Ambush on SBCT = enemy dead

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2003-12-17 11:17am

Insurgents attacked elements of 3rd BDE, 2nd ID, the first Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT). The timing for the insurgents was pretty good, as it coincided with an elementary school being let out, however the results for the insurgents were less than stellar, as the company's sniper proved lethal to several of them:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces killed 11 Iraqi insurgents who were part of an ambush on their patrol in the northern Iraqi town of Samarra, a military spokesman said.

According to Lt. Bill McDonald, members of Task Force Ironhorse -- part of the Army's 4th Infantry Division -- were on a routine patrol Monday when they were hit in a coordinated attack, involving rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. A second patrol, operating nearby, assisted in repelling the ambush.

There were no U.S. casualties, McDonald said.

Apparently signaling the patrol's arrival in Samarra, a flock of pigeons was released, quickly followed by a preliminary attack by two men on a motorcycle with a machine gun, before the larger ambush.

The article is misleading. 3/2 IN is task-organized to 4ID for the current mission. It also misses the news that seven of the eleven enemy were killed by a sniper, organic to the Stryker company. Nor does the article mention kids who had just been released from an elementary school, running around and screaming during the ambush. There's a lot to be said for well-aimed fire and well-rehearsed battle drills such as "react to ambush."

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-12-17 11:20am

Good show dealing with the fuckers.

I guess this puts to rest the notion that these attacks are organized by Saddam. They must be the foreign nationals we keep hearing about.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-12-17 11:27am

It's damned near a miracle none of those children were killed in the ambush. However, if they were i can almost guarntee the report would have been 'Shoolchildren killed in anti terror clash'and would have said nothing of the fact that the children were used as a distraction by the insurgants.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-12-17 11:45am

Col. Crackpot wrote:It's damned near a miracle none of those children were killed in the ambush. However, if they were i can almost guarntee the report would have been 'Shoolchildren killed in anti terror clash'and would have said nothing of the fact that the children were used as a distraction by the insurgants.

Our local ABC radio station reported the Iraqi's were using the children as shields. Good work by the Army not killing any of them.

Burak Gazan · Post by **Burak Gazan** » 2003-12-17 12:11pm

Salute to the sniper -- 7 out of 11 of the scumbags? Woha, thats some good shooting!

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-12-17 12:27pm

Burak Gazan wrote:Salute to the sniper -- 7 out of 11 of the scumbags? Woha, thats some good shooting!

reminds me of a story i heard during the height of fighting in Afghanistan. 2 Canadian snipers saved a US Spec ops team from ambush by picking off 20 or so Taliban fighters. They opened themselves up for attack, but kept plugging away until the taliban broke off.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-12-17 01:04pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:reminds me of a story i heard during the height of fighting in Afghanistan. 2 Canadian snipers saved a US Spec ops team from ambush by picking off 20 or so Taliban fighters. They opened themselves up for attack, but kept plugging away until the taliban broke off.

In a small military, we have to train good snipers

Was that the same engagement where one of our guys set the world record with a confirmed kill at 2.3km?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-12-17 02:26pm

The Shah-i-Kot valley firefight was where Canadian forces aided US troops under fire and one guy using a new .50cal bolt-action, Long-Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) to kill a guy in a truck with a chest shot at 2,400m. Some 150m longer ranged than the previous kill range record. There were well over 20 confirmed kills at long range, the Canucks gloated.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-12-17 02:36pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:reminds me of a story i heard during the height of fighting in Afghanistan. 2 Canadian snipers saved a US Spec ops team from ambush by picking off 20 or so Taliban fighters. They opened themselves up for attack, but kept plugging away until the taliban broke off.
In a small military, we have to train good snipers Was that the same engagement where one of our guys set the world record with a confirmed kill at 2.3km?

2300 meters? thats one hell of a shot!

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-12-17 03:38pm

Wasn't there an American sniper in Vietnam who singlehandedly wiped out a company of Viet Cong or something?

Burak Gazan · Post by **Burak Gazan** » 2003-12-17 04:52pm

I remember reading something about the Afghan sniper action, the effect of .50 caliber sniper rounds being described as somewhat....demoralizing

Christ, I guess they would be!

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-12-17 04:58pm

For those interested in the details, the exact distance was 2430 metres, and they used the McMillan Tac-50 sniper rifle, firing American-made .50cal ammunition.

If you have approximately $5000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can buy your own, and reach out to touch someone.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2003-12-17 05:12pm

Unfortunately the McMillan Tac-50 and any of its derivatives are prohibited weapons in Canada, bummer. I took a quick look at our restricted and prohibited weapons list and it seems most if not all .50cal weapons are classified as "prohibited". I really wanted Santa to bring me one...

