assault? Commander: Yes

For US forces, it was actually safer to be at war than at home back on base. Due to drunk driving and other motor-vehicle incidents, along with training accidents, service personnel died at a higher rate at base, than serving during Desert Storm and the initial preparation Desert Shield. It was also the most one sided war, with the state of the art American and English forces against the outdated Cold War era Iraqi forces. The US at this time was purpose built to fight a conventional war, and were using weapons and equipment designed to dominate the battlefield. Many US service personnel after this war, had to deal with what is considered "survivors remorse". Due to the one sided nature of the war, many soldiers felt that the enemy were outmatched and were basically executed and not actually fought. There were many Iraqi "conscripts" that were given an AK, two magazines, and used their own suitcase to store and carry their spare magazines. Nothing else provided or given, and expected to stand up against the worlds top superpower.

Once again THE LOGISTICS of this operation must be insane

13 artillery bataillons? Imagine the thunder the Iraqis must’ve heard. I’d have shit my pants too.

I was a Forward Observer during my time in the Army. My job was to call for artillery and air strikes along with controlling naval fires. I can’t comprehend how it would’ve been to have stacks and stacks of support at your fingertips. We are known as a force multiplier because we bring coordinated fire support to the battlefield to attack the enemy. But the idea of having artillery, naval gun fire, Apaches, A-10s, F-18s and waves and waves of bombers at my personal disposal is every single Forward observers wet dream. Those FO’s must have been calling fire missions left and right. Lucky bastards.

Incredibly well produced. This really seemed like complete overkill. As if Generals had learnt about WW2 ground offensives in military college and were desperate to have a go at doing one themselves.

The armored bulldozer pushing the trenches back in is absolutely brutal considering rhe effectiveness of trenches just 75 years earlier.

I was thinking this is overkill but then realised by doing so, they reduced the loss of life on the allied side.

It’s easy to forget the staggering number of men and machines that were mobilised for this war. Mind blowing.

My father is a Desert Storm veteran and loved this series. They still have a picture on the wall at the local armory he was based at of his deployed unit.

I’m definitely hoping for a ‘Day 2’ & ‘Day 3.’

Best summary I’ve ever seen on the topic. I was an 11H in the brigade of the 82nd attached to the French Legionnaires and that part of the video was incredibly accurate and brought back a lot of little memories. The sandstorm we got hit with was no joke, but the real problem for me was created by the rain that came first. In the desert you would put the very minimum amount of oil on your weapon, especially on the outside. I was manning a .50 cal in the turret of a humvee when the rain started and I rapidly had to put on a heavier coat of oil on the whole thing, otherwise you could literally watch the rust forming before your eyes. About 30 minutes later the sandstorm hit and there was zero option to move as you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. I threw on the best M2 cover they made that seals up nicely with Velcro and thought it would be perfectly protected while we hunkered down inside the humvee. Although the humvee hatch and windows were all closed, it stilled snowed sand inside for about an hour and everything was coated in a thick layer of sand and fine dust. To this day, I can’t imagine what the 11B and 11C’s had to endure in the back of the open 5 tons they were riding in! Anyways, when I was able to get back to the M2 it was completely caked with sand inside and out, and I couldn’t work the bolt mechanism more than a quarter inch. That’s when I realized it was a terrible mistake to leave a round in the chamber of an M2 during a sandstorm. Let me tell you, sliding the trigger grip off, removing the ‘death’ spring, and then fighting to pull out the bolt assembly while it’s connected to a live 50 round is not a fun activity. Felt like I was in EOD! Anyway, just a tidbit I thought some of you historians might find interesting or amusing. If you were one of those poor Falcon grunts in the 5 tons, I’d love to hear your side of the sandstorm experience.

You're telling me the Iraqi conscripts only managed to slow down the attack by surrendering.

Imagine describing this kind of warfare to a medieval knight.

The madman actually did it. I was expecting an Air War Part 2 before this but I'm happy nonetheless.

*Dag Div & 82nd:* "We'll drive slowly and carefully with a walking barrage to minimize casualties before each push" *101st:* WHO NEEDS COVER WHEN THE ENEMY CAN'T SEE OVER ALL THE **EXPLOSIONS!**

Just came here to remember what a proper military operation looks like.

7:35 Fun fact. A classmate of mine at the Army War College was a combat engineer at that time. During the battle of Fallujah on some streets the enemy lined up on either side of the street under cover of improvised barricades. The MK 154 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MCLC pronounced Mik-Lik) was fired down the centerline to "clear" the street of enemy. Horrible carnage.

Norman Schwarzkopf: "We're so good at winning it's stopping us winning!!!"

Controversial tactic aside, following an armoured advance towards enemy lines in a bulldozer sounds pretty ballsy.

2:50 the sheer mass of armour is breathtaking😮

these fools in the comments can't tell the difference between the 2003 iraq war and the 1991 persian gulf war 🤦‍♂️

16:13 These guys literally dug their own graves. it might be controversial, but it is surprisingly convenient for the attackers.

