Britannia Radio

The Best of Britain - Lest we forget
Sunday, 2 November, 2008 12:14 AM

Here are three items on the betrayal by our government of our troops in the field, laying down their lives while non-military civil servants back in Whitehall - in newly refurbished offices - refuse them the equipment they urgently need. Remember these unpleasant people and the politicians who front them, when the time comes.But first I give a personal account from a paratrooper from C Company 2 Paras just back from Afganistan. This goes way beyond anything the best journalist could ever write. It gives the full flavour of what our men are achieving against incredible odds. I am grateful for the opportunity to publish this.These are the best of Britain - remember them and all their colleagues now, on November 11th and in the months to come
xxxxxxxxxxxx cs
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Taliban called it the 'mouth of hell', the tiny British fort in southern Afghanistan they relentlessly attacked throughout the summer. Today, the last paratroopers who defended its remote ramparts return home but, as ever with war, the cost has been great.

Of the 160 men who manned Forward Operating Base Gibraltar, almost one in three was killed or wounded, a higher casualty rate than that suffered by British soldiers during the Second World War.Indeed, Gibraltar was so treacherous that its occupants faced a similar likelihood of being killed or injured as those who fought on the bloody battlefields of the First World War.Now the men are back in Britain after a period of fighting during which their battle group - 2 Para - sustained the highest number of deaths on a single six-month tour in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Those who survived told yesterday of chasing Taliban fighters through shoulder- high cornfields, shooting men from punching range and pulling the bodies of comrades through streams with banks ablaze from rocket- propelled grenades.Gibraltar was arguably the most vulnerable and dangerous British base in Helmand province.

The men of C Company, who manned its fortifications, were on average 23 years old. Five of its occupants died in action, 14 were seriously injured and another 30 wounded.The stories told by the survivors are brutal. Theirs is not a tale of technological might against a primitive foe, rather an insight into war seemingly unchanged throughout the centuries, a gruelling campaign involving daily skirmishes against a redoubtable enemy.There are moments when men such as Corporal Matthew 'Des' Desmond, 31, pulled out his pistol and shot a Taliban gunman from two metres.

'There is no emotional attachment, you'd feel more anguish shooting a bunny rabbit,' he smiled ruefully, hours after arriving at his Colchester barracks.Stories from the men of C company provide a snapshot of Helmand's unique hazards. They tell how children ushered British soldiers into deadly ambushes, how troops were targeted the instant they crept out from Gibraltar's front gates and how the Taliban planted rings of hidden explosives around the base. In the space of four months Gibraltar was attacked 36 times. In addition, its defenders became embroiled in 29 firefights while on another 22 instances they were either targeted or stumbled across explosive booby traps laid out for them.

'We never stood down,' said Desmond, a father-of-three. 'We would always push on to them, even chasing them through their own ambushes,'By the end, at least 150 Taliban were confirmed dead around their small base. Long before then, however, the Taliban had started referring to the paras' home as the 'mouth of hell' or 'devil's place'.For the first two months of the tour barely a shot was fired in anger.

Then, on 8 June, news filtered up the Helmand valley that three men from 2 Para had been killed when a suicide bomber walked up to them and detonated his vest. The following day a suicide bomber mounted an attack on Gibraltar. The day after that a patrol came under fire. Another suicide mission was launched hours later.The morning of 12 June defines the moment C company would first experience the horrors of Helmand. Several platoons had spent the night under the stars beyond enemy lines and were heading back when they stopped at a village.

As usual, they dished out sweets and wind- up radios to the children, but this time the youngsters seemed preoccupied with what lay beyond a track winding towards a stream. 'They were laughing and pointing. In hindsight, it's strange they would find it so amusing,' said Desmond.

As the paras went to investigate, four Taliban sections opened up simultaneously. 'The weight of fire was incredible, their weapons were rocking and rolling without stopping. In 13 years in the army that was the best initiated ambush I've come across,' Desmond went on.The paras returned 9,000 machine gun and automatic rifle rounds plus 179 mortar shells.

Then came the cry 'man down'. Amid the din, it came again. In the initial chaos, Private Jeff Doherty, 20, and James Bateman, 29, had been killed instantly. Another soldier collapsed, shot in the leg, while a machine gunner took a bullet in the face. Miraculously the projectile glanced off his chin; colleagues scraped the blood from his face and the gunner got back to work.The fight lasted 18 minutes. 'But time stops during such moments. Fighting is like a waltz, quick, quick, slow slow,' said Desmond. Back at Gibraltar, the mood was sombre but resolute. Five men from 2 Para had been killed in four days.At dawn next day C Company went on patrol.

Through intercepted communications they heard the Taliban exclaim their disbelief at the paras' refusal to be cowed. Desmond said: 'From that point on, every time we saw them we would smash them. They would choose the ground and we would beat them. Every time.'Captain Josh Jones, 32, from London, who briefly left Helmand for the birth of his daughter Isabella, now eight weeks old, said: 'We never relied on air cover, we always fought them head on.

