Anatomy of Saddam's Capture

Dec. 14, 2003 — -- After nearly nine months and billions of dollars spent hunting for the elusive Iraqi leader, in the end, Saddam Hussein went without a fight.

U.S. and coalition forces were hot on the trail of Saddam Hussein for more than a week, aggressively pursuing members of families in Tikrit who were suspected of having ties to the leader.

The final tip on Saddam's location came from one of these individuals, according to Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division that led the hunt in capturing the leader.

The following is a preliminary timeline of the eight-hour search, dubbed "Operation Red Dawn," and conducted on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2003:

10:50 a.m. local time, 2:50 a.m. ET: U.S. forces receive intelligence on the possible location of Saddam. Two areas are considered near the town of Adwar, which is approximately 10 miles south of Tikrit, Saddam's home town. The areas are identified as "Wolverine One" and "Wolverine Two."

6:00 p.m. local time, 10 a.m. ET: Six hundred artillery, cavalry and special operations forces position in the dark and begin movement toward the two areas.

8:00 p.m. local time, 12 noon ET: Coalition forces assault the two areas but do not initially find the target. The 1st Brigade Combat Team then encloses the area and begins an intensive search. Troops subsequently find a suspicious location to the northwest of Wolverine Two.

8:26 p.m. local time, 12:26 p.m. ET: Soldiers find Saddam Hussein hiding in an underground crawl space, described as a "spider hole," in the town of Adwar. They capture him without incident. They also catch two other people.

9:15 p.m. local time, 1:15 p.m. ET: Saddam is moved to a secure area and soldiers search his hideout and the surrounding area. Soldiers also confiscate approximately $750,000 in $100 bill denominations, two AK-47s and a pistol.