*When you have to reschedule because the plan was executed too perfectly*

I was a nuke mechanic on fast attack subs when this went down. I had just finished my first tour and was transfering to a nuke repair facility onboard the USS L T. Spear AS36. The day I got to my new command I was informed that we were going to the Persian gulf to offer support over there. When we got there we were asked for volunteers to perform humanitarian aid and relief work in Kuwait. I thought to myself that I like helping people so this would be a good thing. Biggest mistake of my life. I was one of the first Americans to step foot into Kuwait and it was a complete and utter shit show. There is no way to properly convey the amount of destruction and human suffering the Iraqis had inflicted on the Kuwaiti people.

I can only imagine how crazy it would be to see that many armored units all together like that. So many Abrams and Challengers all together.

Thanks to all those brave people for liberating my country Kuwait

I would love to share some of my memories in this war. I was 10 years old when I woke up on the morning of August 2, 1990 and found my father in a situation I had never seen before. He was shocked by the main news in the local newspaper, which had a three-word headline, "Iraq is invading Kuwait." I didn't understand what it meant, but I watched my father try to adjust the TV antenna to capture any broadcast from Kuwait, but the only picture we were getting from there was a handwritten statement on a panel that was placed in front of the camera with the words "Free Independent Radio Kuwait" and this broadcast was interrupted several hours later. The months passed and the occupation became a reality. Everything's changed. We found kuwaitis here who can't go home. We have classmates from Kuwait. We lived through the days of war with all its events and details. We were preparing for chemical bombing by buying gas masks. We also put duct tape on the window panes in the hope that this would prevent the shrapnel from flying in the case of any explosion or shelling. As a little boy at the time, I didn't understand the meaning of war, and I didn't care much about scolding my mother when she screamed at us to get into the house every time the sirens sounded, which became commonplace. Until we woke up at 1:00 a.m. the morning when one of the Scud missiles was intercepted by american anti-missiles and the explosion was so close that it turned the darkness of the night into a day. Then I realized the meaning of war and knew it was nothing but fear and destruction. Kuwait was liberated and the war was over. But its effects are not over. I still remember how the sky was black from the smoke from the Kuwaiti oil well fires that reached us in Bahrain 500 kilometers away. When my father came home, I saw his clothes, and it just got dirty from the smoke in the air! This war has affected my psyche a lot and I still care about every detail as one of the most important events i have ever had and this video has helped me understand how big and complex this war was. Thank you

" rolled across the border with 1487 mbt's " and if you listened closely, you could hear Erwin Rommel applauding from the grave.

Thanks to all who served in the comment sections. We the younger generation look up to you. We will never forget. God bless.

6:50 looks straight out of a comedy. Artillery, then choppers and just to make sure, jets start bombing aswell

This shows how scary it can be when someone has air superiority

This plays like one of my Civilization games where I am far ahead the tech tree and start bombing roman legions

The sheer numbers of the coalition is incredible. Never knew exactly how many aircraft and ground vehicles were used. My god that would have been horrifying to go up against. Just the bombing campaign alone was insane!

I was on the west flank with the 18th Field Artillery Brigade Providing supporting towed 155mm howitzer fires for the French/82nd. That run from the border to As Salman was crazy, all we did was hip shoots (emergency fire missions) you'd be driving up the road, pull off, set up the M-198 and fire, then recover the gun, pull back out onto the road, drive a mile or so and repeat all day long, must have setup the howitzer at least 80 time that day while in MOPP gear.

Videos like this are such a refreshing change from blaring music, stock footage, and frenetic editing you get from the History Channel.

The USA literally speedruns a nation. Like its the 10000th time they've played the first level of Mario.

And Russia is claiming they’re fighting 30 NATO nations. Pathetic.

Your channel provides the most entertaining, factual, and captivating military history videos on the entire internet. I watched your first video on the Air War at least 15 times and I intend to watch this one just as much. You have singlehandedly sparked a new interest in military history in me. Thank you sir, and thank you for creating this channel, which is among the best on KZfaq, if not the very best.

This is making me feel very old, I can see in the video exactly where I am 30 years ago. Just follow the big red one.

The experience of Vietnam played a major role as well. Senior US officers in many cases had served there as young Lt’s and were determined to avoid anything resembling the boondoggle that the war in SE Asia had been. Hence the overwhelming force brought to bear here. Better to go 100x as heavy as necessary than slightly underpowered.

Amazing. Such massive military power mobilized for the unforgivable sin of raising gas prices.

imagine the gas bill after the end of this..

To give some idea of how large various military units are: Squad: 8 soldiers Platoon: 30 soldiers Company: 120 soldiers Battalion: 300-400 soldiers Brigade: 5000 personnel Division: 25,000 Corps: Mandingo sized

This is one of the best examples of a set piece battle gone right in the history of warfare.

