Damn, British Army is HARDCORE

[Mr.Reak]

British troops kill 20 in bayonet clash
Stephen Grey, Basra, and Adam Nathan

BRITISH soldiers fixed bayonets and fought hand-to-hand with a Shi’ite militia in southern Iraq in one of their fiercest clashes since the war officially ended last May.

They mounted what were described as “classic infantry assaults” on firing and mortar positions held by more than 100 fighters loyal to the outlawed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, military sources revealed yesterday.

At least 20 men from al-Sadr’s Mehdi army were said to have been killed in more than three hours of fighting — the highest toll reported in any single incident involving British forces in the past 12 months. Three British soldiers were injured, none seriously, and nine fighters were captured.

“It was very bloody and it was difficult to count all their dead,” said one source. “There were bodies floating in the river.”

Details of the incident emerged as General Sir Michael Walker, chief of the defence staff, told The Sunday Times that British forces would remain in strength at least until Iraq’s elections next year.

A further 3,000 troops may also be sent to boost troop strengths around Najaf in the centre of the country, also the scene of violent clashes.

The fighting began when soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were ambushed in two Land Rovers on Friday afternoon, about 15 miles south of the city of Amara.

They escaped, only to be ambushed a second time by a larger group armed with machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Reinforcements were summoned from the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment at a base nearby.

“There was some pretty fierce hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets fixed,” the source said. “There were some classic assaults on mortar positions held by the al-Sadr forces.”

Major Ian Clooney, the official spokesman, confirmed that the Mehdi army “took a pretty heavy knocking” but declined to specify the tactics. “This was certainly an intense engagement,” he said.

Since their arrival in Amara just under a month ago, the Princess of Wales’s regiment had been engaged in a tough struggle with the Mehdi army, which has been launching mortar attacks at night on the British and the coalition civilian headquarters in the city.

Although armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), the militia has found it hard to cope with Britain’s heavily armoured Warriors, one of which is reputed to have been struck by seven different RPGs and still managed to continue safely to base.

Walker said that “sufficient superiority” of British forces would be required to deal with unrest in the run-up to 2005 elections.

“There are some incursions that will occur, particularly up to June 30, and during the period up to elections next year,” he said. “We will need to have sufficient superiority of force to be able to deal with civil unrest and terrorism.

“We are in discussions with the Americans about putting more people out. If one suddenly had a major reconstruction problem we would need more troops to be able to support that without removing people from their role.”

Among the 3,000 troops under consideration to boost forces around Najaf is 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.

Tony Blair will come under pressure from some Labour MPs and the Liberal Democrats to hold a Commons vote before the troops are sent.

Blair is likely to dismiss Labour calls as being from what he will portray as the left of the party. But if the calls gain momentum and key figures such as the former foreign secretary Robin Cook speak out, he may have his hand forced.

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Before any further British troops are sent, the government should consult with and listen to parliament about the role they are to undertake.”

However, Walker said the plan was gradually to reduce the 12,000 British troop presence in the southeast region of Basra and Amara as soon as local security forces gained control of the area.

“The main task is to continue to ensure that we prepare Iraq for the Iraqi people to be able to take sovereignty on June 30,” he said.

“The intention is to draw back the coalition face of the security activities in the southeast so it becomes increasingly Iraqi. When it gets to a stage where they can do it on their own we will reduce our numbers.”

British troops in southeast Iraq are already significantly outnumbered by local Iraqi police and the 5,100-strong Iraqi civil defence corps.

Walker said that British troops would stay in Iraq as long as they were needed. “It is very difficult to say how long we will have to stay but we are committed to stay until we are no longer needed.”

:rolling:

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2761-1111774,00.html

Damn, and nobody died on British side, these guys are hardcore as hell. Respect is due where respect is due.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

When is the film going to be made?

Sounds quite nasty, but im glad that none of our troops were killed.

 

[Mikey Canuck]

Seven different RPGs hit the armour and it's still rolling. Wow.

Hand-to-hand combat, that's gotta be nightmarish. It's too bad it had to come to this.

 

[Dux]

Lads are trained extremely well, not much they cant handle. Still glad to hear none of them were killed or seriously injured.

 

[AudioRage]

Thats one way to break the Iraqi Fighters, about the only thing they were trained in was shooting towards the enemy fighters.

Hand to hand combat has to be a very weak point, and with the british forces, they train in it extensively, so they did what knew would work.

