F US AIRBORNE DESERT STORM I

The first Gulf War was conducted in 1990-1991. The main cause of the conflict was the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990 and the economic and territorial claims of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein against his much smaller neighbor. On one side of the barricade, in the course of this war, stood the troops of the anti-Iraqi coalition composed of the forces of many countries, but most of all of the United States, which in total numbered about 950,000 soldiers. The commander of the coalition forces was the American general Norman Schwarzkopf. Their opponent was the Iraqi forces, estimated at around 650,000 soldiers. The war was divided into two separate operations. The first was codenamed Desert Shield and lasted from August 1990 to January 1991. Its purpose was to significantly increase Saudi Arabia's defense capabilities and to transfer the coalition's armed forces to the theater of hostilities. It is worth adding that at this stage Iraq, through its military passivity, left the initiative in the hands of the coalition, which many experts considered a considerable military error. The second stage was Operation Desert Storm, fought in January and February 1991. This operation de facto settled the fate of the war in favor of the coalition within a few days. It also showed great preparation for the military operations of the US Army, the high quality of its doctrine and the very high quality of its equipment - especially armored and mechanized weapons. The one-sided nature of the war is evidenced by the fact that the coalition of wounded and killed lost approximately 1,100 soldiers, while Iraqi troops lost at least 25,000 dead and over 75,000 wounded.