Op Black Tide - Paras Prospective
November 13, 2009
THE PARA PERSPECTIVE......................
THE NIGHT STARTED OF WELL, WITH THE PARA'S MOVING INTO THEIR HARBOUR AREA.EVERYONE ONE WAS KEEN TO GET INTO THE FIGHT BUT CAMP HAD TO BE SET UP FIRST.AFTER THE TENTS WERE PITCHED WE SORTED OUT ARE ROUTINE AND BRIEF FOR THE NIGHT.
1 SECTION LEAD BY MYSELF WERE TO TAKE THE FIRST HOURS REST.2 SECTION WERE TO TAKE UP POSITION IN THE DEFENCIVE AREA AND 3 SECTION TOOK ON THE DUTIES OF QRF.
THE QRF WERE GIVEN THEIR ORDERS ON CONTACT,THEY WERE TO MOVE TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE HARBOUR AREA AND FLANK LEFT TO CUT OF ANY ENEMY APPROACH.
NO SOONER THAN THE ORDERS HAD BEEN GIVEN THE FIRST CONTACT ARRIVED.2 SECTION LEAD BY COLM ,WERE HIT IN THE DEFENCIVE POSITION.THE ENEMY MOVED IN FROM LEFT TO RIGHT SWEEPING THROUGH THE POSITION.AT THIS STAGE THE QRF BOOMED OUT,BUT SEEMED TO GET THEIR LEFT AND RIGHT HANDS CONFUSSED AS THEY WENT STRAIGHT TO THE BRIDGE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.AFTER A LOT OF ARM WAVING AND SHOUTING THEY WERE PUT BACK ON COURSE.I ALONG WITH 2 SECTION 2IC L/CPL ADDE MOVED DOWN TOWARDS THE RIVER CROSSING.ON ARRIVAL THE ENEMY WERE SPOTTED TRYING TO ESCAPE VIA THE 4 TONNE TRUCK.ONE BY ONE THE ENEMY CLIMBED THE GATE AND ONE BY ONE THEY FELL TO THE SHOTS RINGING OUT FROM MY SLR.THE LAST MAN OVER THE GATE WAS 3 SECTIONS COMMANDER CARRYING OUR COMMANDER,TWO WELL AIMED SHOTS RANG OUT AND HE WAS DOWN.2 SECTIONS COMMANDER CAME DOWN AND HELPED THE COMMANDER BACK TO THE COMMAND POST AS THE ENEMY WERE SENT ON THEIR WAY.
THE RADIO MESSAGE WAS SENT OUT THAT ALL WAS WELL AND EVERYONE ONE SHOULD RESUME NORMAL DUTIES.
ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE HARBOUR AREA L/CPL ADDE NOTICED MEN ON THE HORIZON.AS WE WERE PLACED WITH OUR BACKS TO THE TREE LINE THEY DID NOT NOTICE OUR MOVEMENTS.WE WAITED WHILE THIS GROUP STARTED TO HEAD WEST TOWARDS OUR HARBOUR AREA.I THEN RADIOED AHEAD TO 2 AND 3 SECTION TO MOUNT AN AMBUSH ON OUR COMPLETE SOUTHERN PERIMMITER.WE THEN DROPPED IN BEHIND THE ENEMY SECTION AND FOLLOWED THEM ON THEIR PATH.CRACK ,CRACK, CRACK THE PARAS AMBUSH WAS A SUCSESS.2 AND 3 SECTION OPENED UP ON THE ENEMY AS SOON AS THEY CAME INTO RANGE.THE ENEMY HIT THE DECK AND RETURNED FIRE.L/CPL ADDE THEN COVERED MY ADVANCE TOWARDS THE ENEMY WHO WERE NOW LYING DOWN TAKING FIRE.I APPROACHED FROM THE REAR,CRACK,ONE ENEMY SOLDIER HAD JUST BEEN TAKEN OUT BY 2 AND 3 SECTION I DROPPED DOWN AS HE PASSED TO RETURN TO HIS ERV.BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN I MOVED TO THE REAR MAN.I ASKED IN A FRIENDLY VOICE "HAVE YOU GOT A TARGET", HE REPLIED "THEY ARE IN THE TREE LINE" .I THEN TOLD HIM HE MISSED ONE ,HE SAID WHERE, I SAID HERE " BANG YOUR DEAD".
ONE BY ONE THE ENEMY TROOPS WERE TAKEN OUT IN THE SAME FASHION.I DASHED FORWARD TO MY FRONT LINE AND CALLED CEASE FIRE ALLS WELL.
