C39
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"Desert Storm is coming to your area...flee immediately!"
B: In red: "Saddam's army intends using your city as a protective barrier to hide
behind. Saddam doesn't care about you or your family. The joint forces do not wish to hurt
innocent civilians, so take your belongings and head north to a safe place."
This is the only bomb warning leaflet not addressed to a military unit. It was coded
"MSR" which implies it was meant to flood Iraqi main supply routes with
refugees. 180,000 of the leaflets were disseminated during four missions, on three
consecutive days, from 16 to 18 February.
V39
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"Desert Storm is coming to your area...flee immediately!"
B: B&W: "Saddam's army intends using your city as a protective barrier to hide
behind. Saddam doesn't care about you or your family. The joint forces do not wish to hurt
innocent civilians, so take your belongings and head north to a safe place."
A black and white version believed to have been printed at sea by USN carriers.
C40
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 7th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: In blue: "The 7th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing will
be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone to
stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as a
brother."
The 7th ID was on the Kuwait-Saudi border. It was destroyed on 24 Feb by the 1st
"Tiger" Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division, attached to the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force. 620,000 leaflets were printed and some portion of that number was
dropped on 14 February.
C41
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"The 7th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. Leave this location now and save
yourselves."
B: In green: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 7th Infantry
Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat this
bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect your lives."
620,000 leaflets were printed, 60,000 were dropped on the 7th Infantry Division on 16
February.
C42
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 16th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In red: "The 16th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 16th ID was on the Kuwait-Saudi border. It was smashed by Task Force Muthana of the
Joint Arab Command. 500,000 leaflets were printed and at least 480,000 were dropped.
C43
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"The 16th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. Leave this location now and save
yourselves."
B: In red: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 16th Infantry
Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat this
bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect
your lives."
This is the only leaflet to show the designation in Arabic numbers (16). 500,000
leaflets were printed, at least 480,000 dropped on the 16th Infantry Division.
Note: Colonel Noll’s evaluation states that leaflets depicting the B-52 were
generally influential to the Iraqi troops. However, this particular leaflet was a failure
because the Iraqis did not believe that the 16th infantry Division was in Kuwait.
Post-testing of the leaflet among Iraqi prisoners disclosed that they felt the leaflet was
not credible. In addition, the color red was a warning to Iraqis and many therefore
refused to pick up such a leaflet. Later the Coalition removed the red border from its
leaflets.
C44
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 20th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In red: "The 20th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 20th ID was part of the Iraqi III Corps in southeastern Kuwait. It was destroyed by
Saudi armored forces. 500,000 leaflets were ordered, there is no record of the number
disseminated.
C45
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"Yesterday we demonstrated the power of the multinational forces. Once again, we
offer you survivors a chance to live."
B: "In red: Two days ago we told you we would bomb the 20th Infantry Division.
Yesterday we did. Tomorrow, the 20th Infantry Division will be bombed again.
Your choice is to stay and die or accept the joint forces invitation to live."
980,000 leaflets were ordered. Various Coalition documents indicate that 1,080,000 were
dropped, so it is obvious that someone is wrong. We have no way of telling how accurate
any of the numbers are. We just print them as we find them in various declassified
documents.
C46
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 21st Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In red: "The 20th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border. If you choose to stay, you
choose death."
The 21st ID was part of the Iraqi IV Corps in southwestern Kuwait. It was destroyed by
Tiger Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division. This is the only B-52 leaflet aimed at two
divisions. Of course, this is an error. As a result, this leaflet was never dropped. There
was also an "after" leaflet to the 21st I.D. which was not dropped. 500,000
copies of each leaflet were prepared, then burnt when the error was
discovered.
C48
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 28th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In blue: "The 28th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 28th ID was part of the Iraqi VII Corps in the neutral zone between Iraqi and Saudi
Arabia. By coincidence, it was smashed by units of the U.S. VII Corps. 620,000 leaflets
were requested. 120,000 leaflets were dropped on 18 February.
C49
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W. "The 28th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow. Leave this location now and save yourselves."
B: In green: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 28th
Infantry Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat
this bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect your lives."
620,000 leaflets were requested. 60,000 leaflets were dropped on the remainder of the
28th Infantry Division on 18 February.
