new member...Will Rep Guard fight?

[armyUJ]

Hey everyone, new member here...been reading all your posts for a few months, it's good to see some well informed people. love the site...

Just a quick question, as our troops get closer and closer to Baghdad, do you guys think these Republican Guard troops will fight? Maybe then we'll see that "shock and awe" campaign we've heard so much about.

[OzMan]

Well, that "shock and awe" campaign has already begun. I started yesterday (if you didn't see it), and it was very impressive. If it is true that the US government is talking to some Republican Guard officials in Baghdad, I think there will be minimal to moderate resistance by the time our troops move into the capital city. But that's just my opinion.

[armyUJ]

Yea, I know the shock and awe campaign began yesterday, and I myself was quite impressed and indeed in awe, but I heard today that that wasn't really all of it?

[hood]

It could go both ways at this point. They've held off on the harshest of bombing because they're talking with various parts of the Iraqi leadership on possible surrender. They've said that if they don't, then they'll go forward and use everything we originally intended. Basra is turning into a good example of our strategy. Instead of going house to house and potentially losing our own troops, we're surrounding it, and proceeding onto Baghdad. If we can cut off the head and tell these RG soldiers that their government is dead, I seriously doubt they'll fight for a regime that's non-existent.

[FallenAngel]

I HOPE they don't fight. Urban fighting- no matter how great you're at it- will always cause high casualties all around. Look at Somalia....

Now add a few hundred Tanks, APCs, Artillery and close air-support and you end up with a blood bath.

THe best way for this to go down is to the RG to turn on Saddam, put his head on a pike and put it at the city gates. I think everyone would be happy then.

[SFontaine]

If Saddam is smart he could make a really effective last stand in Baghdad.

****y trap, ambushes etc in the city using his Republican Guard. If he want's he could make it a military disaster.

[MolliG]

Well the regular Iraqi army are causing the US Marines many problems,s o I'd expect most of the Republican Guard would fight. Even if Saddam dies whoevers next in charge would probaly rally them up...thats if that next in charge person wants to fight. Also theres is the 'Special' Republican Guard, low in numbers but fanatics.

It'll probaly come down to if they want to fight and are strong enough to fight...would they want to give their lives up or would they want to just run away? But its war anything could happen...hey they could even try and flee to a pro-Saddam country just like the SS tried to do in WW2...who knows anything...anything could happen.

[warchild1/27scout]

fellas,like tommy franks said.the hardest is yet to come but WE ALREADY KNOW THE CONCLUSION.

[cut]

what the hell is going to happen when 3 I.D. reach baghdad?

[Scrim]

According to the BBC this morning US Marines said there were about 120 republican guard holed up in a compound they were attacking in Umm Qasr. So the RG are certainly not surrendering left and right.