One Bloody Month In Basrah

[MKSheppard]

http://www.soldiermagazine.co.uk/mag/feature1.htm

BRITISH troops in Iraq were engaged in an intensity of combat during August not experienced by the Army for many decades.
The Commander of 1st Mechanised Brigade, Brig Andrew Kennett, has suggested British soldiers last faced such an onslaught during the Korean War.

The level of fighting staggered troops from Op Telic 1 and turned fresh-faced squaddies into battle-hardened soldiers.

While violence erupted in Basra, the scenes were even more desperate in Al Amarah.
The month of unrest was triggered by American attempts to seize the holy city of Najaf and lead to Shia fundamentalists targeting all coalition troops.

British soldiers found themselves confronted by organised attacks from gunmen willing to die for their cause.

A force of 500 militia in Al Amarah declared all-out war on both Cimic House, the British Army base in the city, and the Pink Palace, the seat of local government, launching a 23-day campaign to seize the buildings.

Enemy attacks ranged from section strength up to a series of company assaults with 100-plus fighters.

Fewer than 90 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment and 60 from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers based in Al Amarah repulsed the continuous contacts.

During the three-week onslaught Y Company, 1 PWRR, based at Cimic House, became the most attacked company in the Iraqi theatre of operations, north and south.

Speaking for Y Coy, Capt Nick Thasarathar said: “The section-strength attacks would often involve a car pulling up, with a militiaman RPG-ing a sangar and then attempting to drive off.

“I can say that not many of the cars managed to get away. One company-plus attack went on for four-and-a-half hours and got right up to our doorstep.

“Of the four major assaults, the shortest lasted two hours and the longest four-and-a half.”

Militiamen unleashed a terrifying arsenal at Cimic House during the period, including 595 mortar rounds (both 81mm and 60mm), 57 rocket-propelled grenades, five 107mm Chinese rockets and engaged troops in 86 firefights.

One British soldier died as the result of an accident but Iraqi fatalities ran into hundreds.

While troops from 1 RWF and 1 PWRR in Al Amarah were shaken but not stirred, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, based at Basra’s Old State Buildings, also felt the heat.

The claustrophobic camp, hemmed-in by busy roads on one side and overlooked by neighbouring buildings, became the most mortared place in southern Iraq during August.


Tented accommodation, vacated by troops weeks earlier, was so shredded it resembled a tea bag.

The Old State Buildings also suffered continual RPG attacks, small-arms shootings and a potentially bloody attack with a 107mm Chinese rocket.

The missile smashed through several walls, missing a soldier sleeping in a bunk by inches. Cpl Mark Hunter, 1 Cheshire, returned from stag and nodded off wearing his body armour – a decision that saved his life.

Although the rocket failed to explode, its impact fragged masonry which struck the sleeping soldier, breaking the ceramic plate in his body armour and driving stone fragments into his chest, leaving him seriously ill.

If the rocket had exploded dozens of sleeping soldiers, including Cpl Hunter, would have been killed.

CSgt Chris Bate, 1 Cheshire, also had his fair share of luck. “We’ve all got our lucky charms at camp – mine’s a St Christopher medal given to me by my family,” he said. “It’s worked. I’ve been hit twice by mortars but not been seriously injured.

“One exploded about three metres away and I had to have nine stitches in my leg and another mortar landed in the gym blowing me off my feet. I sustained an injury to my forearm which put me in hospital for five days.”

Elsewhere in Basra, Shia militiamen pounced on a convoy of 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry and 1 Cheshire Land Rovers which had been halted by a broken-down vehicle.

Lt Will Follett, 2 LI, was in the second of the two multiples when the gunmen attacked. He said: “I brought my wagons forward to assault the enemy and we were fired on in what was obviously a pre-prepared ambush.

“There were around 60 militiamen armed with heavy machine-guns, RPGs, and AK-47s. We had 24 men.

“We were almost surrounded. Our only exit route was back the way we came. We were out-numbered by a determined enemy only too happy to die for their cause.

“There were rounds flying all over the place and one grazed the back of my helmet – which I didn’t realise at the time. LCpl Paul ‘Taff’ Thomas was shot in the neck two metres away from me and died.

“A Warrior call-sign finally arrived and we managed to get away.

“That was the hairiest situation I’ve been in in Iraq – and there’s been quite a few like it.”

Three soldiers from 2 LI won citations as a result of their actions.

Cpl Tony Wilson, commander of the rear vehicle, engaged enemy RPG positions five metres from his Land Rover despite a missile that struck his windscreen and failed to detonate.

LCpl Gareth Rowe and Pte Naz Qureshi, both 2 LI, cleared a building of gunmen using grenades.

Pte Naz Qureshi also tried desperately to resuscitate the fatally wounded LCpl Thomas as he was rushed from the scene.

There were more attacks on British forces during May than Op Telic 1 and 2 together and in August there were five times as many attacks as in May.

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Ow

[The_Nice_Guy]

That is a very cute dolphin!!!

TWG

[SirNitram]

Brave bloody bastards, the squaddies down there. I don't think I'd be able to stand in an Army base with that much ordinance flying at it(In reference to the amount of mortar and rocket fire used over the past month). I'm just flabbergasted that only one Brit was killed.. Wonder how many injured?

[Mr Bean]

Brave bloody bastards, the squaddies down there. I don't think I'd be able to stand in an Army base with that much ordinance flying at it(In reference to the amount of mortar and rocket fire used over the past month). I'm just flabbergasted that only one Brit was killed.. Wonder how many injured?

Considering the lack of casulites the opp was probably blowing craters in crates or they had a damn fine trench/bunker setup

[SirNitram]

Brave bloody bastards, the squaddies down there. I don't think I'd be able to stand in an Army base with that much ordinance flying at it(In reference to the amount of mortar and rocket fire used over the past month). I'm just flabbergasted that only one Brit was killed.. Wonder how many injured?

Considering the lack of casulites the opp was probably blowing craters in crates or they had a damn fine trench/bunker setup

Quite. I can't quite imagine how you have that much explosive coming at you and not suffer for it, but I'm very glad they've been doing so well. To be honest, this is the first I've heard of events ramping up in Basra, so I was a little surprised when it mentioned a nearly thirty day offensive.

I wish I knew what was keeping the casualities down. The US boys need some of it, even if it's nothing more than incompetent opposition.