C50
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 48th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In blue: "The 48th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 48th ID was in the neutral zone between Iraqi and Saudi Arabia. It was destroyed by
the U. S. 1st Armored Division. 620,000 leaflets were ordered. 500,000 leaflets were
dropped on 22 February.
C51
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"The 48th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. Leave this location now and save
yourselves."
B: In green: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 48th
Infantry Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat
this bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect your lives."
620,000 leaflets were requested, 60,000 were dropped on the remainder of the 48th
Infantry Division on 24 February.
Miles Hoffman of Columbus, Georgia, an American civilian financial analyst and
investor for the Kuwaiti Government Social Security system, was shot in the arm and taken
hostage by two teenage Iraqi soldiers on 5 September 1990 while attempting to evade
capture. He was allowed to call his mother, Ann Hoffman, in early November. Saddam Hussein
apparently believed allowing the “human shields” to call home would make him
appear to be a more civilized dictator. However, Hoffman’s mother said that her
son’s call was immediately disconnected when she asked about his wound.
Hoffman was freed on 9 November 1990 and transported with a planeload of Germans
after ex-Chancellor Willy Brandt bargained for the humanitarian release. Hoffman was one
of the first American hostages released and immediately admitted to the U.S. military
hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Hoffman feels that his reports to U.S. Intelligence on the Iraq political situation
might have helped motivate them to prepare the B-52 leaflets. He was interviewed by a
number of military officers in Wiesbaden and told them:
They needed to understand that Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq through fear. As such,
what the Air Force should do is:
1. Send in the B-52’s with leaflets that said “tomorrow we’re going
to bomb the shit out of you.”
2. Send in the B-52s and bomb the shit out of them.
3. Send in the B-52’s with leaflets that said “How’d you like that?
There’s more to come.”
The point I was making is that it wasn’t the bombing that was crucial but
rather the FEAR of the bombing. Saddam ruled by fear so they would understand fear.
I told Miles that the same technique was used in WWII and Vietnam and he seemed
amused:
Herb, I now feel "kind of stupid" to think of it as "my
plan," but I do so with a smile on my face. At least I was smart enough to think of
it during my debriefing. Apparently General Norman Schwarzkopf and I were thinking very
much alike.
C52
F: Bomb with pointed nose. Red with no border.
"Flee and live or stay and die."
B: "You have suffered horrendous losses as a result of us using the most powerful
conventional bomb in this war. It has more explosive power than 20 Scud
missiles. Beware! You will soon be bombed again. Kuwait will be free of
aggression. Join your brothers in the south. We will treat you with love and
respect. Leave this position. It will not protect you."
"Daisy Cutter" BLU-82
This leaflet depicts and was used with the BLU-82 bomb. This is a 15,000 lb. bomb, the
size of a Volkswagen automobile sometimes called the “Daisy Cutter” because of
its ability to clear a helicopter landing space in a heavily forested jungle.
The Final Report to Congress Conduct of the
Persian Gulf War says in regard to the BLU-82:
The detonation of several 15,000-pound bombs, which were dropped from MC-130
special operations planes, also seemed to have a psychological effect on Iraqi troops.
Senior Iraqi officer enemy prisoners of war frequently commented that their troops were
also terrified of B-52s, and could clearly see and hear their strikes, even when miles
away.
Daisy Cutter being deployed from MC-130
It is dropped by being pulled out of the back of the C180 by a drogue parachute as it
climbs. The giant bomb was not only a weapon; it was a powerful PSYOP tool. When General
Schwarzkopf suggested using it on Iraqi minefields, Colonel George Gray, Commander of the
1st Special Operations Wing said, “Everybody within three miles of the drop will be
bleeding from every orifice of his body.” General Calvin Waller is reported to have
immediately said with a big smile, “Oh God, how many do we have?” 18 were
shipped from Hill AFB in Utah. Eleven were eventually dropped on Iraqi positions. We know that at
least one BLU-82 bomb was dropped on 7 February by Major Skip Davenport. That indicates
that at least one leaflet drop took place on 8 February.
BLU-82 Explosion at Night
BLU-82 Desert Explosion
A British Special Air Service (SAS) Commando team
on a secret reconnaissance mission 110 miles away saw the signature mushroom cloud and
radioed back to HQ, “Sir, the blokes have just nuked Kuwait.” An Iraqi battalion
immediately crossed the lines along with its intelligence officer with maps of all the
mine fields in their sector. 2,000,000 leaflets were printed. There is no data on dates of
dissemination. At the same time these bombs were dropped the Coalition radio warned the
Iraqis, "Brave Iraqi soldiers. Tonight some of you are going to die. Your families
will miss you. May Allah rest your souls."
