As George Bush's ultimatum to Saddam Hussein expired yesterday the Kuwaiti desert was alive with movement as tens of thousand of troops moved into the border area ahead of a war against Iraq.
In response to reports that troops had begun entering the 200 mile long demilitarised zone that separates Kuwait from Iraq that was until last week patrolled by United Nations observers, a senior British officer said, "Where else would they be going? We are moving in position for war." For months a 180,000-strong British and American fighting force has been assembling in the military zone in northern Kuwait with the roads leading to hundreds of desert camps a constant supply of men and equipment.
But yesterday evening the border posts were quiet with only one jeep packed with American soldiers pausing briefly at the check-point before careering wildly up the road.
"We're late for something," said the driver.
Instead all along the border with Iraq hundreds of desert camps were being packed up and columns of troops, tanks and bulldozers moved into battle position.
Under cover of a sandstorm that cast a grey pall over the desert the military convoys appeared endless.
In a further testimony to the departure of the UN and the peace that their presence had ensured the blue and white border posts marking the DMZ have been removed.
By the roadside a red sign now warns: 10km American Prohibited Zone. Past it a convoy of bulldozers and trucks carrying the materials to build forward deployed helicopter landing pads rumbled by.
Further along the road a short distance from the border with Iraq a British soldier, part of an advanced engineering unit which will dismantle Iraqi defences, said: "We have been given orders to redeploy nearer Iraq where we're going to set up camp. But I don't know how much sleep I'll be getting tonight."
From the scale of the troops and equipment moving forward yesterday he may be getting very little.
Although military leaks have suggested there will an air campaign lasting two to three days, a land invasion appeared to be only a few hours away. A US officer at military headquarters in Kuwait city said: "There is only so long that we can keep pushing troops forward before something has to give."
The launching of the land invasion shortly after an air campaign would provide an element of "surprise", according to the officer, although they expect to encounter little resistance with the boundaries of the southern no fly zone.
"We've done so much bombing of southern Iraq in the past few months there are very few hostile elements still out there.
"Our task is to move in as quickly as possible to prevent civilian infrastructure being sabotaged and begin the process of regime change," he said.
As the troops began deploying another element of the allied battle plan was also apparent. Along the 60-mile road there was a clear division of manpower as British forces moved off into the north eastern part of the military zone and elements of the US 3rd infantry could be seen heading westwards.
British troops are now little more than a stone's throw from the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr whilst Basra, the key to southern Iraq is only 45 miles further up the road. They are expected to take both and hold the eastern flank of Allied forces while the US army charges into central Iraq, into the area around Baghdad.
But as darkness fell yesterday evening there was still time for a moment of reflection before the war begins. Near to one of six Chinook helicopters besides a British camp, which stood with its loading doors open for troops to enter, two British squaddies stood and shared a cigarette.
Around them the dust blew and the sound of motor engines could be heard echoing everywhere in the desert night, but they appeared calm, waving a nonchalant thumbs-up.
Meanwhile at a farmhouse in the military zone, one of a number still occupied by Kuwaitis who have shown little desire to flee the impending war, a farmer knelt upon his porch and conducted the final prayer of the day.
Afterwards he said (as I asked him for directions): "I prayed for war to come quickly so that my family can return to this house. I also prayed for the Iraqis that few of them may be harmed."