Remembering The 51 Day Standoff In Waco, Texas – 25 Years Later

The Plan

Photo Credits: STR/AFP/Getty Images

It was decided that the assault would take place on April 19, 1993, 51 days after the standoff had begun. Because the Branch Davidians were so heavily armed, the FBI decided to use .50 caliber rifles as well as armored Combat Engineering Vehicles in that order. They also opted to use explosives to blow holes into the walls of the buildings of the compound in order to pump CS (tear gas) inside to flush out the Branch Davidians. The FBI also decided to increase the amounts of gas in order to speed up the process. This was agreed to be a no-armed assault as they would use a loudspeaker to let the Branch Davidians know what was happening.