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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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1 posted on 02/19/2002 9:20:18 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Ruuuule brittania, rule brittania! (makes the two fingered "pluck yew" longbowman taunt)
2 posted on 02/19/2002 9:23:09 AM PST by tomakaze
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To: nickcarraway
A mistake? Can you say a possible new world order operation? Hmmm
3 posted on 02/19/2002 9:24:08 AM PST by poet
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To: nickcarraway
Well, Helen Thomas was part right when she asked Bush if we were planning on invading Spain? Go ask our relatives across the pond, Helen!
4 posted on 02/19/2002 9:25:06 AM PST by princess leah
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To: nickcarraway
And the French, upon hearing of the invasion of Spain, promptly surrendered.
5 posted on 02/19/2002 9:26:08 AM PST by freedomcrusader
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To: nickcarraway
The British military apologized Monday for invading Spain over the weekend -- by mistake.

Plans are bieng drawn up for an Orderly transition of the Nations Capital back to the Spanish Government....

6 posted on 02/19/2002 9:27:18 AM PST by hobbes1
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To: freedomcrusader
ROTFL!!!!
7 posted on 02/19/2002 9:27:42 AM PST by hobbes1
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To: nickcarraway
Another mistake:
Italian elite force invades Sweden by mistake
8 posted on 02/19/2002 9:31:33 AM PST by anguish
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To: poet
"A mistake? Can you say a possible new world order operation? Hmmm"

A covert attempt to take over the Spanish Tin Foil industry?

9 posted on 02/19/2002 9:34:08 AM PST by Destructor
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To: nickcarraway
And Bush is supposed to check with London before taking action?????
10 posted on 02/19/2002 9:35:33 AM PST by wny
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To: nickcarraway
There is this fancy new device that works using the "GPS" - Global Positioning System.

The Brits could borrow it from me. It fits in my palm and can detect my coordinates within 10 feet.

11 posted on 02/19/2002 9:36:46 AM PST by LurkedLongEnough
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To: nickcarraway
The only thing that could have made this funnier is if the Spanish citizens beat them back off the shore into the water!!!

Friggin' Brits... : )

12 posted on 02/19/2002 9:38:16 AM PST by Fedupwithit
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To: nickcarraway
Odd... my $300 Garmin III+ GPS I bought at REI has a built in map, and pinpoints my position within about 12 feet. The map displays lakes, cities, streets, train tracks, and state and international boundries. I'll happily sell it to the Brit's for say ... gosh ... $3 Million. Think of how much international embarassment it would save.
13 posted on 02/19/2002 9:38:18 AM PST by Hodar
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: nickcarraway
I know that a lot of pipple are laughing about this, saying "How can you miss the Rock Of Gibraltar?!?!?" But the reality is that, under many circumstances, it's darned easy to miss.

The Rock is not the huge looming sentry portrayed in films and in Prudential ads. If you have this image of The Rock "guarding" the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, then you really ought to see the place, as we did last summer.

Gibraltar is a small, very rugged lump of prehistoric limestone which isn't even an island (although it HAS been) described as follows at www.gibraltar.gi:

"For now it remains as a narrow peninsula stuck to the end of the Iberian Peninsula, linked to it by a narrow isthmus. This isthmus, covered by buildings and a runway, is sandy. You can still see this sand on the surface in places, often littered in marine shells from a more recent past when the sea separated Gibraltar from the rest. This would have last happened during the latest warm period of the glaciations, probably around 120 thousand years ago. Many still refer to Gibraltar as an island. Historically, biologically, even politically it has been an island even in recent times, but physically it is a peninsula."

As for Gibraltar "guarding the Straits Of Gibraltar" connected the Med to the Atlantic, well, it just ain't so. The "rock" is well set off to one side of Algeciras, the Spanish port where you may embark on a ferry to Morocco. The strait itself is fairly wide, and unless the weather is really clear, it IS possible to sail the straits and never see the Rock at all - it's that far over on the Spanish side of things.

In fact, when Gibraltar first comes into view, your first and general reaction is, "That's IT?!?! That's what all the fuss is about?" In other words, it ain't that big, and if it's the least bit foggy, you can easily miss it until you're right on top of it. And, as that webpage says, adjacent to the Brits' property on that peninsulary isthmus are sandy beaches that are, ahem, part of Spain. The border there is not at all apparent from the sea.

I'll cut the Royal Marines a little slack on this one. Too easy a mistake to make. Sorry, Virginia, but the Rock Of Gibraltar doesn't look like the Prudential. It's pretty puny.

Michael

15 posted on 02/19/2002 9:43:37 AM PST by Wright is right!
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To: tomakaze
NEWSFLASH!!!! THIS JUST IN!!!! BRTITAIN'S MARINES MAKES NAVIGATIONAL ERROR AND INVADES U.S.!!!! ROFLMAO:-))) Hey at LEAST the Brits aren't as STUPID as EX DIRTBAG-POTUS!!!!:-))))
16 posted on 02/19/2002 9:52:27 AM PST by Roger_W_Isom
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To: freedomcrusader
To their FAVORITE enemies the GERMANS of COURSE!!!! ROFLMAO:-))))
17 posted on 02/19/2002 9:54:14 AM PST by Roger_W_Isom
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To: nickcarraway
Hmm...Spanish wine, and beautiful Spanish women, lonely soldiers, and an upcoming IO deployment? Sure it was a mistake...suuuure it was...
18 posted on 02/19/2002 9:54:15 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: nickcarraway
WRONG WAY HARRIMAN(sp???) STRIKES AGAIN!!!! ROFLMAO:-)))
19 posted on 02/19/2002 9:55:38 AM PST by Roger_W_Isom
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To: Roger_W_Isom
RE:To their FAVORITE enemies the GERMANS of COURSE!!!! ROFLMAO:-))))

Now that would be funny :-)
20 posted on 02/19/2002 9:58:56 AM PST by tomakaze
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