"It will take from seven to 14 days before we are ready to go," General Raymond Odierno said as some of the 4ID's awesome military hardware was offloaded at Shuwaikh port in central Kuwait.

The heavy division was supposed to have formed a northern front but the plan was discarded when Turkey failed to grant permission for the use of its territory as a springboard.

Three shrink-wrapped Black Hawk helicopters were taken off USS Cape Victory along with M1 Abrams tanks, armoured personnel carriers and Bradley tracked fighting vehicles.

Six ships out of a total of 36 which are carrying the division's formidable arsenal have already docked in Kuwait.

Elements of the 4th Infantry Division plus other units were expected to comprise the "Ironhorse" task force that will eventually reach 30,000 men to be thrown into the effort to unseat Saddam.

Odierno said that his men wanted to "help our brothers and sisters already in battle".

Many of the soldiers are being flown in from their base at Fort Hood, Texas while vessels carrying heavy equipment have been redeployed from the Mediterranean and transited through the Suez Canal headed for the Gulf.

SPACE.WIRE