U.S. bombs Baghdad; 19 hrs. after deadline, the war began
Jan 17, 1991
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When the lights went out in Baghdad, it was 3 a.m. Thursday in Iraq, 7 p.m. Wednesday at the White House.
"I've never been there, but it feels like we're in the center of hell," said CNN's Bernard Shaw. The sky in Baghdad filled with red and white flashes. Buildings shook.
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TV commentary; Chilling accounts of war's beginning
Jan. 17, 1991
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Just before air-raid sirens wailed and flashing lights set the sky ablaze with the harbinger of war, ABC's Gary Shepard told Peter Jennings that Baghdad was "dead quiet."
Minutes later, he was back on the phone - his voice aquiver: "Something is going on." And so there was.
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Israel hit; U.S., allies retaliate for Iraq missile attacks; fear of chemical warheads proves unfounded; How long? 'Very fast' or long, bloody
Jan. 18, 1991
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In the opening rounds of Operation Desert Storm, U.S. officials saw results that were almost too good to be true.
Four U.S. and allied jets were downed out of more than 1,500 sorties. Iraq offered virtually no air response. F-15E pilots returned with a smile - where was the enemy?
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TV's war strategy; Wrestling with logistics and ethics; Satellites link home and front
Jan. 9. 1991
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NBC's Bob McFarland remembers how correspondents worked Vietnam: jump in an Army Jeep or a helicopter with a film crew, maybe catch some action, then wait.
"You'd have to bring the film back to Saigon, then ship it to Hong Kong, where there was a satellite link" to send it to New York, says McFarland, now deputy director of NBC News. It might be days before the story appeared on TV.
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U.S. weapons; Showcase of know-how; Smart arsenal is changing face of war
Jan. 19, 1991
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"Keep an eye on the front door," says Lt. Gen. Charles Horner, head of the Air Force command in Operation Desert Storm, as he points to a TV.
In the crosshairs of the U.S. pilot's targeting screen is an Iraqi bunker hiding Scud missiles in Kuwait. Two laser-guided bombs dropped by an F-111 bomber zip right through the door - right through the front door! - and explode, blowing the bunker apart. Next, Horner shows to TV watchers everywhere a film of an attack on Iraqi air-defense headquarters in Baghdad.
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Iraq fires on Saudis, parades POW pilots; Many fear U.S. POWs 'tortured'
Jan. 21, 1991
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The living room conflict called Desert Storm drove home one of war's oldest horrors Sunday - POWs.
Iraqi authorities claimed to be holding seven allied airmen, including three from the U.S., whose halting, haunting "interviews" were broadcast on CNN throughout the day.
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CNN credits tenacity for its coverage coups
Jan. 21, 1991
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NEW YORK - CNN is the last network to have a correspondent in Baghdad, again raising eyebrows in network news circles about CNN's relationship with Iraq.
CNN's Peter Arnett Sunday reported by phone that he was allowed to remain while others were forced to leave because of CNN's "impartial" reports.
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'There is no way to clean up this mess'
Jan. 28, 1991
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As the rich Persian Gulf environment absorbs what may be the biggest oil spill in history, experts say the prognosis for cleanup is all but hopeless.
"There is no way to significantly clean up this mess, the technology just isn't there," says Roger McManus, of the Center for Marine Conservation, a veteran of 1989's Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.
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Sandstorms could thwart battle
Feb. 5, 1991
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As the winter rains ease and the northern winds kick up, allied forces in the Saudi desert face a nemesis that may be a greater threat to high-tech equipment than Iraqi troops.
The winds - known as shamals - blow from the north producing a sandy fog. At 30 mph, they can scrape the top three inches off the desert floor and create a wall of flying sand up to 100 miles across and three miles high. The storms can last up to five days.
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'Unforgettable' violence faces ground troops
Feb. 21, 1991
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For most U.S. front-line infantry, a ground war would begin with a distant boom.
An instant later, a deafening blast would pummel the earth around them.
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U.S. spurns Iraq retreat; Saddam 'being beaten; Iraqi move 'too little, too late'
Feb. 26, 1991
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What may be remembered as the last gasp of Iraq's war machine came at 5:35 p.m. EST Monday when Baghdad called its troops home.
The White House decision to ignore the gambit from Baghdad was easy.
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Bush: 'Victory' in 100-hour war; Iraq given 48 hours to surrender
Feb. 28, 1991
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President Bush Wednesday declared a "quick, decisive and just" victory in Operation Desert Storm and suspended military action at midnight EST.
"Kuwait is liberated. Iraq's army is defeated. Our military objectives are met," the president said on national television.