 

[ukfilmer]

i remember something saying that a british 'grunt' is worth 3 american 'grunts' due to training and what not

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Thats because we dont have grunts...we have squaddies. They are +10 health and also have an amazing +30 melee.

 

[phantomdesign]

The media is really downplaying how many rebels the US/british forces have killed. I saw the figures somewhere. The media is protraying it as if only american forces are dying, but we've killed a hell of a lot of insurgents in the last few months (thousands).

 

[Foxtrot]

A similar incident happened with an American group of soldiers, all I remember is that they attacked with bayonets and some guy got an award. Iraqis probably don't even have anything to fight with in close combat.

 

[dura]

I guess bayonets still have a purpose.

 

[Champ]

1 brit equals 3 yanks? I find that hard to believe, but I seriously wouldn't know anything about it. Got a link to back it up?

 

[Dux]

Thats because we dont have grunts...we have squaddies. They are +10 health and also have an amazing +30 melee.

+50 Tea breaks.
+100 Wind up the Gerry's.

 

[lePobz]

Yeah that is odd, Going by mass alone I would say one average American soldier is worth about 5 British soldiers.

 

[FictiousWill]

I'm not surprised. British soldiers are badasses. American soldiers are 90% the stupid kids who couldn't graduate high school and can't add more than 10 (they run out of fingers). eg: Failed all your classes? There's always the military! That's how it is in the states.

 

[Champ]

I'd imagine that those brit soldiers got their training in hand to hand combat at the football games. British hooligans are downright nasty!

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Yeah i suppose all the "failed" people in this country just mooch off the welfare system. Then again there isnt much unemployment so they must do something.


Heh, here we go with the British Hooligan stereotype

 

[sabre89]

I guess bayonets still have a purpose.

Rofl, pwnt.

 

[_-_-SELAS-_-_]

Why do they still fight, they are beaten, and it will only postpone thier own election.

 

[Champ]

I remember there was a match between some english club and some turkish club, here in our capital... Not to come off rude, but those limeys trashed a big part of central Copenhagen

 

[Foxtrot]

The biggest difference between the American and British military is that the British sign up for a lot longer, and that lets them train their soldiers more since they will be around longer. Atleast that is how it use to be. The reason they still fight is because they feel like they have lost their honor, pride and etc so they think if they put up a fight they will gain some respect back. Also a foreign country accupying their land for whatever reason is a big insult to them.

 

[ComradeBadger]

OK, less stereotyping here please

But that is really impressive

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I remember there was a match between some english club and some turkish club, here in our capital... Not to come off rude, but those limeys trashed a big part of central Copenhagen

Why do you call us limeys? Surely thats moer of an american term since it comes from the long voyages that the British had to undertake to cross the Atlantic.

Anyway, to be fair there have been problems with the turks in the past. For example, when England fans have been to turkey, not only have the turkish fans been violent, but so where the guards. There were instances of the guards just sptting on the English fans. No matter what the fans had done, the security forces shouldnt go to that level.

Anyway, its odd really. The British...well, i cant speak for wales and scotland so much, but we seem to have a way of being very cynical about things and make fun of our country yet there are those times when a patriotism comes out. It reminds me of a comedian just being interviewed or something and he said that he was talking with a French person about the US. The French person said something along the lines of, "Before the USA became powerful it was France that had most of the power in the world."
The comedian then said "Well, imperialist Empires are a shameful thing but our shame was far bigger than yours mate"

 

[Champ]

Am I stereotyping? hooligans are generally bad. The english are just badDER...

Hehe, don't take the limey, brit and yank thing personal. I just like to spit those kinds of words out. Watched a wee bit too many war films I guess...
And yes, the turkish fans were violent and all too, but I think it is a fact that the chaps over from the queens country has a temper aye?

 

[marksmanHL2 :)]

I reckon the British army are so damn good for their size because from what I have read the government spends far more money on training than it does on equipment....

Also the whole mentality of our army is "Be the best". Thats even the armys tag line. I think that people who join the army here actually want to be the best. They want to prove to the world that we are still have decent armed forces.


We also have some damn sweet technology considering our cash flow problems.....

For example, the challenger2 tank is one of the best in the world. Right up there with the Abrahms. Hell our armour is (Probably) the best in the world.



I have to go now, i'll read replies later.

