Did the war with Iraq begin as expected?
No. Pentagon officials had said before the war started on March 19 that it would begin with an intense "shock and awe" assault on Iraq by U.S. and coalition forces under cover of darkness. The campaign, they said, would be launched nearly simultaneously from the air, land, and sea, and would seek to stun Iraqi forces into quick submission.
How did the U.S.-led assault start?
Operation Iraqi Freedom began the night of March 19 (around dawn Baghdad time on March 20) when U.S. and coalition forces, using cruise missiles and F-117 stealth fighters, struck a target in Baghdad where, intelligence reports indicated, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his top deputies had gathered in underground bunkers.