THE ENEMY WERE NOW IN FULL RETREAT.
DUTIES RESUMED AS NORMAL IN THE CAMP.1 SECTION WERE NOW ON QRF,2 SECTION WERE ON REST AND 3 SECTION TOOK OVER DUTIES IN THE TRENCH AREA.AFTER A 15MIN TOUR OF THE HARBOUR AREA I GOT 1 SECTION AND DEPLOYED THEM ON PATROL.WE WERE TO PATROL THE OUTER FIELDS SURROUNDING OUR AREA.WE MOVED DOWN THE TREE LINE TOWARDS THE TURN IN THE RIVER.ON NEARING OUR FIRST RV ONE OF THE MEN HEARD A NOISE,THE SECTION DROPPED TO THE EDGE OF THE RIVER BED.I THEN WENT TO EACH MAN AND TOLD THEM TO BACK UP AND CROSS THE BRIDGE AND CONTINUE EAST ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE RIVER.THE FIRST 3 MEN CROSSED OVER AND HEADED EAST.CRACK, CRACK,CRACK CONTACT AGAIN.THE REST OF THE SECTION TRIED TO REPELL THE INVADERS.ONE BY ONE MY MEN WERE HIT AND WERE FALLING BACK.I CROSSED THE RVER IN THE DARKNESS AND SET MYSELF UP.THE ENEMY TROOPS HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO WALK INTO.CRACK CRACK CRACK.THE ENEMY WERE NOW ON THE BACK FOOT ,FALLING BACK AS THEY WENT.MY SECTION REGROUPED AND STARTED TO HEAD BACK TO OUR POSITION.WITH NIGHT VISSION ON I SCANNED THE AREA TO MY FRONT.YET AN OTHER ENEMY PATROL HEADING TOWARDS OUR POSITION.I PLACED A GUN GROUP TO OUR REAR TO CUT OF ANY ENEMY RETREAT AND TOOK TWO MEN IN FOR THE ASSULT.THE ENEMY SEEMED TO BE POORLY EQUIPED AS THEY DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE NIGHT VISSION EQUIPMENT.WE MOVED WITH IN 50 METERS OF THEIR POSITION.I CONTACTED 3 SECTION WHO WERE LOCATED JUST ABOVE THE ENEMY.I TOLD THEM OF THE DANGER AND GOT THEM TO QUITELY MOVE INTO POSITION.WE MOVED FORWARD ANOTHER 20 METERS.TWO MEN WERE LOOKING STRAIGHT AT US AND THE REST OF THE SECTION WERE SCANING THE TREE LINE TO SPOT OUR MEN.THE ORDER WAS GIVEN TO 3 SECTION TO OPEN FIRE TO DISTRACT THE ENEMY FROM OUR WHERE ABOUTS.AS PLANNED THE ENEMY TROOPS ALL TURNED TOWARDS THE GUN FIRE.WE WRE NOW ON OUR FEET RUNNING FORWARD,HEARST POUNDING AND FINGERS ON TRIGGERS.NEEDLESS TO SAY THE FIRE FIGHT THAT FOLLOWED WAS QUICK AND SWIFT.THE ENEMY FORCES WERE PUSHED BACK YET AGAIN.
THE CALL WENT IN "ALL CLEAR" .1 SECTION REGROUPED YET AGAIN.WE WERE FRUSTRATED THAT THE ENEMY TROOPS HAD SO MUCH FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT,SO WE DECIDED TO TAKE THE FIGHT RIGHT TO THE ENEMIES FRONT DOOR.
