Desert Storm: The Gulf War 1990-1991 (Documentary)

Summary

Background: Iraq’s financial crisis and pressure on Kuwait

• The Iran–Iraq War ended in 1988 after seven years of heavy casualties and limited gains for Iraq. The country faced about $80 billion in foreign debt, enormous reconstruction costs, unemployment, and the expense of maintaining a million-person army.
• Saddam Hussein viewed low oil prices as a threat to his government, which relied on high military and social spending. He blamed Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for producing too much oil and depressing prices.
• Saddam demanded financial compensation and debt relief from Kuwait and other Gulf states. Iraq increased pressure through diplomatic threats and military deployments near the Kuwaiti border. Many observers, including the United States, believed this was coercion rather than preparation for an invasion.

Iraq invades Kuwait and an international coalition forms

• On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait with tanks and airborne commandos. Kuwait’s limited defenses were quickly overcome; the Emir fled, and Iraq occupied the country within two days.
• The invasion united a broad range of governments against Saddam. The United Nations condemned the attack and demanded withdrawal. The United States, Western European countries, Arab states, and the Soviet Union opposed Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait.
• The invasion threatened regional oil supplies and alarmed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies. On August 6, the UN imposed an embargo on Iraq, and Saudi King Fahd agreed to host US forces. President George H. W. Bush said the coalition’s goals were Iraq’s complete withdrawal and the restoration of Kuwait’s legitimate government.
• A coalition of 42 countries took shape, led by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait. Saddam tried to fracture it by taking foreign nationals hostage and firing Scud missiles at Israel, hoping to draw Israel into the conflict and alienate Arab coalition members. Israel stayed out of the war, while the United States sent Patriot air-defense batteries and military aid.
• Reports of Iraqi looting and killings helped build support for intervention. The widely publicized account that Iraqi troops had killed babies by removing them from incubators was later exposed as a fabrication produced by a Kuwaiti public-relations campaign.

Operation Desert Shield: building up forces

• The coalition’s defensive buildup in Saudi Arabia, Operation Desert Shield, involved an enormous logistical effort. US ports and airfields received equipment around the clock, while convoys, highways, supply networks, and training areas were established.
• Within 90 days, the United States had shipped equipment and supplies for 157,000 troops, along with tanks, aircraft, artillery, and helicopters. Forces from Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Britain, and other partners also deployed.
• Iraq prepared layered defenses around Kuwait, including trenches, minefields, artillery positions, and oil-filled trenches. Saddam expected that fortified defenses and the prospect of casualties might deter Western forces.
• The UN set a deadline of January 16, 1991, for Iraq to withdraw fully. Saddam refused, despite warnings that the coalition would use overwhelming force.

Operation Desert Storm: air campaign

• At 3 a.m. on January 17, 1991, the coalition began Operation Desert Storm with a large air campaign. Helicopters and missiles first struck Iraqi radar sites; coalition aircraft then attacked air defenses, airfields, military facilities, and government targets.
• The coalition established air superiority within days. Iraqi aircraft fled, and Iraqi air defenses were largely neutralized. The campaign also struck infrastructure and military targets across Iraq.
• Iraqi troops received conflicting reports about the attacks on Baghdad, adding to confusion and uncertainty at the front.
• Iraq fired Scud missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saddam hoped the attacks would provoke Israel into joining the war, but Israel remained outside the coalition. Coalition forces also hunted for Scud launchers.
• An Iraqi cross-border attack briefly captured the Saudi town of Khafji on January 29. Coalition forces retook it, and the fighting demonstrated the effectiveness of coalition air support.
• From late January to late February, coalition aircraft conducted tens of thousands of attack sorties against command centers, infrastructure, logistics, oil facilities, and Iraqi troops. Bombardment contributed to widespread desertion and destroyed large numbers of Iraqi tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery.
• Iraq also sabotaged Kuwaiti oil wells. The resulting fires produced thick smoke, pollution, and poor visibility, affecting both the environment and military operations.

Ground campaign: the 100-hour war

• On February 24, roughly 500,000 coalition troops began a ground offensive supported by air and naval attacks. The plan included a large western flanking movement to cut off Iraqi forces, while other coalition units advanced from the south and east. A feigned amphibious landing helped keep Iraqi divisions focused on the coast.
• Coalition forces rapidly broke through Iraqi defenses. Bulldozers opened routes through berms and minefields, while aircraft and armored vehicles attacked Iraqi positions. Many Iraqi soldiers surrendered or offered little resistance after weeks of air strikes.
• US, British, and French forces advanced through the western approaches, while Arab and US Marine units attacked in the east. Coalition forces cut major roads linking Baghdad and Kuwait and began encircling Iraqi troops.
• Coalition tanks and weapons systems had major advantages over much of Iraq’s armor, including effective long-range fire, night vision, and armor-piercing ammunition. The coalition nevertheless faced difficult conditions from smoke, fires, and desert weather, and some casualties resulted from friendly fire.
• Iraqi Republican Guard units fought major engagements but were unable to stop the advance. On February 26, retreating Iraqi forces became trapped on roads leading north. Coalition air attacks destroyed many vehicles in what became known as the “Highway of Death.”
• On February 28, after 100 hours of ground operations, the coalition suspended offensive combat. Bush declared that Kuwait had been liberated and the coalition’s military objectives achieved.

The uprisings and their defeat

• After the coalition ceasefire, rebellions against Saddam’s government spread. In the south, disgruntled soldiers and civilians rose up, beginning in Basra. In the north, Kurdish peshmerga forces seized many cities, with some groups advocating a democratic future for Iraq.
• The United States and coalition partners disagreed over how far to support the uprisings. The US favored an intact Iraq and a change of leadership that would not benefit Iran. The coalition provided humanitarian aid and some support for the Kurds, and established two no-fly zones, but did not launch a campaign to remove Saddam.
• The rebellions were politically and organizationally fragmented. Saddam’s loyalist forces—including the largely intact Republican Guard—recovered and suppressed many uprisings by early April. Government forces used tanks and helicopter gunships; the subtitles also report widespread claims of indiscriminate chemical-weapon use.
• Many rebels felt abandoned after statements encouraging Iraqis to rise up were not followed by decisive military support. Some Kurdish groups survived and established an autonomous region under protection associated with Iran and the no-fly zone.
• The continuing embargo further harmed Iraq’s economy and public health. Saddam remained in power, and his government retained the means to suppress opposition.

Consequences and significance

• The coalition achieved its declared goal of liberating Kuwait, but did not overthrow Saddam. The conflict left serious unresolved political and humanitarian problems, including the suppression of the uprisings and large-scale civilian suffering.
• The video gives coalition losses as 292 killed and 776 wounded, about half from accidents or friendly fire. It also provides estimates of 20,000–50,000 Iraqi military deaths, more than 75,000 wounded, and 80,000–175,000 captured; figures for civilians and the later uprisings are also discussed.
• Some coalition veterans later reported symptoms called “Gulf War Syndrome.” The video notes that its causes remain debated, with proposed explanations including oil-well fires, depleted-uranium rounds, medications, and exposure to nerve agents.
• The war unfolded as the Cold War was ending. The video emphasizes the unusual agreement among the major powers in the UN Security Council, including the Soviet Union, against Iraq’s invasion.
• The documentary closes with a promotional message for Nebula and mentions other Real Time History productions.

Speakers and sources featured

• Jesse Alexander — narrator and presenter for Real Time History.
• Saddam Hussein — quoted at a May 1990 summit discussing oil prices and economic pressure.
• Unnamed interviewee in a Frontline excerpt — recalls that observers expected Iraq to be posturing rather than preparing to invade.
• George H. W. Bush — archival audio on deploying US forces to Saudi Arabia and, later, announcing the ceasefire and end of offensive operations.
• Unnamed Kuwaiti refugee — describes Iraqi soldiers searching homes and taking belongings and identification.
• Dick Cheney — archival audio warning that Iraq must withdraw completely from Kuwait.
• Lieutenant Colonel Waldo B. Cummings Jr. — quoted account of a coalition air mission.
• Unnamed Iraqi III Corps soldier — diary entry describing rumors and uncertainty about the bombing of Baghdad.
• General Norman Schwarzkopf — archival remarks about the Scud attacks and Saddam’s aim of drawing Israel into the war.
• Unnamed US soldier — describes the coalition’s flanking movement and attack on Iraqi positions.
• Othman Mahmoud — quoted criticism of the coalition’s response to the Iraqi uprisings.
• Cited works and reporting: Freedman and Karsh (cited for Saddam’s summit remarks); Paul W. Westermeyer’s U.S. Marines in the Gulf War, 1990–1991: Liberating Kuwait (cited for military accounts and the Iraqi soldier’s diary); and Frontline (source of the unnamed interview excerpt).
• Production credit: Real Time History says Michael Adato helped with the episode.