March 27, 2003 [LINK]

Whither the 101st?

As I said at the outset, the employment of U.S. airborne forces will be one of the keys to victory. Part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade has already set up a base for a "second front" in northern Iraq, which will also serve to dissuade the Turks from intervening. Meanwhile, U.S. commanders have deliberately obfuscated the location of the 101st Airborne Division (the "Screaming Eagles"), which is rumored to have moved through the desert to a point west of Baghdad, presumably preparing for a sudden encirclement and/or assault. There have been a large number of news reports about all the difficulties on the battlefield faced by Coalition forces, and the weeks it is expected to take before the 4th Infantry Division and other reinforcements arrive, suggesting the possibility of an extended campaign. Could this all be a ruse to get the Iraqis to let down their guard? Just imagine another, even bigger "shock and awe" bombardment in the next few days that forces every living creature in Baghdad underground. A few minutes later, hundreds of U.S. helicopters have landed thousands of U.S. troops downtown, and suddenly it's all over. Hmmm...

UPDATE: It turns out that my admittedly far-fetched conjecture was already expressed by James Dunnigan in Strategy Page. Dunnigan also lays out the Top Ten Myths About the War in Iraq.