Lightning: the 101st in the Gulf War

Cited by General Norman Schwarzkopf as the "lightning" of Desert Storm, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) - not the Air Force - actually fired the first shots of the Gulf War when its Apache helicopters took out Iraqi radar at the beginning of the air war. Then, on day one of the ground war, over 200 101st helicopters, almost 1000 vehicles and more than 6000 highly trained soldiers drove deep into Iraqi territory. Their mission - to cut off the Iraqi invaders and then, if necessary, destroy them in battle. Tha author, a retired Army general, had access to the operation's key planners, after-action reports, and the troops themselves. Edward M. Flanagan Jr is the author of "Battle for Panama" and "The Los Banos Raid".