'But one facet that could not be altered was Gibraltar's reputation as the most exposed of Helmand's bases. Easy to attack, it was hard to defend. Troops who ventured outside were often shot from snipers. As the conflict intensified, conditions deteriorated. On one occasion the ground temperature taken by a sniper read 78C.Desmond's desert boots melted.

Forced to lug packs weighing 90lbs, [check that weight for yourself! -cs] many of C Coy cursed the clunky body armour designed to save their lives. As summer gave way to autumn, the enemy amended its tactics. Chechens, Uzbeks and trained Pakistani fighters began to lay siege to Gibraltar. Corporal Paul Knapp, 26, from Bristol said: 'You can tell immediately they are different, the way they move, the way they fight.'Knapp also travelled back from Afghanistan for the birth of his son, Colburn, seven weeks old yesterday. His wife, Chanelle, 24, said: 'It was really hard before the tour because you don't know what to expect. It's just good to have him back.'Now home with their families, the readjustment starts. Desmond admits to being a bit 'jumpy' in downtown Colchester. Knapp jokes about the cacophony of bonfire night jangling the nerves. 'When we started, we all knew we would not be coming back with all the guys,' said Jones.

On Thursday the 13 men from the 2 Para battle group who died this summer will be remembered at a ceremony in Colchester. Yet a return to Helmand already looms C Company are pencilled in for southern Afghanistan in 2010.=======================

TELEGRAPH 1.11.081. SAS chief quits over 'negligence that killed his troops'

The commander of Britain's SAS troops in Afghanistan has resigned in disgust, accusing the Government of "gross negligence" over the deaths of four of his soldiers.

By Thomas Harding,

Defence CorrespondentMajor Sebastian Morley claims that Whitehall officials and military commanders repeatedly ignored his warnings that people would be killed if they continued to allow troops to be transported in the vulnerable Snatch Land Rovers.As a result, he says Cpl Sarah Bryant – the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan – and three male colleagues, the SAS soldiers, Cpl Sean Reeve, L/Cpl Richard Larkin and Paul Stout were killed needlessly.All four died when their lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover split apart after hitting a landmine in Helmand province in June.In his resignation letter, Major Morley, the commander of D Squadron, 23 SAS, said "chronic underinvestment" in equipment by the Ministry of Defence was to blame for their deaths.

The Old Etonian officer, a cousin to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, is understood to have described the MoD's failure to buy better equipment as "cavalier at best, criminal at worst". The resignation of Major Morley, the grandson of the newspaper tycoon Lord Beaverbrook, follows those of Col Stuart Tootal, [see 2nd article] Brig Ed Butler and a commanding officer of 22 SAS."We highlighted this issue saying people are going to die and now they have died," said a soldier who served with Major Morley. "Our commanding officer and RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) tried everything in their power to stop us using Snatch.

The point of failure here lies squarely with the MoD."The boys nicknamed Snatch the mobile coffin."The resignation of Major Morley will reignite the debate on the standard of equipment for troops, with many front line soldiers believing that their lives are being put at risk.In recent weeks the MoD has been criticised by coroners who said the right equipment could have saved lives

The frailties of Snatch Land Rovers have been responsible for 34 British fatalities – or one in eight of the total killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are only now being replaced.The reservists of 23 SAS were first asked to send a squadron of about 100 men to Helmand in Afghanistan because the regular soldiers of 22 SAS were severely stretched in Iraq. Their mission was to supervise elite elements of the Afghan police.

But the men were aghast when they were told during pre-deployment training that only Snatch Land Rovers – designed to withstand rioters in Northern Ireland – were available.Emails were sent to Whitehall planners in the MoD, but they were told to "get on with it"."We said this was dangerous and unacceptable," an SAS trooper said. "Snatch was highlighted as lethal and useless for two reasons – the armour does not work as rounds go through it like butter and it has no cross-country capability, denying us the element of surprise."

The soldiers also arrived in Afghanistan with a "desperate shortage" of night vision sights despite a coroner castigating the MoD over the lack of night-time goggles blamed for the death of the first British soldier to die in Helmand, Capt Jim Phillipson.One in 10 of the SAS soldiers had to go without night sights despite many operations in the dark.

The Special Forces troops are understood to have resorted to hitching lifts with the infantry in the bombproof Mastiff vehicles or march to missions.Politicians and senior officers, were told of the SAS fears over the lack of equipment but still nothing was done, officers allege. When the SAS squadron learnt of the deaths of Cpl Bryant and her three colleagues on June 17 there was immense anger.

"We thought we could muddle through and that luck was with us," one officer said. "It happened because we could not drive across country."In a statement the MoD said: "Equipping our personnel is a clear priority and we are absolutely focused on providing them with a range of vehicles that will protect them from the ever-shifting threats posed by the enemy."