AGAIN 2 MEN WERE LEFT TO THE REAR TO PROVIDE COVER FOR OUR ESCAPE ROUTE.WE MOVED IN ,SINGLE FILE.WE GOT TO THE PERIMITTER OF THE ENEMY CAMP.AS WE TOOK UP FIRING POSITIONS WE COULD HEAR THE ENEMY BOAST OF THEIR EXPLOYETS.THIS MADE THE MISSION MORE ENJOYABLE.WE WERE NOW SITTING RIGHT UNDER THE ENEMIES NOSE.ONE MAN MOVED FORWARD,WEAPONS WERE AIMED .HE HEADED TOWARDS THE BUSHES.THIS POOR MAN WAS ABOUT TO TAKE THE WORST TOILET BREAK IN HIS LIFE.AS SOON AS HIS HANDS WERE FULL WE OPENED FIRE.HE WENT DOWN HOLDING AND SPRAYING HIS WEAPON.WHILE THE REST OF THE ENEMY FORCES RETREATED FURTHER INTO THEIR CAMP.THIS WAS A HIT AND RUN MISSION ,AND AS SOON AS WE HIT WE RAN.BY THE TIME THE ENEMY FORCES KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPNED WE WERE HALF WAY ACCROSS THE FIELD AND OUT OF DANGER.WE RADIOED AHEAD AND TOLD THE PLATOON OF OUR SUCSESSFUL RAID.WE WERE NOW ENTERING THE REAR OF OUR DEFENCIVE POSITION AFTER OUR RAID WHEN WE HEARD GUN FIRE COMING FROM THE SOUTH OF OUR POSITION.2 SECTION WERE NOW ENGAGING THE ENMY ,ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF 3 SECTION.I SENT MY MEN ACCROSS THE RIVER TO JOIN THE ATTACK.I THEN MOVED EAST TO THE BEND IN THE RIVER WERE I GOT INTO POSITION.THE FIRE FIGHT RAGED.THE PARAS WERE SCREAMING AS THEY CHARGED AT THE ENEMIES LINE,IT WAS RELENTLESS AND SEEMED TO GO ON FOR EVER.THE ENEMY FINALY STARTED TO FALL BACK TOWARDS THE RIVER.THEY CROSSED THE RIVER IN FULL RETREAT.ONE BY ONE THEY LEFT THE RIVER BED.I WAS NOW STUCK WHAT SHOULD I DO,THEY WERE TO WELL SPREAD TO TAKE THEM ON WITHOUT GIVING AWAY MY POSITION.TO MY SURPRISE THEY ALL GROUPED TOGETHER,THIS WAS AN OPERTUNITY NOT TO BE MISSED,CRACK ,CRACK ,CRACK.MY SLR RANG OUT AS MEN WERE SENT RUNNING ACCROSS THE FIELDS CRYING OUT HIT,HIT,HIT.
I RETURNED TO BASE WERE I GOT A WELL EARNED CUP OF COFFEE,THIS WAS ONLY THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF THE OPERATION AND IF THIS WAS ANY THING TO GO BY IT WAS GOING TO BE A HARD ,HARD FIGHT.
Thanks to Big Sam from Foxtrot 58
THE NIGHT STARTED OF WELL, WITH THE PARA'S MOVING INTO THEIR HARBOUR AREA.EVERYONE ONE WAS KEEN TO GET INTO THE FIGHT BUT CAMP HAD TO BE SET UP FIRST.AFTER THE TENTS WERE PITCHED WE SORTED OUT ARE ROUTINE AND BRIEF FOR THE NIGHT.
1 SECTION LEAD BY MYSELF WERE TO TAKE THE FIRST HOURS REST.2 SECTION WERE TO TAKE UP POSITION IN THE DEFENCIVE AREA AND 3 SECTION TOOK ON THE DUTIES OF QRF.
THE QRF WERE GIVEN THEIR ORDERS ON CONTACT,THEY WERE TO MOVE TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE HARBOUR AREA AND FLANK LEFT TO CUT OF ANY ENEMY APPROACH.
NO SOONER THAN THE ORDERS HAD BEEN GIVEN THE FIRST CONTACT ARRIVED.2 SECTION LEAD BY COLM ,WERE HIT IN THE DEFENCIVE POSITION.THE ENEMY MOVED IN FROM LEFT TO RIGHT SWEEPING THROUGH THE POSITION.AT THIS STAGE THE QRF BOOMED OUT,BUT SEEMED TO GET THEIR LEFT AND RIGHT HANDS CONFUSSED AS THEY WENT STRAIGHT TO THE BRIDGE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.AFTER A LOT OF ARM WAVING AND SHOUTING THEY WERE PUT BACK ON COURSE.I ALONG WITH 2 SECTION 2IC L/CPL ADDE MOVED DOWN TOWARDS THE RIVER CROSSING.ON ARRIVAL THE ENEMY WERE SPOTTED TRYING TO ESCAPE VIA THE 4 TONNE TRUCK.ONE BY ONE THE ENEMY CLIMBED THE GATE AND ONE BY ONE THEY FELL TO THE SHOTS RINGING OUT FROM MY SLR.THE LAST MAN OVER THE GATE WAS 3 SECTIONS COMMANDER CARRYING OUR COMMANDER,TWO WELL AIMED SHOTS RANG OUT AND HE WAS DOWN.2 SECTIONS COMMANDER CAME DOWN AND HELPED THE COMMANDER BACK TO THE COMMAND POST AS THE ENEMY WERE SENT ON THEIR WAY.
