Desert Daddy

Planning For Desert Storm

William Sayers | Mystics & Statistics | 6th April 2022

Retired Pentagon analyst recounts how much work went into war-gaming and computer-modelling the US invasion of Iraq in 1991, and how little weight those exercises carried in the heat of battle. "Lord knows we threw enough time and money at the problem, but in the end, Schwarzkopf just had to pray that we had enough combat power when our troops rolled across the line" (1,100 words)

Daddy Of Them All

Richard Roud | Guardian | 6th April 1972

The Guardian bravely republishes its review of The Godfather from 1972, a time when critics saw all Hollywood films as commodities, and failed to recognise The Godfather as a turning-point: "It’s your big commercial film which, without advancing the art of the cinema a millimetre, without a real directorial presence behind it, is nonetheless an extremely satisfying three hours" (1,045 words)

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