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Falklands War (1982)
Here, two of Britain's light aircraft carriers, HMS Hermes and HMS Illustrious, cruise side-by-side in the South Atlantic shortly after the war ended. HMS Hermes and her sister ship, HMS Invincible, provided absolutely indispensable air cover for British forces attempting to recover the Falklands. Throughout the conflict, however, British aircraft were stretched thin, and the Argentines managed to inflict a great deal of damage on the Royal Navy.
This photograph provides a view of the flight deck on HMS Hermes. The Royal Navy employed Harrier jets during the conflict. These unique aircraft, which were responsible for protecting the fleet and providing ground support for British troops, were capable of vertical take off and landing. The helicopters in the background provided quick transportation for ground troops on the islands.
In an age of so-called "push-button" war, infantry still has to endure grueling marches. Here, Royal Marines march across East Falkland Island as they approach Port Stanley and a final confrontation with Argentine forces.
British soldiers guard Argentine prisoners after having captured Port Stanley. Some 11,000 Argentines fell into British hands.
Six Day War (1967)/Yom Kippur War (1973)
In 1973, a British-made Israeli tank creeps forward during the Yom Kippur War. Rendered somewhat overconfident by their victory in 1967, the Israelis made a series of armored assaults unsupported by artillery or aircraft. After taking a beating from the Egyptians on the Sinai peninsula, Israeli forces returned to their highly successfuly practice of employing assaults using combined arms and emerged victorious.
Here, an M1-A2 Abrams tank, the main battle tank of the US Army, shoots off a round. Perhaps the most advanced tank in the world, the Abrams can reach a top speed of over 40 mph. The 120mm cannon obtains great accuracy from a thermal imaging sight, a laser rangefinder, and a complex GPS unit. This baby has a 1500 hp engine that can run on any fuel. It goes from 0 to 20 mph in about 7 seconds, even though it weights 70 tons. Surprisingly, the Abrams is relatively cheap—it comes in just under $3 million per unit.
Before coalition ground forces even began their assault, however, Iraqi forces received a five-week pounding from the air. This is a photo of an F-16, a workhorse in the American air arsenal. It can serve as an interceptor (shooting down enemy aircraft) or in a ground attack role (using bombs and rockets to destroy enemy ground targets like tanks and artillery). Although it can carry around 12,000 lbs. of bombs (almost twice as much as a B-17 from World War II), it can still achieve a top speed of Mach 2.
Two of Iraq's infamous SCUD missiles. The Iraqis bought two different versions of the this missile from the Soviet Union. Using these purchased SCUDS as a template, the Iraqis managed to manufacture their own version of the missile. These weapons had a range of between 400 and 550 miles along with a payload of roughly 1000 lbs. Before the war, many observers worried the Iraqis would use these missiles to deliver chemical or biological warheads. In the event, the Iraqi forces did no such thing and the SCUD proved a highly inaccurate weapon.
Members of the housekeeping staff at Saint Anselm College prepare to clean out the dorms at the beginning of summer vacation. Actually, this photo shows soldiers from France's Foreign Legion modelling their chemical suits for a photographer. The Iraqi armed forces had employed chemical weapons against Iran during the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988). Many feared coalition forces would encounter the same types of weapons in the struggle over Kuwait. Indeed, before the outbreak of hostilities, coalition intelligence had found that Iraqi artillery in Kuwait possessed chemical shells. When fighting broke out, however, Iraq did not employ these weapons.
The famous "Highway of Death." As the coalition ground assault on Iraqi forces in Kuwait gathered momentum, Iraqi troops attempted to flee northward in a disorganized retreat. Driving just about everything that had wheels—including private cars stolen from Kuwait (notice the Suburban to the right)—the Iraqis came under ferocious attack from the air. A number of observers have criticized the American attack on these retreating Iraqis as excessive. Yet it appears the expression "Highway of Death" is something of a misnomer: although the Iraqis lost many weapons and vehicles in this incident (mainly abandoning them), their casualties were fairly low.
The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
Iranian soldiers look at the camera from a newly completed slit trench. Many observers likened the conflict between Iran and Iraq to World War I, in large part because the defensive appeared to obtain ascendancy over the offensive. The Iraqis became proficient in constructing fortifications which the Iranians often tried to overwhelm with human wave assaults. Neither side became particularly adept at mounting coordinated, combined-arms attacks on the other.
Motivated by religious fervor, large numbers of Iranians volunteered for the Basij, a people's militia. Responsible for policing morals at home, they undertook many of the human wave assaults against Iraqi positions and suffered horrendous losses.
Iranian soldiers equipped with gas masks tentatively make their way through a marsh on the southern portion of the front. During the conflict, the Iraqis used a variety of methods to deliver chemical weapons against their foes. The United Nations estimates that Iran suffered at least 10,000 casualties from chemical weapons throughout the conflict.
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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2003.