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-12-17 05:17pm

aerius wrote:Unfortunately the McMillan Tac-50 and any of its derivatives are prohibited weapons in Canada, bummer. I took a quick look at our restricted and prohibited weapons list and it seems most if not all .50cal weapons are classified as "prohibited". I really wanted Santa to bring me one...

Considering the cost of .50 cal ammo you would have been asking him to bring you some of that next year.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-12-17 05:48pm

HemlockGrey wrote:Wasn't there an American sniper in Vietnam who singlehandedly wiped out a company of Viet Cong or something?

The top marine sniper in the war was Sergeant Carlos Hathcock with a total of 93 confirmed kills, that would be the equivalent of a small company. But he also had over 300 wounding's or unconfirmed kills over two tours of duty. Hathcock never attended a formal sniper course, and arrived in Vietnam as an MP before working his way up to being allowed to operate as a lone sniper. He eventual was knocked out of the job when he suffered massive burns dragging seven men out of an amtrack which left him unable to use a rifle, he however stayed on to help establish the Marine scout/sniper school.

As I recall, he was responsible for one of the two most famous sniper events in the war, when he shot a top NVA sniper through his own scout (that's what the shot in Saving Private Ryan was based on). The other event which I'm fairly sure wasn't Hathcock was when a sniper shot down IIRC 17 or 18 VC trying to cross a river in the space of minutes, at night.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2003-12-18 01:14am

Sea Skimmer wrote:
HemlockGrey wrote:Wasn't there an American sniper in Vietnam who singlehandedly wiped out a company of Viet Cong or something?
The top marine sniper in the war was Sergeant Carlos Hathcock with a total of 93 confirmed kills, that would be the equivalent of a small company. But he also had over 300 wounding's or unconfirmed kills over two tours of duty. Hathcock never attended a formal sniper course, and arrived in Vietnam as an MP before working his way up to being allowed to operate as a lone sniper. He eventual was knocked out of the job when he suffered massive burns dragging seven men out of an amtrack which left him unable to use a rifle, he however stayed on to help establish the Marine scout/sniper school.

As I recall, he was responsible for one of the two most famous sniper events in the war, when he shot a top NVA sniper through his own scout (that's what the shot in Saving Private Ryan was based on). The other event which I'm fairly sure wasn't Hathcock was when a sniper shot down IIRC 17 or 18 VC trying to cross a river in the space of minutes, at night.

didn't he also make a kill shot with iron sights on a M2 .50cal at either a mile or a kilometer?
one strange thing about Hathcock was that he was a marksman (lowest on the Marine qualification system) on the rifle range and was rumored to have had trouble getting qualled.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-12-18 01:18am

Bully for those snipers.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-12-18 02:27am

Darth Wong wrote:Good show dealing with the fuckers.

I guess this puts to rest the notion that these attacks are organized by Saddam. They must be the foreign nationals we keep hearing about.

Or the homegrown Islamic fundie whackos, or Ba'athists who weren't under Saddam's authority, but with the resources to carry them out.

What I want to know is were any Stryker's present?

One Stryker was blown up the other day- any word on that jegs?

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-12-18 02:47am

Death from the Sea wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:
HemlockGrey wrote:Wasn't there an American sniper in Vietnam who singlehandedly wiped out a company of Viet Cong or something?
The top marine sniper in the war was Sergeant Carlos Hathcock with a total of 93 confirmed kills, that would be the equivalent of a small company. But he also had over 300 wounding's or unconfirmed kills over two tours of duty. Hathcock never attended a formal sniper course, and arrived in Vietnam as an MP before working his way up to being allowed to operate as a lone sniper. He eventual was knocked out of the job when he suffered massive burns dragging seven men out of an amtrack which left him unable to use a rifle, he however stayed on to help establish the Marine scout/sniper school.

As I recall, he was responsible for one of the two most famous sniper events in the war, when he shot a top NVA sniper through his own scout (that's what the shot in Saving Private Ryan was based on). The other event which I'm fairly sure wasn't Hathcock was when a sniper shot down IIRC 17 or 18 VC trying to cross a river in the space of minutes, at night.
didn't he also make a kill shot with iron sights on a M2 .50cal at either a mile or a kilometer?
one strange thing about Hathcock was that he was a marksman (lowest on the Marine qualification system) on the rifle range and was rumored to have had trouble getting qualled.

Yeah, put he registered the weapon earlyer that day, IIRC. The poor bastard just happened to be standing in the wrong place and Hathcock knew he could capp the fucker where he was standing.