When you have maxed out stats and you go back to the beginning of the game...

6:43 Holy shit. Imagine being an iraqi soldier in your bunker and seeing hundreds of tanks converging to your position. I’d surrender that moment

everybody gangsta till the French and Americans blitzkreig through the North to encircle your entire army

6:56 Jesus Christ, fighting back would be like punching the sun. This might’ve been an invasion but it was no war

just wanted to say thank you. This is so cool to see the details of specific battles, such as where the ground units are, air attack, air reconnaissance and so forth. The visual aid you provide by showing the units relative the map is what makes this so real. If you could have this combined with real footage it would be the greatest war documentary created. most docus show the footage and commentary, but this provides a visual guide to what is happening, as well as the vocal aid from a great narrator.

Imagine getting drawn into war duty by a chain of events, overrun by enemy forces which makes you want to surrender and then just get burried alive by rushing bolldozer tanks while cowering in fear in your trench. Ouch..

He has returned. As the prophecy foretold

2,500 sorties from planes a day is crazy to think about

If Russia didn’t have nukes we’d be doing this to them right now.

I believe this is the last time a battleship was used in a conflict, one was shelling the coastline if I'm not wrong.

I remember being 7 years old, watching the news constantly trying to see if i could spot my dad who was deployed to the Gulf (Infantry, British Army). I never saw him. :-(

This is amazing. This is one of the absolute best at detailing the entire operation and possibly the very best that correctly informs the sheer scale of the war. Amazing work.

“You know what fuck it” *Untrenchs your entrenchments.

No one: Saddam Hussein: let’s fight the whole word, this will end very well for us

The adolescent boy in me: "FUCK YEA LOOK AT ALL THOSE TANKS, THEY GOING INNNN!!" The adult man in me: "damn, war is terrible... all those conscripts ..."

15:00 Im suprised the world didnt lag with that much artillery being fired

i had NO idea desert storm was such a massive operation with so many damn units, bloody hell!

This channel and Mark Felton's are two of my favorites.

I should clarify that the 101st and 82nd are badass! I used the wrong word

a prime example of fucking around and finding out

This is fantastic, I've never seen an animated military history video this detailed. It would be amazing if you did a similar video on the 2003 Iraq War. Amazing work!

You know. Going into this, everybody expected the Iraqis to put up a fight. They had an impressive military force that had to be dealt with. When they started mass surrendering, everybody was like "oh wow, they don't want to fight...this is awesome" It could have easily been a lot worse then it was. Particularly for the Iraqis. Smart move really by the soldiers to just say F this and quit. Saved a lot of not required death and destruction. Awesome video man. Well put together.

Day one for me was pretty easy, get through the berm, clear the minefields and start scouting for enemy positions....the first ones we found had been abandoned, due to the destruction caused by the artillery and attack helicopters...but the smell, damn, you can't forget that. Day 2 and 3 got rough, can't wait to see the next videos on that, even though I was there I only got a small view, so I really like this complete overview videos. Keep up the good job! (Scout Platoon, 3/41 Infantry, 2nd Armored Division)

Can I just say I appreciate how much effort you put into making these videos, down to the tiniest of details. Amazing stuff as always.

Imagine watching 106 helicopters appear on the horizon dropping off troops, artillery and supplies and start constructing a base.

Its utterly terrifying seeing how the iraqis had absolutely no chances of resisting. Bombed into oblivion and buried alive in their trenches. Brutal.

This really puts into persective alot of things

I LOVE how each individual unit is accounted for (to the best of your knowledge) and actually depicted on the battle map.. And not watered down with just showing a few tanks representing a division or something along those lines.. =) Detailed and to the point.

This feels so much like my imagination during days in the sandbox when I was little kid. Probably because I was only about 2 years old, at the time and this conflict was always on the news.

Were Saddam's generals lying to him or was Saddam just delusional to the capabilities of their own forces?

As a Combat Engineer your MICLIC deployment graphic was spot on.

When the friendly fire is almost deadlier than the enemy fire, and not because you had especially bad friendly fire.

I watched this unfold on tv at the time...this visual illustration has me gobsmacked, I could not imagine at the time the amount of firepower the US and coalition forces involved...this is a masterpiece of how it unfolded...the best on this event I've ever seen...my hat is off to you.

Seeing individual vehicle and troop formations is absolutely revolutionary, I will never look at warfare the same way again. I'm guessing numbers involved in US Civil War battles are simply too large but that would be amazing to see

My dad was an officer within the Syrian Armoured Division (he was a recon pilot) he said that when they called G-day all he saw was a massive dust cloud, you literally could not see the thousands of tanks rolling across the border, only the dust they produced.

A terrific work for this grafic-team, to make large as detailled things visible like this... Thank you so much !

crazy how the marines who are known to fight at their best when they’re given nothing, surpass every other front by several hours despite being given the oldest equipment. that’s why i’m joining in 2025 to carry on that pride.