Seeing Colonel Crist's willingness to admit his mistake, Admiral Schwarzkopf did not ease much, and after ordering Colonel Crist to kill the Iraqi surface-to-air missile unit at all costs, he waved his hand and sent him out, and then sat down in his seat with a puff, rubbing his eyebrows with his hands, looking extremely tired........

In less than two hours since the start of the war, the US military has lost more than 20 warplanes and more than 30 elite pilots, and what is even more unacceptable is that the US military has not even been able to find a shadow of the Iraqi surface-to-air missile unit that attacked them, but they are like ghosts that follow them, always appearing in the most unexpected places of the US military, and then dealing a heavy blow to the US military.........

Just 10 minutes ago, Army General Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army, called him from the United States on the other side of the ocean, expressing concern about the serious losses of the US military in a short period of time.

But the phrase "Do you adjust the battle plan appropriately?" Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 INFO" is also a vague expression that the HSD side is not satisfied with the war situation since the start of the war, especially in the case of paying such a heavy price, it still does not fully grasp the air supremacy of the entire territory of Iraq, which makes it impossible for the US military's follow-up plan to be effectively implemented;

The most obvious is the US strategic air force; after learning of the heavy losses of the tactical aviation units of the US Navy and Air Force, the chief of staff of the US Air Force immediately ordered the suspension of the carpet bombing mission of the Iraqi Republican Guard by 12 B-52H strategic bombers deployed on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Admiral Schwarzkopf also had nothing to say about this, because after all, the self-defense capability of the bulky B-52H strategic bomber was terrible, and encountering the Iraqi surface-to-air missile unit, which could even cut down a group of high-performance fighters, was really tantamount to suicide.

It's just that in this way, his entire battle plan will be completely disrupted, you must know that the Republican Guard is the pillar and core of the Iraqi ground forces, and if you want to successfully defeat the Iraqi army units, weakening or severely damaging the Republican Guard is the most critical part of it;

The most effective method is to use the B-52H strategic bombers of a large formation to carry out high-intensity carpet bombing of the positions of the Republican Guard.........

But now, the unforgettable scene of a lifetime is not seen for the time being, unless the mysterious Iraqi missile force is eliminated, but this is easy to say, but it is extremely difficult to do, not to mention anything else, that is, the more than 30 American troops who are now trapped in Nahab will give Admiral Schwarzkopf a headache at this moment;

It has suffered several serious blows in succession, and it has also made the US military somewhat understand the tactical style of this Iraqi surface-to-air missile unit, that is, to use the US military to launch a surprise sneak attack on it when it launched a rescue, to put it bluntly, it is an alternative kind of encirclement and reinforcement, and the attack on the "Normandy" helicopter team is like this, and the same is true of the sneak attack on the rescue helicopter team not long ago.

For the despicable tactical means of the Iraqi army, the US military can be said to hate the root of the itch, but at the same time, it is also afraid to the extreme, especially the helicopter team of the air force and army aviation that is responsible for rescue missions, for fear that they will fall into the trap of the Iraqi army again.

Because of this, the order to rescue the trapped 30 American soldiers was collectively resisted by the rescue forces, because no one knew whether they would go to God just now, and what was the value of going to court martial compared with their precious lives...........

All in all, the predicament of disturbances almost overwhelmed Schwarzkopf, so that before the start of the war, a straight waist was also slightly hunched down at this time, no way, the current war situation because of the existence of the Iraqi surface-to-air missile force, there are many variables, although the overall situation can not change the fate of Iraq's final defeat, but the cost required may rise sharply, and this is the casualties that Admiral Schwarzkopf wants to avoid the most, and the United States does not want to bear the casualties........

"Maybe Powell is right, it's time to adjust the battle plan........."

Admiral Schwarzkop muttered to himself, and then recalled Powell's very suggestive tone during the call, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was very likely that it was President Bush's meaning, so he thought about whether to call Admiral Powell again to explore the tone of the HSD side.

At this moment, a blue phone on the desk suddenly rang "Jingle ~~", Schwarzkopf couldn't help but be slightly stunned when he heard it, because the phone that was ringing was the special line of Unicom HSD, so General Schwarzkopf did not dare to slack off, and quickly picked up the receiver:

"Yes, I'm Schwarzkopf, what........ President?"

