Saddam Hussein became President of Iraq in 1979 and during his tenure contributed greatly to Iraq's economic development. Saddam Hussein, by vigorously developing oil, promoted the modernization and industrialization of the country, made the people suddenly from poverty to wealth, and also strengthened Iraq's position in the Middle East.
However, the growth of strength is often accompanied by the expansion of ambition. After that, Saddam Hussein fought with Iran for 8 years in order to compete for more resources and historical contradictions, which was a meaningless war, with heavy losses on both sides, almost bankruptcy, and huge foreign debts, and Iraq was as high as more than $70 billion.
In 1990, the Gulf War broke out, triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. At that time, Kuwait was Iraq's largest creditor, and it sided with the United States and the West on the issue of oil interests, causing Iraq to suffer huge losses. In order not to repay his debts, Saddam Hussein sent troops to invade Kuwait without stopping, trying to turn the other side into his 19th province. The war was far-reaching, and the U.S. coalition forces quickly intervened, eventually defeating Saddam Hussein and imposing sanctions on Iraq. The Gulf War changed the geopolitical pattern in the Middle East and weakened Saddam's international status to a certain extent.
After years of planning, in 2003, when the time was ripe, the United States once again united with a number of younger brothers to carry out military operations against Iraq and overthrow the Saddam regime, and this war is also known as the second Gulf War. In just over a month, Saddam's million-strong army was defeated, chased and beaten by the US military, some of his generals defected, and some watched the fire from the other side. In the end, I had to flee.
In the original Iraq war, Saddam Hussein made a puzzling decision, he actually ordered all 800 fighters of the Air Force to hide in the depths of the desert, and none of them went into battle to resist the invasion of the US army. Why is that? Many people can't figure out that if it is used to resist the US military, maybe Saddam Hussein will get more opportunities, or the situation will change. In fact, Saddam's decision was not unreasonable, but on the contrary, it appeared to be quite clever, showing his forbearance and resourcefulness in the war.
Saddam Hussein clearly realized that there was a huge gap in strength between the Iraqi Air Force and the US Air Force, and there was no possibility of confrontation. If you fight, you will only lose more. In this case, hiding the fighters for the time being, at least these precious military assets can be preserved, waiting for the opportunity to re-emerge in the future. The United States has a powerful air force and leading technology, and Iraq has no advantage in any aspect, and the US military's early warning planes, reconnaissance planes, and bombers, as well as navigation satellites in space, are all deadly existences.
In addition, Saddam Hussein may have hoped to use the fighter plane as a diplomatic and political bargaining chip to realize his own interests. Although militarily unmatchable, by keeping warplanes and having more military resources at hand, seek assistance or exchange for political support. This strategic move demonstrated Saddam's political wisdom and strategic vision.
Finally, the retention of warplanes will help Iraq recover its military strength and reduce its losses in the future. Saddam may have hoped that by retaining these important assets, he would lay the groundwork for the future rebuilding of Iraq's military power. However, in the end, Saddam's idea was not realized, because he was betrayed by his bodyguards, captured by the US military, and finally ended his life by hanging in 2006.