THE RADIO MESSAGE WAS SENT OUT THAT ALL WAS WELL AND EVERYONE ONE SHOULD RESUME NORMAL DUTIES.
ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE HARBOUR AREA L/CPL ADDE NOTICED MEN ON THE HORIZON.AS WE WERE PLACED WITH OUR BACKS TO THE TREE LINE THEY DID NOT NOTICE OUR MOVEMENTS.WE WAITED WHILE THIS GROUP STARTED TO HEAD WEST TOWARDS OUR HARBOUR AREA.I THEN RADIOED AHEAD TO 2 AND 3 SECTION TO MOUNT AN AMBUSH ON OUR COMPLETE SOUTHERN PERIMMITER.WE THEN DROPPED IN BEHIND THE ENEMY SECTION AND FOLLOWED THEM ON THEIR PATH.CRACK ,CRACK, CRACK THE PARAS AMBUSH WAS A SUCSESS.2 AND 3 SECTION OPENED UP ON THE ENEMY AS SOON AS THEY CAME INTO RANGE.THE ENEMY HIT THE DECK AND RETURNED FIRE.L/CPL ADDE THEN COVERED MY ADVANCE TOWARDS THE ENEMY WHO WERE NOW LYING DOWN TAKING FIRE.I APPROACHED FROM THE REAR,CRACK,ONE ENEMY SOLDIER HAD JUST BEEN TAKEN OUT BY 2 AND 3 SECTION I DROPPED DOWN AS HE PASSED TO RETURN TO HIS ERV.BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN I MOVED TO THE REAR MAN.I ASKED IN A FRIENDLY VOICE "HAVE YOU GOT A TARGET", HE REPLIED "THEY ARE IN THE TREE LINE" .I THEN TOLD HIM HE MISSED ONE ,HE SAID WHERE, I SAID HERE " BANG YOUR DEAD".
ONE BY ONE THE ENEMY TROOPS WERE TAKEN OUT IN THE SAME FASHION.I DASHED FORWARD TO MY FRONT LINE AND CALLED CEASE FIRE ALLS WELL.
THE ENEMY WERE NOW IN FULL RETREAT.
DUTIES RESUMED AS NORMAL IN THE CAMP.1 SECTION WERE NOW ON QRF,2 SECTION WERE ON REST AND 3 SECTION TOOK OVER DUTIES IN THE TRENCH AREA.AFTER A 15MIN TOUR OF THE HARBOUR AREA I GOT 1 SECTION AND DEPLOYED THEM ON PATROL.WE WERE TO PATROL THE OUTER FIELDS SURROUNDING OUR AREA.WE MOVED DOWN THE TREE LINE TOWARDS THE TURN IN THE RIVER.ON NEARING OUR FIRST RV ONE OF THE MEN HEARD A NOISE,THE SECTION DROPPED TO THE EDGE OF THE RIVER BED.I THEN WENT TO EACH MAN AND TOLD THEM TO BACK UP AND CROSS THE BRIDGE AND CONTINUE EAST ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE RIVER.THE FIRST 3 MEN CROSSED OVER AND HEADED EAST.CRACK, CRACK,CRACK CONTACT AGAIN.THE REST OF THE SECTION TRIED TO REPELL THE INVADERS.ONE BY ONE MY MEN WERE HIT AND WERE FALLING BACK.I CROSSED THE RVER IN THE DARKNESS AND SET MYSELF UP.THE ENEMY TROOPS HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO WALK INTO.CRACK CRACK CRACK.THE ENEMY WERE NOW ON THE BACK FOOT ,FALLING BACK AS THEY WENT.MY SECTION REGROUPED AND STARTED TO HEAD BACK TO OUR POSITION.WITH NIGHT VISSION ON I SCANNED THE AREA TO MY FRONT.YET AN OTHER ENEMY PATROL HEADING TOWARDS OUR POSITION.I PLACED A GUN GROUP TO OUR REAR TO CUT OF ANY ENEMY RETREAT AND TOOK TWO MEN IN FOR THE ASSULT.THE ENEMY SEEMED TO BE POORLY EQUIPED AS THEY DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE NIGHT VISSION EQUIPMENT.WE MOVED WITH IN 50 METERS OF THEIR POSITION.I CONTACTED 3 SECTION WHO WERE LOCATED JUST ABOVE THE ENEMY.I TOLD THEM OF THE DANGER AND GOT THEM TO QUITELY MOVE INTO POSITION.WE MOVED FORWARD ANOTHER 20 METERS.TWO MEN WERE LOOKING STRAIGHT AT US AND THE REST OF THE SECTION WERE SCANING THE TREE LINE TO SPOT OUR MEN.THE ORDER WAS GIVEN TO 3 SECTION TO OPEN FIRE TO DISTRACT THE ENEMY FROM OUR WHERE ABOUTS.AS PLANNED THE ENEMY TROOPS ALL TURNED TOWARDS THE GUN FIRE.WE WRE NOW ON OUR FEET RUNNING FORWARD,HEARST POUNDING AND FINGERS ON TRIGGERS.NEEDLESS TO SAY THE FIRE FIGHT THAT FOLLOWED WAS QUICK AND SWIFT.THE ENEMY FORCES WERE PUSHED BACK YET AGAIN.
