73 Easting: Episode 5 — The Hail Mary

The Hail Mary was the bold campaign design that turned Desert Storm from a frontal assault into a sweeping armored envelopment. Coalition forces fixed Iraqi attention along Kuwait and the Wadi al Batin while VII Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps moved far west, then north and east into Iraq. This episode explains how deception, geography, operational timing, and fuel-hungry armored formations shaped the famous left hook. Listeners learn why the plan was risky, how commanders intended to strike the Republican Guard before it could escape, and why desert navigation and logistics were as important as firepower. The Hail Mary shows modern armored warfare as a contest of movement, surprise, command, and sustainment across immense open distances. For more military history writing and books, visit MilitaryAuthor.me, and for magazines, galleries, and a massive archive of military photos and video, visit Trackpads.com.