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Whoops! British Marines lose bearings, 'invade' Spain
South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | February 18 2002

Posted on 02/19/2002 9:20:18 AM PST by nickcarraway

Edited on 09/03/2002 4:49:59 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

GIBRALTAR -- The British military apologized Monday for invading Spain over the weekend -- by mistake.

About 20 Royal Marines went slightly off course in an amphibious exercise and stormed a Spanish beach Sunday morning near the British colony of Gibraltar, a British Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Residents of the Spanish border town of La Linea watched in astonishment as the beach filled with combat-ready troops wielding mortar launchers and SA 80 assault rifles, according to Spanish press reports, which said at least 30 troops were involved.


(Excerpt) Read more at sunsentinel.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: milgoofs
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To: nickcarraway
Lo Siento! Lo Siento!
21 posted on 02/19/2002 10:00:31 AM PST by Illbay
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To: freedomcrusader
LOL!

"I didn't want to surrender, but they captured my horse and made him surrender!" -- Chief Dan George, The Outlaw Josie Wales.

22 posted on 02/19/2002 10:02:10 AM PST by Illbay
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To: nickcarraway
Anyone here wanna imagine the reaction if the US had done this? The Europeans would be having a hissy fit.
23 posted on 02/19/2002 10:02:27 AM PST by Godel
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To: tomakaze
Somewhere in all this,is a Royal Navy Leftenant choking on his piping! This kinda thing happens every day,but fortunately,someones boarders aren't violated most of the time. I dunno how many times I have screamed "Check fire" into a PRC-77 cuz some dumb butterbar from Canoe-U,took his platoon into an Impact area. Deadliest thing in the U.S. Military is a Second Looie with a compass! I suspect HMRM are little different. PerMare,PerTerrum E4E
24 posted on 02/19/2002 10:07:28 AM PST by E4E
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Comment #25 Removed by Moderator

To: Wright is right!
Did you take the harrowing bus ride to the top of the Rock? The perspective is a bit different from up there.

The Brits may well have inadvertantly avoided being decimated by troops of ferocious baboons who inhabit it. Remember them??

26 posted on 02/19/2002 10:16:49 AM PST by tracer
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To: nickcarraway
Tut, tut. This all was just a Monty Python sketch.....
27 posted on 02/19/2002 10:17:46 AM PST by tracer
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To: tomakaze
The v-sign? I had heard on story that English longbowman would give it to the French. (They would cut those fingers off captured English soldiers) I wasn't sure if it was definitive.
28 posted on 02/19/2002 10:22:12 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Don Quixote Rides Again
29 posted on 02/19/2002 10:30:03 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Whoops! British Marines lose bearings, 'invade' Spain

France announces immediate surrender!

30 posted on 02/19/2002 10:53:38 AM PST by bigdog
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To: nickcarraway
RE:The v-sign? I had heard on story that English longbowman would give it to the French. (They would cut those fingers off captured English soldiers) I wasn't sure if it was definitive.

At last! a chance to use one of my geek links in combat!
Plucking The Yew (various attempts at explaining how that came about)
31 posted on 02/19/2002 11:07:03 AM PST by tomakaze
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To: tracer
"Did you take the harrowing bus ride to the top of the Rock? The perspective is a bit different from up there. The Brits may well have inadvertantly avoided being decimated by troops of ferocious baboons who inhabit it. Remember them??"

We'd heard about the baboons (tour guide actually called them "bassoons," then got it right). Nothing like a horde of ferocious bassoons to ruin your day.

As for the bus ride, nope, we were simply passing by on the ferry back to Algeciras from close to a week in Morocco. When we left FOR Morocco earlier, you couldn't see the Rock at ALL. Visibility had been about a mile in fog, and that's not very far on open water.

Michael

32 posted on 02/19/2002 11:12:24 AM PST by Wright is right!
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To: tracer
BTW, tracer, speaking of harrowing bus rides, we're thinking of compiling a list of some of the world's best bus rides, to be published by the No Guard Rail Press. One of the best is on the Greek isle of Santorini from the capital of Fira town up to Oeia on the northern end. It's a 1.5-lane roadway which carries large motor coaches and city-style buses simultaneously in both directions. There are sheer drops of thousands of feet and not one guard rail in sight. The Amalfi Coast of Italy has a lot to recommend it as well.

Michael

33 posted on 02/19/2002 11:21:31 AM PST by Wright is right!
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To: tracer
BTW, tracer, speaking of harrowing bus rides, we're thinking of compiling a list of some of the world's best bus rides, to be published by the No Guard Rail Press. One of the best is on the Greek isle of Santorini from the capital of Fira town up to Oeia on the northern end. It's a 1.5-lane roadway which carries large motor coaches and city-style buses simultaneously in both directions. There are sheer drops of thousands of feet and not one guard rail in sight. The Amalfi Coast of Italy has a lot to recommend it as well.

Michael

34 posted on 02/19/2002 11:21:55 AM PST by Wright is right!
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To: tracer
The Brits may well have inadvertantly avoided being decimated by troops of ferocious baboons who inhabit it. Remember them??

Are you saying that in an all-out battle between the Gibralter apes and the British Marines that the apes would stand a good chance of winning? ;-)

So much for the new world order! Bring on the new ape order!

35 posted on 02/19/2002 11:29:30 AM PST by Jay W
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Comment #36 Removed by Moderator

To: Jay W; Squantos
Are you saying that in an all-out battle between the Gibralter apes and the British Marines that the apes would stand a good chance of winning? ;-)

I would suggest that if the Gibralter apes were to dress up in Royal Marine DPM camoflage and infiltrate the Marine units, there's a fair chance that most of the Marine squaddies would never spot the difference....

37 posted on 02/19/2002 11:42:29 AM PST by archy
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To: Yehuda
No one is mentioning that the Spanish military did not see them coming

We have fresh GPS Batteries...all you need to do is answer some easy questions at the castle!

38 posted on 02/19/2002 11:52:59 AM PST by Focault's Pendulum
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To: Yehuda
One Moor time.
39 posted on 02/19/2002 11:54:46 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
The Mouse that Roared II.
40 posted on 02/19/2002 11:57:46 AM PST by Consort
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