Regards, Ivan
Posted on 03/29/2003 3:42:49 PM PST by MadIvan
SAS troopers have seized a missile base and two key airfields, killing or capturing hundreds of Iraqi soldiers, some in hand-to-hand combat, according to well-placed military sources.
The raids, mounted jointly with the Australian SAS, are among the biggest in the regiment’s history. They are helping the coalition to secure the “western front” — the area between Baghdad and the Jordanian border.
The troops, using Land Rovers in which they can operate for weeks at a time, had identified the missile base from satellite imagery. After digging into the desert, an Australian SAS unit watched the base, 200 miles west of Baghdad. The soldiers observed Iraqi troop patrols for days before calling in airstrikes followed by about 30 British troopers just before dawn on Wednesday.
As the bombs hit the base, the SAS men, wearing night-vision goggles and using thermal-imaging equipment, moved in. Using grenades and heavy machineguns, they killed or captured most of the Iraqis. There were no British or Australian casualties.
When the base was secure, specialists were flown in by helicopter to search for evidence of weapons of mass destruction. They found what one commander described as the “necessary infrastructure” — specialised cranes, missile launchers, fuel tanks and storage systems — but no chemicals. A senior coalition commander said the missiles were probably being kept on transporters.
The SAS has been given much the same role it had in the 1991 Gulf war: neutralising Iraq’s ability to launch missiles and seizing strategic targets that the coalition wants to capture intact. It is understood the elite regiment has already been involved in dozens of raids and battles.
The biggest, an assault on the airbases near Jordan known as H2 and H3, was mounted within 48 hours of war breaking out and was undertaken by 150 men from three British SAS Sabre squadrons and 100 Australian SAS troopers. According to senior SAS sources, the squadrons attacked by driving their Land Rovers in formation towards the first base. Teams to the right and left flank of the main assault force provided covering fire.
The firepower of the Land Rovers is immense: each is mounted with a 50mm machinegun, with each unit of troopers carrying at least one 40mm grenade launcher. Each soldier has a machinegun with night sights and an automatic pistol as well as fighting knives for hand-to-hand combat.
Travelling at high speed, dozens of Land Rovers entered the first airbase before splitting up to storm the control tower, offices, watch towers and hangars. Buildings were cleared using a well- rehearsed routine of throwing stun grenades followed by room-by-room searches. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out as Iraqis were dragged from the buildings.
Within hours the mission was completed, hundreds of Iraqis had been captured and the SAS called for support from the Royal Marines and US Rangers, who secured the airfield. It is now being used by the coalition for refuelling planes. The second airbase fell without the need for the same scale of assault.
On long-range operations, SAS units are transported with their Land Rovers by Chinook helicopters. The vehicles have high-tech communication systems and full biochemical protection kits. On raids the men usually hide their Land Rovers and walk, often for hours, to set up observation points near the targets.
“What really sets these guys apart is that they’re incredibly self-contained,” said the military source. “They work independently, reporting back to base only occasionally. They’re trained to operate in the harshest desert conditions. They carry food, water and petrol and they can fix any part of the vehicle.”
The skills have been honed during extensive training in Oman and the Australian outback. Some SAS men speak Arabic and can negotiate with Iraqi civilians.
A second SAS squadron has moved on from the western desert on a “reconnaissance and intelligence” mission in the Baghdad region, where more than 50 men are understood to be gathering intelligence and directing airstrikes on Republican Guard positions which form a crescent some 50 miles south and west of Baghdad.
Some units are also thought to be monitoring routes into the city, in case senior Iraqi military and political figures attempt to flee the country. “If (any of these people) come into their area and are seen, they will report it,” said an SAS source. “If they are judged to be a legal and legitimate target then a unit may get a direction to take action against them.”
A third squadron is understood to have travelled from its base in Jordan to team up with Special Boat Squadron (SBS) units fighting to secure Basra. A British special forces team yesterday targeted a key Ba’ath party building containing about 200 paramilitary fighters which was then destroyed by airstrikes by two F-15 fighter bombers. The SAS forms a small part of a massive special forces contingent in Iraq. The SBS also led the attack on the southern al-Faw peninsula. American special forces are responsible for co-ordinating Kurdish factions in the north.
Regards, Ivan
Great job, guys!
The biggest, an assault on the airbases near Jordan known as H2 and H3, was mounted within 48 hours of war breaking out and was undertaken by 150 men from three British SAS Sabre squadrons and 100 Australian SAS troopers. According to senior SAS sources, the squadrons attacked by driving their Land Rovers in formation towards the first base. Teams to the right and left flank of the main assault force provided covering fire.
The firepower of the Land Rovers is immense: each is mounted with a 50mm machinegun, with each unit of troopers carrying at least one 40mm grenade launcher. Each soldier has a machinegun with night sights and an automatic pistol as well as fighting knives for hand-to-hand combat.
I have a whole new respect for the Brits and the Aussie's !!
WELL DONE!
Amen............More Grace and Mercy,.........In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen!!!
Don't ever confuse the rough and tumble soldiers from either nation with the bedwetting liberals we see on TV. They will drink our Army under the table and then be ready for a fight. They are studs. (BTW, I am speaking from first hand experience, trained with then before)
God Save the Queen and throw another shrimp on the barbie.
Great story, and well done, SAS!
Did the reporter, though, make this one tiny error? Do the Land Rovers really have a 50mm machinegun? Thats a pretty big cannon for even a highly modified SUV.
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