I recall during Desert Storm, leaflets with cooridnates of a valley would get dropped on Saddams troops.
"Here is the place and time we will demonstrate our might."
They came with a single B-52 loaded with Vietnam era surplus 500lb'ers, those green ones with the yellow stripe. And just lay complete waste to the valley.
Saddams troops would just surrender.
SOME SAUCE:
From AI Search:
Operation Senior Surprise, also known as Operation Secret Squirrel, marked the B-52's first combat demonstration during Operation Desert Storm. On January 16, 1991, seven B-52G Stratofortresses launched from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, on a 35-hour, 14,000-mile non-stop mission—the longest combat sortie in history at the time. This top-secret mission demonstrated the B-52’s strategic reach and precision capabilities by launching 35 GPS-guided AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCMs) against high-priority Iraqi targets, including power plants and communications infrastructure, before H-Hour.
The operation showcased the ’s ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes from continental U.S. bases, reinforcing deterrence and demonstrating that U.S. forces could strike anywhere, even if forward bases were compromised. It also marked the first combat use of GPS-guided missiles and the first deployment of CALCMs in war, setting a new benchmark for strategic bombing.
Throughout Desert Storm, B-52s flew 1,741 sorties, dropped 27,000 tons of ordnance, and played a critical role in both tactical and psychological operations, including leaflet drops warning Iraqi troops of impending attacks—contributing to mass desertions.
MORE SAUCE:
According to postwar interrogations:
98% of Iraqi POWs had seen or possessed coalition leaflets.
The B-52 was cited as the most feared weapon.
One Iraqi officer surrendered solely due to B-52 strikes—despite his unit never being hit.
24% of Iraqi soldiers reportedly deserted due to B-52 psychological operations.
You brought up a good point. The beauty about using the B52 is that we can also use some of those less sophisticated legacy gravity bombs instead of more expensive guided munitions. Boom, boom.
I have one of the surrender chits (looks like a hanky) and a fair amount of the fake money we dropped on them. On one side of the fake money paper it looks like Iraqi Dinar. The other side had propaganda in cartoon form, or instructions. I was in Turkey but I bought a bunch of stuff like that at a huge outdoor Istanbul market one weekend. I even got a bunch of US Silver Certificates, a 1928 red-seal $2 bill, some Iranian money, some Iraqi money, a bunch of rubles, a Russian officer's hat, an officer's watch, and a soviet medal (I really need to identify). I didn't spend more than $25 and it would be nearly impossible to get all of that stuff at once anywhere else.
I recall during Desert Storm, leaflets with cooridnates of a valley would get dropped on Saddams troops.
"Here is the place and time we will demonstrate our might."
They came with a single B-52 loaded with Vietnam era surplus 500lb'ers, those green ones with the yellow stripe. And just lay complete waste to the valley.
Saddams troops would just surrender.
SOME SAUCE:
From AI Search:
Operation Senior Surprise, also known as Operation Secret Squirrel, marked the B-52's first combat demonstration during Operation Desert Storm. On January 16, 1991, seven B-52G Stratofortresses launched from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, on a 35-hour, 14,000-mile non-stop mission—the longest combat sortie in history at the time. This top-secret mission demonstrated the B-52’s strategic reach and precision capabilities by launching 35 GPS-guided AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCMs) against high-priority Iraqi targets, including power plants and communications infrastructure, before H-Hour.
The operation showcased the ’s ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes from continental U.S. bases, reinforcing deterrence and demonstrating that U.S. forces could strike anywhere, even if forward bases were compromised. It also marked the first combat use of GPS-guided missiles and the first deployment of CALCMs in war, setting a new benchmark for strategic bombing.
Throughout Desert Storm, B-52s flew 1,741 sorties, dropped 27,000 tons of ordnance, and played a critical role in both tactical and psychological operations, including leaflet drops warning Iraqi troops of impending attacks—contributing to mass desertions.
MORE SAUCE:
According to postwar interrogations:
You brought up a good point. The beauty about using the B52 is that we can also use some of those less sophisticated legacy gravity bombs instead of more expensive guided munitions. Boom, boom.
Well...Hot Damn!
I have one of the surrender chits (looks like a hanky) and a fair amount of the fake money we dropped on them. On one side of the fake money paper it looks like Iraqi Dinar. The other side had propaganda in cartoon form, or instructions. I was in Turkey but I bought a bunch of stuff like that at a huge outdoor Istanbul market one weekend. I even got a bunch of US Silver Certificates, a 1928 red-seal $2 bill, some Iranian money, some Iraqi money, a bunch of rubles, a Russian officer's hat, an officer's watch, and a soviet medal (I really need to identify). I didn't spend more than $25 and it would be nearly impossible to get all of that stuff at once anywhere else.