untries which were unable to send in troops. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were the main donors. More than $53 billion was pledged and received. Before the war, it appeared obvious that Iraq would have very little chance against the Coalition. The relative strength between the parties was extremely unequal. The most critical difference was that the Coalition had a total of 2600 aircraft, over three times more than Iraq's 800 aircraft. Most Arab observers thought Hussein would not last more than six months. Lieutenant General Khalid bin Sultan, the commander of the Arab coalition forces, gave Iraq's leader only 40 days, and repeated this prediction many times. Iraq's prospect was dreary.President George Bush waited two days after the UN deadline for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait before ordering the Coalition to begin action against Iraq. The winds of Desert Storm began howling across Iraq on January 17, 1991, at 2.30 am Baghdad time. Bhagdad was bombed fiercely by the coalition's fighter airplanes in the first night of the war. An interesting fact is that several weeks before this, US intelligence agents successfully inserted a computer virus into Iraq's military computers. It was designed to disable much of Baghdad's air-defense system.To minimize casualties, the coalition forces, under the command of U. S. General Norman Schwarzkopf, pursued a strategy beginning with five weeks of intensive air attacks and ending with a ground assault. Drawing on its 1,800 planes, land- and carrier-based, the United States flew the greatest number of sorties. The British, French, and Saudis made up most of the rest. Besides the tremendous air power, the coalition deployed technologically advanced weapon systems, such as the unmanned Tomahawk cruise missile, advanced infrared targeting that illuminated Iraqi tanks buried in the, sand and laser-guided bombs, "smart bombs." Its use of brand new aircraft that never before had been engaged in combat, such as Briti...
