# Guess the Start of the IRAQ war! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338 "2003-03-05T20:56:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/21 "2003-03-06T03:43:28Z")
March 11, 1230am, Baghdad time. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/22 "2003-03-06T03:53:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by X~Slayer(ALE) \* > \*\*We are not going to do a sneak attack. We will announce the absolute final deadline and then start shooting just like what we did in the first Gulf War. \*\* Now, I generally enjoy what you have to say in your posts. But this is just wrong. Everyone did not know the day and hour of the attack in the last Gulf War. Sneak attack is the essence of war. When successful, it saves a lot of time, and a lot of lives (for your side). In the first Gulf War stealth aircraft and cruise missiles had never been tested in battle before, so it was important that their arrival time was unknown. Other aircraft deliberately made themselves visible in order to tease radar installations to light up and make themselves vulnerable to the next wave of attack aircraft. This requires timing and deception. If there is a war, I’m sure that some high-priority targets need to be taken by surprise and deception again. The hour or minute of the attack could depend on real-time intelligence reports. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/23 "2003-03-06T04:50:02Z")
> [@](#): > > BRITISH troops had been told an invasion of Iraq would begin on March 17, with a huge bombing campaign being launched four days earlier, the Daily Express in London has reported. > > – snip – > > The pro-war Sun, Britain’s biggest-selling daily, said that US President George W. Bush would give Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a 72-hour ultimatum to disarm next week after a crucial Security Council vote. Source: [http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story\_page/0,5936,6084727%5E401,00.html](http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6084727%255E401,00.html) > [@](#): > > Military officials said the president had been told that an attack against Iraq could be carried out within the next several days, the NEW YORK TIMES is reporting on Thursday. > > Plans for a major speech on Iraq next week by the president were under review. Bush might give Saddam a very short time period to disarm completely, perhaps as little as 72 hours, before military action. Source: [http://www.drudgereport.com/bush.htm](http://www.drudgereport.com/bush.htm) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/24 "2003-03-06T05:28:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*People. It has already started. US and British planes are already attacking **ground to ground** missile sites in southern Iraq. Whereas before they only attacked surface to air sites. And then only if they locked on. \*\* Yup, though that’s just more attrition. Peep this: [Leaflet dropped over Iraq.](http://www.centcom.mil/Galleries/leaflets/Images/izd-017b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/25 "2003-03-06T05:42:45Z")
March 10 2:00 AM Baghdad time. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/26 "2003-03-06T05:53:47Z")
The armor and the infantry go in at the next new moon after about two weeks or ten days of air bombardment–so air attack anywhere from March 18 to March 22 and the ground attack after full darkness on April 1 or 2. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/27 "2003-03-06T14:43:03Z")
I should correct my date above to Mar 16. I was thinking of Sunday, not Friday. ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/28 "2003-03-06T14:46:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HoldenCaulfield \* > \*\*March 10 2:00 AM Baghdad time. \*\* Well thanks a lot for giving me 33 whole minutes in this game… 😛 It isn’t the Price is Right where you have to bis $1 more than me… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/29 "2003-03-06T14:56:26Z")
Beware the Ides of March. March 15, 2003 Midnight, Iraq time ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/30 "2003-03-06T15:00:06Z")
I say March 18th, (full moon), as soon as it gets dark in Iraq ( I have no idea when this is U.S.A. time but I think they will go in in darkness as an advantage. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/31 "2003-03-06T15:20:52Z")
april 3rd, 2003 3:33:33.33 am Baghdad time ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/32 "2003-03-06T15:28:43Z")
March 21st, to take advantage of slow news days on Fri/Sat. Time? Its simple if you think of it – high noon! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/33 "2003-03-06T16:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CuriousCanuck \* > \*\*Well thanks a lot for giving me 33 whole minutes in this game… 😛 > > It isn’t the Price is Right where you have to bis $1 more than me… 😛 \*\* Hey, now, you’ve got a third of March 9th, too. [That bidding scheme always bugged me, too. _I’ll bid Twelve Hundred … and One Dollars, Bob!_] ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/34 "2003-03-06T16:47:29Z")
March 15, 2003; 0000 EST ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/35 "2003-03-06T16:53:19Z")
Wednesday, March 12th at 2 AM Baghdad time, start of the air war (in earnest). OT, but deos anyone esle think that leaflet **Ace** linked to looks like a FARK photoshop contest? ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/36 "2003-03-06T17:06:58Z")
Sunday March 16, 7:30 PM Jerusalem time (UTC+2h). And the war will be over by 12 noon (UTC+2) on the 18th. (Unless Baghdad has ancient city walls, in which case the war will still be going on at noon on the 18th, and will be over by noon on the 19th.) Why this timing? Because Purim is on March 18 this year. So anything related to Purim must use Jerusalem’s time. I won’t give a rationale here in IMHO. My rationale belongs in GD. BTW: Baghdad’s time zone is UTC+3h. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/37 "2003-03-06T17:19:12Z")
Regarding the flyer - couldn’t those tax and spend Republicans make do with B&W? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/38 "2003-03-06T17:29:52Z")
March 27 according to former UK defense minister Michael Portillo. Between March 27 and April 2 according to an alleged Stratfor analysis I read. Will be over by mid-April. So, March 27. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/39 "2003-03-06T17:32:23Z")
Oh, and midnight, UTC+3. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338/40 "2003-03-06T18:36:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jk1245 \* > \*\*Wednesday, March 12th at 2 AM Baghdad time, start of the air war (in earnest). > > OT, but deos anyone esle think that leaflet **Ace** linked to looks like a FARK photoshop contest? \*\* I’ll have _you_ know that is the _high_ quality $50,000 dollar propoganda leaflet design. They clearly saved money using Nintendo instead of Photoshop on some of the [others](http://www.centcom.mil/galleries/leaflets/images/izd-011a.jpg). Quick! Run from the military underground fiber-optic installations!!! :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-start-of-the-iraq-war/159338.md?page=3)