Operation Iron Hammer
 

Every time I see this, I keep thinking that it's a Queen's song.

Hammer them!

Now I remmember, it's that song Hammer to Fall.

I like Hammerfall.

Yes, great song. Though I prefer Show Must Go On. That song is so depressing considering the state Freddy was in when they recorded that song. :(

What is Operation Iron Hammer? I don't watch the news for a week and I'm clueless.

IT's the latest operation in Iraq. Supposed to end it all. Like Shock and Awe. I think the name is stupid cause it's the same name used by the Nazi in World War II. In order to defeat the Russian, the Nazi had a planned call Iron Hammer. It was planned by an aviation professor named Steinmann of the German Aviation Ministry. The operation was to raid selected points in the Soviet infrastructure in order to damage the whole.

Just the latest in catchy code words for military operations for public consumption. Normally, operational code words are computer-generated. Some examples:

URGENT FURY - the invasion of Grenada, 1983
JUST CAUSE - the removal of Manuel Noriega in Panama, 1989
DESERT SHIELD - the buildup leading to Gulf War I
DESERT STORM - Gulf War I
INFINITE JUSTICE - the original code name for ENDURING FREEDOM, the war in Afghanistan (which was toned down from the latter).

'Shock and Awe' is actually the title of a book written by Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade, and is a study of future military conflict (when the book was written in 1996) and used as the primary strategy in Gulf War II. The book's text is at http://www.dodccrp.org/shockIndex.html .