When Churchill faced Nazi invasion, he rallied his people with a stirring cry that the British "shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…" Contrast that with this: "Baghdad, its people and leadership, is determined to force the Mongols of our age to commit suicide at its gates." Saddam said, referring to the Mongol armies who sacked Baghdad in 1258.
Churchill vowed to fight the Germans at every turn, even after they have lost their cities, to try to stop the Germans. Saddam promises that they don't stand a chance of even delaying us until we get to the "walls" of Baghdad. That will fire up the troops, eh?
I wonder if even the Special Republican Guard will hold up. They are often called the most elite but they are really the most loyal with the best uniforms. That is not the same as elite. As the regime body guard, the trait prized most is loyalty not combat effectiveness. I suspect that large groups of them will be surrendering to French camera crews. Sure its fun shooting and torturing civilians, but you just try slapping electrodes onto an Abrams. They'll get a DU round for their troubles and no apologies for it.
On to Baghdad.
About Me
- Brian J. Dunn
- I live and write in Ann Arbor, Michigan. University of Michigan AB and MA from Eastern Michigan University. One term in the Michigan Army National Guard. Former American history instructor and retired nonpartisan research analyst. I write on Blogger and Substack. Various military and private journals have published my occasional articles on military subjects. See "My Published Works" on the TDR web version or under the mobile version drop-down menu for citations and links.