V52
F: Bomb with pointed nose. Red with thick red border.
"Flee and live or stay and die."
B: "You have suffered horrendous losses..." Same as C52
1,000,000 leaflets were ordered. There is no data on dissemination.
C53
F: Three Iraqis surrender from smoking building. B&W.
B: The USA respects the Geneva Convention. If you quit fighting we assure the
following; Humane treatment, food and water, medical care, and shelter. Return home after
the war is over."
C53 through C55 all appear in two varieties with very minor differences. The easiest
way to identify C53 is the rifle at the feet of a surrendering Iraqi soldier. 96,000
leaflets were first printed and later orders raised the total to 1,776,000. However, it
appears that only about one million were actually disseminated. The internal name of this
leaflet is “MOUT.” This means “Military Operations on Urbanized
Terrain,” and was used either because the Iraqis are surrendering from a building, or
because it was meant to be used in cities and villages.
V53
F: Three Iraqis surrender from smoking building. B&W.
B: The USA respects the Geneva Convention. If you quit fighting we assure the
following; Humane treatment, food and water, medical care, and shelter. Return home after
the war is over."
In leaflet V53 there is no rifle at foot of the surrendering Iraqi soldier. No totals
are known for this item and it is possible that the production figures are included in the
data given for C53 above.
C54
F: Iraqi throw down rifle magazine, shakes hand of U.S. soldier, B&W
B: "Follow these procedures to cease resistance. Pull your ammunition magazine
from your weapon. Put your weapon on your left shoulder and aim the barrel at the ground.
Raise your hands over your head and walk slowly. Wave with a white cloth or raise this
leaflet to show you are willing to surrender. All Allied soldiers know this initiative
shows that you are willing to surrender."
In leaflet C54 the barrel of the Iraqi soldier's weapon is white and all the tanks fly
American flags. 270,000 leaflets were ordered. There is no data on dissemination.
V54
F: Iraqi throw down rifle magazine, shakes hand of U.S. soldier, B&W.
B: "Follow these procedures to cease resistance..." Same as C54
In leaflet V54 the barrel of Iraqi soldier’s rifle is black and all the tanks fly
Saudi Arabian flags. Political correctness? There is no data on dissemination.
C55
F: Iraqi soldier is surrounded by U.S. armor (only US flags depicted). B&W.
"Cease resistance. You are surrounded."
B: "Follow these procedures..." Same as C54.
Leaflet C55 depicts a lone Iraqi soldier surrounded by tank. On each barrel or tank
flank there is an American flag. 135,000 leaflets were initially printed. There must have
been additional printings because 275,000 leaflets are listed as being dropped. The code
name for this leaflet is “Surrounded.”
V55
F: Iraqi soldier is surrounded by Coalition armor. B&W.
"Cease resistance. You are surrounded."
B: "Follow these procedures..." Same as C54.
This is an early version of this leaflet that depicts French, Kuwaiti and Saudi flags
on the barrels or flanks of the tanks. 100,000 were printed and later destroyed by
Coalition forces.
C56
F: Giant cannon with Coalition flags aimed at Iraqi. B&W.
"The VII Corps of the Multi-national forces is heading in your direction. Your
fellow soldiers along the front either surrendered or have been killed. Your turn will be
next."
B: "Follow these procedures..." Text same as C54.
Two hundred 155mm leaflet artillery shells were taken to the Gulf. Nine were actually
fired at the enemy. The leaflets inside these shells have been identified as C21, C56 and
C58. I had a warrant officer friend in EOD who actually opened some of the shells and gave
me the leaflets rolled inside. He told me:
The leaflets were downloaded from the shells at the King Khalid Military City
(KKMC)Theater Storage Facility Area 4 in January 1992. There were between 100 and 200
engineering prototype 155mm projectiles stored in two areas from two different units. They
were unmarked but bore a metal parts number that indicated they were experimental and were
produced in November 1990. A small quantity of the projectiles, perhaps 12-20, had been
prepared for fire, loaded with leaflets, expulsion charges installed, but not fused. The
leaflets were in four round bundles, separated by pusher plates, spacers, and enclosed in
two semi-circular steel sleeves. I saw some evidence on the projectiles that they had been
hastily converted from VX binary chemical shells. They were on the pallet in a horizontal
rather than the normal upright configuration.