In the elegant oval office of the HSD White House, Bush snuggled up to the large desk, listening to Admiral Schwarzkopf's thoughts on the current war situation with a solemn face; just ten minutes ago, he had just received the latest battle report, more than 20 warplanes, including a full-fledged naval tactical strike group, had been shot down, more than 30 pilots had been killed, and more than 30 US troops were trapped in the hinterland of Nahab, but the US military could not carry out rescue, because no one knew whether there were Iraqi surface-to-air missile forces hidden around;

When President Bush saw this war report, he couldn't believe his eyes, it had only been a long time since the war began, and he had suffered such heavy losses, and it was hard to imagine how serious the losses would be if such a momentum continued.

However, he was afraid of unbearable casualties, and if he was really dragged into the Vietnam-style quagmire by weak Iraq, then he would have done it thoroughly, and it was for this reason that after discussing it with his own national security team, President Bush immediately made this phone call to Admiral Schwarzkopf, who was far away in Saudi Arabia, in order to hear the opinion of the front-line commander........

"General Powell and Secretary of Defense Cheney also mean the same, before the Iraqi surface-to-air missile forces raised by the dog ~~mother~~ are completely resolved, adjust the battle plan slightly, even if it is conservative, it doesn't matter, after all, the lives of children are the most important, I really don't want to see mothers crying in grief again........."

After listening to Admiral Schwarzkopf's report, President Bush could not help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief; he really wanted to hear the opinions of the commanders at the front in this phone call, but the premise was indeed in line with the opinions of the bottom line in his heart; you must know that at the emergency national security meeting just now, many people had quite a few complaints about Admiral Schwarzkopf's current performance, and President Bush was also a little shaken in this regard; if it were not for the strong guarantees of Powell and Cheney, perhaps President Bush might really have made a move to change the commander on the spot.

However, even so, President Bush is very dissatisfied with Schwarzkopf's performance since the start of the war, and even if he does not make a change of general, he must personally hear his future plans, and if he meets his psychological expectations, he will remain in office for the time being; if it does not conform to his own ideas, President Bush does not mind staging a drama in which Truman replaces MacArthur.

However, what he didn't know was that General Schwarzkopf on the other end of the phone was already in a cold sweat, and he did not fail to understand President Bush's blunt tone just now, but fortunately, Powell's hint in advance allowed him to straightforwardly put forward a proposal to adjust the battle plan.

All in all, President Bush had the intention of changing generals, Schwarzkopf tried his best to protect himself, and after the adjustment of the battle plan, the two sides temporarily reached a compromise, so the two exchanged views on the current war, and President Bush repeatedly told him to save the trapped US troops, and then put down the phone.

At this time, Davis, the White House chief of staff, who had been waiting for a long time, got up from the sofa and handed President Bush a copy of the newly revised televised speech:

"Mr. President, fifteen minutes are still before the scheduled televised speech!"

President Bush nodded, took the transcript of the speech, looked at it and put it down, as if remembering something, frowned at Davis and asked:

"Is there any contact from Baierrod Farm?"

Davis nodded: "Sir, let me tell you, he will do his best!"

After hearing this, President Bush's solemn expression finally softened a little, and he bowed slightly: "Also put some pressure on the CIA, our children have died too much!"

"Yes, Mr. President!"

President Bush nodded in satisfaction, then picked up the revised version of the speech and familiarized himself with the script in his hand as he walked toward the scheduled televised address.........

Fifteen minutes later, at 9 p.m. EST on January 16, US President George W. Bush made a televised speech to the whole United States with a serious expression on the camera.

President Bush's sonorous and powerful voice burst out of his mouth with a sense of rhythm, he reported on the actions of the US military, confirmed that the war had officially begun, and at the same time denounced Saddam's despicability and brutality, and unconsciously, the whole speech was nearing the end, but at this moment, President Bush's expression suddenly froze, his expression became sad and incomprehensible, and his voice was much lower:

“........ Tonight, our troops are fighting far from their homeland for freedom and justice, and they will inevitably shed blood and sacrifice, so let us pray for them and their families. May the souls of the departed rest in heaven, may God bless each and every one of them, and may God continue to bless our country, the United States of America!"

After speaking, President Bush quickly put away the speech and then quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving only a large stunned crowd in front of the television, unable to calm down for a long time, because they were already keenly aware of the important information contained in President Bush's speech:

U.S. troops suffered heavy casualties!(To be continued.) )