 

[Murray_H]

So you see how hard the 'normal' soldiers are....now think how hard the SAS are

 

[Champ]

Heh... yah, but I reckon nothing equals with the Abrahms atm right?
Denmark uses some german stuff mostly. Hell, I even think we're using a modified version of the MG41, how advanced is that?!? Hehe

 

[Revisedsoul]

Heh... yah, but I reckon nothing equals with the Abrahms atm right?
Denmark uses some german stuff mostly. Hell, I even think we're using a modified version of the MG41, how advanced is that?!? Hehe

actually i ehard somewhere that the germans built a new panzer or tiger tank. and surpasses the abrahms in almost all ways. but i just heard so i could be wrong

 

[Murray_H]

actually i ehard somewhere that the germans built a new panzer or tiger tank. and surpasses the abrahms in almost all ways. but i just heard so i could be wrong

A new panzer, called the pwnzer

 

[ukfilmer]

i think alot of the 1 brit = 3 'mericans is because of the sheer amount of troops you guys have compared to us, we can spare more time training them properly. and SAS well... best of the best (all special forces units around the world are based off the SAS e.g Delta, gign etc.)

 

[FictiousWill]

The Abrams isn't very new. I'm sure there is something better out. Hell, the whole concept of a tank is rather outdated. The way to fight now is to send out UAVs to spy on the suckers and missile 'em all the way from your home country via satelite. Then missile over a little flag that says 'pwned' on it.

 

[Crushenator 500]

murray, you think the SAS are hard, you aint seen the ghurka's :naughty: not technically british, but they are in the army.
p.s. kukri knives are sweet

btw, on holiday, i noticed just how different the ad campaigns to join the army are between usa and uk. here, it shows the training, with guys almost drowning to death, and at the end it says 99.99% need not apply. then we get to the usa. it completely glorifies it, showing strong guys running, without sweating or anything, with jets flying over head in the sunny perfect day. its horrible really to think of the americans going to the army thinking its a piece of cake, and getting there and wanting to get out and not being able to.

 

[Champ]

Hmm... well, read too much american propaganda then, and played to much OFP (I owned those ruski tanks with the Abrahms ;-) ).. Any links to some kickass military hardware then? I'm fascianted by that stuff!

 

[Dedalus]

Thats because we dont have grunts...we have squaddies. They are +10 health and also have an amazing +30 melee.

heh, GW still has a grip on you eh


i'm quite impressed by that story. using old skool tactics, very unconventional. i guess it stems from a large wealth of military knowledge that the British Army has to draw on. they know what wins battles, having fought pretty much everywhere in the world. i'm sure lots of soldiers around the world are capable of such an act. but i think the knowledge backing these guys up gives them the edge.

on a note about badass soldiers: Gurkha's. meanest fighters on the face of the planet in the present day. they were deployed in Afganistan, not sure about Iraq. they're originally from Nepal, and the Nepalese and British governments have such a close allegience that Nepal has handed over almost their entire Gurkha army over to the crown. that's pretty cool, considering the British initially went to Nepal to divide and conquer etc.

this story reminds me of something i saw on the news the other day. these two 'insurgents' had a british soldier pinned down, and they knicked his rifle. any normal person would pull out the secondary and give them two in the chest. but this guy pulls out his truncheon and gives em what for. gets his rifle back and presumably arrests them or something, the news didn't show the whole video. i thought that was pretty impressive too.

 

[h00dlum]

Rightey ou matey!

 

[Champ]

Give me a link to that vid at once Dedalus! Hehe, sounds pretty impressive yes1

 

[GhostValkyrie]

I'm not surprised. British soldiers are badasses. American soldiers are 90% the stupid kids who couldn't graduate high school and can't add more than 10 (they run out of fingers). eg: Failed all your classes? There's always the military! That's how it is in the states.

Ummm...you have to graduate school to go into the Marines, the Navy, The Air Force, and even the Army I do believe. Could be wrong about the Army.(No offense to any Army boys.) I'm not saying that all of our soldiers are absolutely bright, or are in it for the right reasons, but I'm not going to just sum up my brothers to just a bunch of idiot drop-outs like you just did. They're certainly making more of a difference than you are.

Kudos to the Brits, sounds like spectacular job with lion-hearted tactics. :thumbs:

 

[mortiz]

Well done to those men, wars are going to be fought, and people are going to fight, I think the problem now-a-days is that everything relies too heavily on the trigger. Hand-to-hand combat is how wars should be fought, because then the killing becomes much closer to home and when a person dies they actually see the life drain out of them. People become people, and not just targets. It might help to change attitudes; it probably has a significantly greater emotional affect on the soldiers.

 

[burnzie]

war, what is it good for.

 

[mortiz]

absolutely nothing!

 

[Willber123]

wooooo! england!!

for queen and country :thumbs: