Guest #1 March 14, 2003 Dunnigan does it again! INFANTRY: POW Overload Corroborated here A 2003 war with Iraq will probably generate even more prisoners. In fact, the Iraqi troops have already begun to surrender. Last week, a dozen Iraqi soldiers, hearing British marines firing machineguns and mortars just across the border in Kuwait, thought the war had begun. So the Iraqis made their way out of their trenches and towards the noise of the British weapons. They approached the British troops and indicated (with their hands up), that they wanted to surrender. The British told them that they were just practicing and the war had not begun yet and that they would have to go back to Iraq. The Iraqis, disappointed, trudged back to their trenches. Iraqi deserters in the northern Kurdish area report that most Iraqi army troops, and many Republican Guards as well, are keen on surrendering as soon as the shooting starts. edit to add URL."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tasadin 0 #2 March 14, 2003 See the Americans gotta drop a MOAB to scare the Iraqi's, where as the Brits just gotta be there . (This is not a flame just a small harmless dig) "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinker 0 #3 March 14, 2003 and a funny dig at that -the artist formerly known as sinker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,121 #4 March 14, 2003 >They approached the British troops and indicated (with their hands > up), that they wanted to surrender. The British told them that they > were just practicing and the war had not begun yet and that they > would have to go back to Iraq. The Iraqis, disappointed, trudged > back to their trenches. Could someone get these british troops on the horn, and tell them that the next time a bunch of Iraqis try to surrender LET THEM? "Sorry, you have to go back over there for several days. Once we start shooting at you THEN stand up and come on over." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #5 March 14, 2003 Quote Could someone get these british troops on the horn, and tell them that the next time a bunch of Iraqis try to surrender LET THEM? "Sorry, you have to go back over there for several days. Once we start shooting at you THEN stand up and come on over." Because although it's unlikely, it could be a ruse de guerre. If you were facing imminent invasion, wouldn't you want your enemy to think you were weak and ready to surrender rather than resist? The surprise/shock would be a valuable force multiplier, with the attacker, coming in with guard down, expecting a cakewalk, but running into fierce opposition instead... The resulting chaos would completely disrupt attack plans. edit for punctuation."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,121 #6 March 14, 2003 >The resulting chaos would completely disrupt attack plans. So park a bus by the border (on the Kuwait side.) Tell em to get in if they want and you'll drive them away. It seems silly to pass up an opportunity to a) reduce the resistance our troops will face and b) get a pretty valuable piece of PR for our diplomatic battles in the UN. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miked10270 0 #7 March 14, 2003 Quote Could someone get these british troops on the horn, and tell them that the next time a bunch of Iraqis try to surrender LET THEM? Tsk... Tsk... You colonials are always Sooooo...... Impatient!. We Brits know a lot more about the proper behaviour concerning surrender than you (having lived next door to France for all these years), and, an any Frenchman will happily confirm, the proper time to "Reddite" is immediately AFTER the invasion starts! Actually running into a neighbouring country, even just to surrender, to surrender is in fact technically an invasion and as such is an act of war! On a serious note, there is a MAJOR political implication to finding yourself with POWs when you haven't started fighting yet. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,121 #8 March 14, 2003 >On a serious note, there is a MAJOR political implication to finding > yourself with POWs when you haven't started fighting yet. We already have a bunch of em in a prison in Cuba. We seem to have no problems doing that; we just claimed they weren't _really_ POW's. And if they run away before a war starts, aren't they just defecting? Iraqis have been doing that for years. It does seem silly to tell em to stand still until we can shoot at them, when they clearly don't even want to fight. Do we really need a good war that badly? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
