Flit

SCORECARD, PART FOUR Some useful

SCORECARD, PART FOUR

Some useful tidbits are beginning to come in now. Donald Sensing sensibly debunks a Telegraph story about landing the Brits' airborne right on Baghdad Airport. Just to be clear, I expect the vast majority of deployments by the American XVIII Airborne Corps (82nd and 101st Airborne, and attachments) will be by helicopter. And one doubts they'll be seizing airports for armoured units. Sensing's right that's not viable. That's different from the working theory here, though, of providing a carpet for the armour to roll over. Make no mistake, though: the airmobile units are there for something... they form a huge part of the Allied force, and with the arrival of the 173rd Airborne Bde, are still growing.

I think the interesting thing from articles like this is not the bizarre reporters' theories of the actual op plan, but the hints that are being offered on likely groupings of units. For instance, this could be more evidence that the British are, in fact, splitting up their own brigades, with 16 Air Assault Bde going to XVIII Corps, and likely bringing one or two American brigades under their own divisional command.