Ives was looking at the map. “There’s a good position near As Sadawi and Um Kedad, but that’s still too exposed on this road. I think they’ll go all the way to Al Wariyah. There’s a highway strip there, and a pump station for this pipeline underfoot. One of their armored brigades was stationed to the south of that area, at Fort Ulya.”
“So that means the Iraqi’s can have Halfar, and that will cut the pipeline, and the road to Hail as well.”
“No big loss,” said Ives. “Yes, it’s a good L.O.C. out to Hail, and Jordon beyond, but I don’t think the Jordanians will be coming down to lend a hand. Hell, the Iraqis might not come here at all.”
“Kuwaiti Army is retreating south,” said Stoker.
“Of course,” said Ives. “They only had a couple brigades, and OMCOM says the Iranians are already knee deep in this too. Those guys will probably be having dinner in Kuwait City by this evening. So now you know why we’re here, Bram. OMCOM must have seen that buildup on satellite weeks ago, and that’s why we got the airlift out here.”
“You think the brigade will come up on the line?”
“Not just yet. No, they’ll move our battalions to key facilities near the coast. That’s my guess. It will take a while for the rest of the division to get here, and who knows what else is coming from the States. Until then, this is a Saudi show now. It remains to be seen if the Iraqis are coming here, or if they’ll be satisfied with what they get in Kuwait.”
“What would you do, LT?”
“What would I do? I’d keep right on going like a proverbial bat out of hell if I were the Iraqis. If they dawdle about in Kuwait, or stop on that border, then that would be a godsend for our side. It would give us the time we need to get our stuff in theater, and then we’d clobber them. Time is on their side at the moment, and if they’re smart, they’ll use it to best advantage.”
“Damn!” said Stoker. “Then this is the shit we’ve been training for in the Mojave Desert every year.”
“Yup,” said the Lieutenant, “and here we are, right in the middle of it. Come on, let’s get moving.”
Chapter 18
By the time the Baghdad Division of the Republican Guard reached the outskirts of Kuwait City, the Royal Family and Guards had all fled south, along with thousands of Kuwaiti nationals, in long lines of civilian cars and trucks. Iraqi helicopters hovered over the city like dark locusts, smoke rising from burning buildings where a few brief firefights with local militias had rattled the dark morning. The day that followed would one of the most difficult in the history of the small oil-rich nation, as Iraqi troops eventually spread through the town, killing anyone who resisted, raping, looting and carting off everything they wanted.
The army would not stay in the city long, much to the relief of the Kuwaiti citizens. All the Republican Guards Divisions were ordered to continue south to the Saudi border, as reserve brigades followed behind them, securing the great prize they had seized in one wild day.
Southwest of Kuwait, the Andan and Al Faw Motor Rifle Divisions of the Republican Guard crossed into Saudi Arabia where the Kuwaiti border made its sharp dogleg, and further west, eight more independent Iraqi brigades were already well south of the border, reaching Highway 85 and the Trans-Arabian Pipeline that morning. Hafar Al Batin was cleared and occupied just before sunrise.
It was a swift, stunning, and sweeping victory, but one that was never in doubt once Saddam had given his approval for the invasion. After that, Qusay Hussein let loose his dogs of war, and they rampaged through the desert, driving all before them, or crushing it beneath their tank tracks. By noon on the 25th, a shaken world would read the news that Kuwait had fallen, and it was now the House of Saud that was scrambling to build its defenses up in the north. The aging Saddam had finally grasped his black gold prize, just 35 years late, at the end of a long life he had never been able to live on our timeline. Now it remained to be seen if he could hold what he had taken.
The Saudi Army was much bigger than that of Kuwait, and much better armed. The US had opened its larders long ago, and Saudi tank brigades all fielded the M1 main battle tank. The Army had seven armored brigades, five regular mech infantry brigades, five more national guard brigades and five lighter infantry brigades, so it was quite capable of putting up a good defense.
The problem was that all these units were dispersed across the Kingdom, and some were in Yemen fighting the Houthi insurgency. But all day on the 24th, the units had been moving, and slowly, as the day lightened on the 25th, a semblance of a planned defensive front was being set up.
Saudi troops had abandoned King Khalid Military City, and moved southeast on Highway 85 where they were rallying near Fort Ulya. That area offered good defensive ground to either side, and would serve to anchor the front in the west. The line would then stretch northeast to the coast at Ras al Khafji, which was now held by what was left of the Kuwaiti Army. They were there, and south of another border town Al Wafrah.
As promised, the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division arrived by strategic airlift on the 25th. Based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, it had already hopped the Atlantic to Sigonella in the Med days before the invasion. The “Strike Hold” Brigade was now the designated “Ready Brigade” of the division. From there it would fly high over Libya under the watchful eyes of F-22’s based at Sigonella, then turn east over the Sudan to Saudi Arabia. The brigade landed at King Khalid air base north of Riyadh, and their equipment would continue to arrive over the next few days as more of the division’s troops were winging their way into the theater. Lieutenant Ives and Sergeant Stoker were proud to have been among the first in country.
Yet US planners knew it might be some time before any stronger reserves could arrive in Oman by sea, as that all depended on the naval battle that would be fought to secure access to ports. In many circles, the situation looked grim. After seeing what had happened to Admiral Wells, and the heavy losses inflicted on his fleet, the US Navy knew it was in for a fight. Roosevelt was in theater, and now the USS Independence was ordered to begin moving to the Indian Ocean from Guam. The Saudis would simply have to hold until this situation could be resolved, and so they began to lobby their neighbor for support.
Bahrain had already graciously sent its sole armored brigade over the causeway into Dammam, but wanted it there, and not on the main front. Qatar vowed to send an armored brigade for the defense of the big Ghawar oil fields. The UAE was stronger, with 450 tanks distributed among seven brigades. If the Emirates would march, Saudi Generals would have strong reserves behind them, even if the American forces were delayed, or failed to arrive at all.
In the meantime, long columns of Saudi armor and mechanized infantry would roll all night and through the morning. General Scott had convinced the Saudi Royal Family that there would be no direct threat to the capital at Riyadh, and that he would have two more Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne there soon to deal with any contingencies. He therefore urged the Saudis to release units held in reserve at Riyadh, and get them moving northeast, up Highway 80 towards Dammam. Most were then diverted up Highway 75 towards Highway 5 at Nairyah, and from there they were ordered west towards the vicinity of Al Wariyah or east towards the coast. Nairyah was therefore the HQ and forward operating base of the army for purposes of this initial defensive deployment.