AND

2.SAS chief: Troopers find the MoD is not fit for purpose

War is not a sanitised business, nor is it an activity for the faint- hearted. It is an endeavour fraught with risk and uncertainty. By Stuart TootalAfghanistan is a stark reminder that our soldiers accept that risk and loss is part of the business they are in.However, taking casualties and seeing people horribly injured is not easy. It is even harder when it is widely believed that casualties might have been avoided but for the lack of proper kit.I have enormous sympathy for Major Sebastian Morley's decision to resign from the SAS reserves. Not least if it was based on the failure adequately to equip his soldiers and the associated loss of four people under his command.

The MoD will continue to claim that it needs a range of vehicles to meet operational capability. The fact that heavily-armoured vehicles will not meet every contingency is true, but it is not a defence for the continued use of the inadequately-armoured Snatch. Five years in Iraq demonstrated that the vehicle was not fit for purpose.I feel for the frustrations of his troopers. In Afghanistan in 2006 repeated demands for more helicopters fell on deaf ears. It increased risk for my paratroopers, but the decision-makers were not the ones driving into combat when we should have been flying in. They were also not the ones who lay trapped in a minefield when two Black Hawk helicopters that would have made all the difference were not sent to us when they were needed.But even today the MoD is telling bereaved parents that there are enough helicopters and our forces have all the right types available.

Only a few weeks ago, soldiers from The Parachute Regiment who paraded so proudly in Colchester on Thursday will have gone out on patrol against the Taliban lacking the right number of night vision devices.Some senior Army officers have also made their frustrations known. But the commanders have been disfranchised from the equipment procurement process, which remains in the hands of civil servants and ministers.

However, these are not the people who have signed up to the unlimited liability of serving their country in combat.They are not the ones who zip young soldiers into body bags or give evidence to coroners in front of their families.-
Stuart Tootal was commanding officer of 3rd Bn The Parachute Regiment in Helmand in 2006

AND

3. MoD poll: Public's support for Armed Forces at record levels
Support for British troops has risen to record levels, a new poll has shown.
By Charlotte Bailey
The poll, by Ipsos MORI, found that 81 per cent of people had a favourable view of members of the Armed Forces - the highest level on record.The first survey carried out by the Ministry of Defence in 2003 put support at 74 per cent.The results come as the poppy appeal looks set to break last year's record.Sales of Remembrance Day poppies raised £30 million last year.

This year 36 million £1 poppies have already been sold with more yet to be distributed.In addition, a charity song recorded to raise money for wounded war personnel sold more than 200,000 copies in the first two days. Help for Heroes, sung by the finalists of the X Factor telecision programme, is expected to top the charts this weekend.Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, said:

"There has been a fantastic outpouring of public appreciation for our Armed Forces."It has been humbling to see the strength of feeling on our streets, thanking soldiers, sailors and airmen for their sacrifices, and applauding their heroism."The wave of support has been accompanied by a surge in the number of men and women joining the Armed Forces.The number joining the Army, Royal Navy and RAF rose by around 12 per cent in the 12 months to the end of June.During that time, 17,860 men and women joined the Services - 2,250 more than the previous year.The number completing basic training leapt by 12.6 per cent, or an extra 1,830 personnel.

AND

2.SAS chief: Troopers find the MoD is not fit for purpose

War is not a sanitised business, nor is it an activity for the faint- hearted. It is an endeavour fraught with risk and uncertainty. By Stuart Tootal
Afghanistan is a stark reminder that our soldiers accept that risk and loss is part of the business they are in.However, taking casualties and seeing people horribly injured is not easy. It is even harder when it is widely believed that casualties might have been avoided but for the lack of proper kit.I have enormous sympathy for Major Sebastian Morley's decision to resign from the SAS reserves. Not least if it was based on the failure adequately to equip his soldiers and the associated loss of four people under his command.
The MoD will continue to claim that it needs a range of vehicles to meet operational capability. The fact that heavily-armoured vehicles will not meet every contingency is true, but it is not a defence for the continued use of the inadequately-armoured Snatch. Five years in Iraq demonstrated that the vehicle was not fit for purpose.I feel for the frustrations of his troopers. In Afghanistan in 2006 repeated demands for more helicopters fell on deaf ears. It increased risk for my paratroopers, but the decision-makers were not the ones driving into combat when we should have been flying in. They were also not the ones who lay trapped in a minefield when two Black Hawk helicopters that would have made all the difference were not sent to us when they were needed.
But even today the MoD is telling bereaved parents that there are enough helicopters and our forces have all the right types available. Only a few weeks ago, soldiers from The Parachute Regiment who paraded so proudly in Colchester on Thursday will have gone out on patrol against the Taliban lacking the right number of night vision devices.Some senior Army officers have also made their frustrations known.
But the commanders have been disfranchised from the equipment procurement process, which remains in the hands of civil servants and ministers. However, these are not the people who have signed up to the unlimited liability of serving their country in combat.They are not the ones who zip young soldiers into body bags or give evidence to coroners in front of their families.---------------------------------*

Stuart Tootal was commanding officer of 3rd Bn The Parachute Regiment in Helmand in 2006