200,000 of the leaflets were printed. The Air Force claims to have dropped 311,000 and
the artillery had 100,000 at their disposal, so once again we obviously do not have
complete data on printing.
C57
F: Stealth aircraft climbs away from exploding Iraqi soldier. B&W.
B: U.S. Marine Corps seal "United States Naval Infantry," and text.
"Follow these procedures to cease resistance. Pull your ammunition magazine from
your weapon. Put your weapon on your left shoulder and aim the barrel at the ground. Raise
your hands over your head and walk slowly. Wave with a white cloth or raise this leaflet
to show you are willing to surrender. All Allied soldiers know this initiative shows that
you are willing to surrender."
This Marine leaflet was dropped extensively and is known in numerous minor variations
where the Marine emblem on the back is printed anywhere from the extreme left to the
extreme right. The original request was for 360,000 leaflets. However, other data states
that 1,320,000 were dropped and another 900,000 in inventory at the end of the war, so
there must have been successive printings of this product.
There is a variation that Johnson calls V57. The back of the leaflet is printed in red.
I have placed it in a section I call “CIA Leaflets.”
C58
F: Iraqi tankers surrender to U.S. armor. B&W.
B: "Follow these instructions if you want to survive. Raise your barrel to maximum
elevation. Face your barrel to the rear. Leave all the tank hatches open. Put your hands
over your head and approach slowly. Wave a white cloth as a signal that you want to
survive and live in peace, or wave this leaflet. All armies of the Multi-national forces
understand that this pass shows your honorable commitment to peace."
Another of the leaflets that were found within the American artillery shells. The
original request was for 600,000 leaflets. However, documents show that 864,000 were
dropped and 100,000 were sent to the artillery. 430,000 leaflets were in the inventory at
the end of the war so the reader can do the math.
C59
F: Iraqi jets with insignia of Iran. Color.
"Is the Iranian Air Force growing?"
B: "Saddam has given back the Shatt al Arab to Iran, and now he gives them your
Air Force. There is something better you can do. Go to Saudi Arabia. Call us on your radio
and announce that you wish to join your Arab brothers. Approach us alone in your aircraft,
or in single file. Lower your landing wheels, turn on your landing lights, disarm your
weapons, turn off your fire control systems and continue flying at a speed no greater than
250 to 300 nautical miles. You will receive humane treatment, and after the crisis is
over, you will be permitted to return to your homeland and rebuild it."
This leaflet shows Iraqi fighter aircraft with their own national symbol crossed out
and the insignia of Iran, their hated enemy, in its place. Once the Coalition had air
superiority, Iraqi aircraft fled to Iran in an attempt to preserve their air force. This
was worrisome for the Coalition because it was unknown what kind of arrangement Saddam had
made with the Mullahs. It was possible that with the aid of the Ayatollahs, one day all of
the impounded aircraft could take off in a concentrated counterattack against the
Coalition forces. In fact, those aircraft never reappeared during the length of the war. I
do not know if Iran ever returned them to Iraq after the war or kept them as booty.
1,000,000 leaflets were initially requested. There is no data on dissemination.
Note: Colonel Noll’s evaluation states that this was the worst leaflet prepared
by the Coalition. The Iraqi troops did not recognize the Iranian flag and did not
understand the meaning of the “X” over the insignia.
MIG aircraft buried in the Iraqi desert
It should be noted that there is a possibility that not all the Iraqi aircraft were
flown to Iran. Years later, during the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, dozens of
aircraft were found buried in the Iraqi desert. It has been reported that Coalition forces
discovered 30 to 40 aircraft at al Taqqadum in July 2003 including MiG-25 and
Su-25 ground attack jets. They were buried more than 10 feet beneath the sand and
covered with camouflage netting.
C60
F: Three Iraqi soldiers listen to radio. B&W.
"Please turn your radio to medium wave 1134 KHZ daily."
B: Identical to front.
An Iraqi officer tunes to the Coalition radio station. 700,000 of these leaflets were
printed. There is no data on dissemination.