THE CALL WENT IN "ALL CLEAR" .1 SECTION REGROUPED YET AGAIN.WE WERE FRUSTRATED THAT THE ENEMY TROOPS HAD SO MUCH FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT,SO WE DECIDED TO TAKE THE FIGHT RIGHT TO THE ENEMIES FRONT DOOR.
AGAIN 2 MEN WERE LEFT TO THE REAR TO PROVIDE COVER FOR OUR ESCAPE ROUTE.WE MOVED IN ,SINGLE FILE.WE GOT TO THE PERIMITTER OF THE ENEMY CAMP.AS WE TOOK UP FIRING POSITIONS WE COULD HEAR THE ENEMY BOAST OF THEIR EXPLOYETS.THIS MADE THE MISSION MORE ENJOYABLE.WE WERE NOW SITTING RIGHT UNDER THE ENEMIES NOSE.ONE MAN MOVED FORWARD,WEAPONS WERE AIMED .HE HEADED TOWARDS THE BUSHES.THIS POOR MAN WAS ABOUT TO TAKE THE WORST TOILET BREAK IN HIS LIFE.AS SOON AS HIS HANDS WERE FULL WE OPENED FIRE.HE WENT DOWN HOLDING AND SPRAYING HIS WEAPON.WHILE THE REST OF THE ENEMY FORCES RETREATED FURTHER INTO THEIR CAMP.THIS WAS A HIT AND RUN MISSION ,AND AS SOON AS WE HIT WE RAN.BY THE TIME THE ENEMY FORCES KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPNED WE WERE HALF WAY ACCROSS THE FIELD AND OUT OF DANGER.WE RADIOED AHEAD AND TOLD THE PLATOON OF OUR SUCSESSFUL RAID.WE WERE NOW ENTERING THE REAR OF OUR DEFENCIVE POSITION AFTER OUR RAID WHEN WE HEARD GUN FIRE COMING FROM THE SOUTH OF OUR POSITION.2 SECTION WERE NOW ENGAGING THE ENMY ,ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF 3 SECTION.I SENT MY MEN ACCROSS THE RIVER TO JOIN THE ATTACK.I THEN MOVED EAST TO THE BEND IN THE RIVER WERE I GOT INTO POSITION.THE FIRE FIGHT RAGED.THE PARAS WERE SCREAMING AS THEY CHARGED AT THE ENEMIES LINE,IT WAS RELENTLESS AND SEEMED TO GO ON FOR EVER.THE ENEMY FINALY STARTED TO FALL BACK TOWARDS THE RIVER.THEY CROSSED THE RIVER IN FULL RETREAT.ONE BY ONE THEY LEFT THE RIVER BED.I WAS NOW STUCK WHAT SHOULD I DO,THEY WERE TO WELL SPREAD TO TAKE THEM ON WITHOUT GIVING AWAY MY POSITION.TO MY SURPRISE THEY ALL GROUPED TOGETHER,THIS WAS AN OPERTUNITY NOT TO BE MISSED,CRACK ,CRACK ,CRACK.MY SLR RANG OUT AS MEN WERE SENT RUNNING ACCROSS THE FIELDS CRYING OUT HIT,HIT,HIT.
I RETURNED TO BASE WERE I GOT A WELL EARNED CUP OF COFFEE,THIS WAS ONLY THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF THE OPERATION AND IF THIS WAS ANY THING TO GO BY IT WAS GOING TO BE A HARD ,HARD FIGHT.
Thanks to Big Sam from Foxtrot 58
Posted by Team Officer. Posted In : Operation Write-ups
