NATO: No evidence for Afghan misconduct claim

The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan said Monday it has found no evidence to support allegations that American special operations forces were involved in the abuse of Afghan civilians in a restive eastern province that serves as a gateway to Kabul. 

The statement came as the Afghan government moved ahead with an order to expel the special operations forces from Wardak province within two weeks, undeterred by fears the decision could leave the area and the neighboring capital more vulnerable to al-Qaida and other insurgents.

Provincial officials and analysts expressed concern the already dangerous province could bec

ome more unstable without the American firepower, although they agreed with President Hamid Karzai’s decision to investigate the allegations.

Karzai issued the order on Sunday after a meeting of the National Security Council at which Wardak provincial governor Abdul Majid Khogyani and other local officials blamed Afghans working with U.S. special operations forces for the disappearance of at least nine men and the murder of an Afghan university student. The U.S. forces are being expelled because of their association with the Afghan groups.

Khogyani and the other officials also alleged that the Afghans working for the American special operations forces were involved in abusive behavior including torture, killings and illegal detentions.

The armed Afghans are not part of the Afghan security forces, the government has said, implying that they are members of secret militias working with the Americans.

Coalition spokesman German Gen. Gunter Katz said the International Security Assistance Force found no evidence showing foreign forces were involved in abuses, but he did not comment on the Afghans allegedly linked to the Americans.

“We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them,” Katz told reporters. “Over the past few weeks there have been various allegations of special forces conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner” in Wardak.

He added that “so far, we could not find evidence that would support these allegations.”

Katz said he would not comment on the allegations until the coalition talks to the Afghan government “in the near future.”

An ISAF spokesman, Jamie Graybeal, said that “in recent months, a thorough review has confirmed that no coalition forces have been involved in the alleged misconduct in Wardak province.”

He said that the two sides had agreed to a joint commission to look “into the current concerns of citizens” in Wardak.

Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi, however, said the government had asked NATO about the groups in the past and had not received a satisfactory answer.

Wardak is a lynchpin province that connects the capital to southern Afghanistan, and the country’s main north-south highway and trade route runs through its hills and desert plains. It is considered a transit point for insurgents coming from the south — the Taliban heartland — and from the east along the Pakistani frontier where insurgents retain safe havens.

The area outside the provincial capital of Maidan Shahr — an hour’s drive from the capital — is so dangerous that local officials reported they often can’t go to their offices by road.

It has been the focus of counterinsurgency efforts in recent years and the site of many attacks against coalition and U.S. bases, including one in November that killed three Afghan civilians and wounded 90. In August 2011, insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter, killing 30 American troops, mostly elite Navy SEALs, in Wardak. The crash was the single deadliest loss for U.S. forces in the war.

At least 100 insurgent groups operate in Wardak, including al-Qaida, the Taliban and fighters loyal to the Pakistan-based Haqqani militant network, according to Jawed Kohistani, a political and military analyst. He said recent suicide attacks in the capital were an indication that the situation could deteriorate if special forces withdrew from Wardak.

“They can attack convoys, destabilize the security situation in Kabul,” he said. “It is giving them opportunity to get stronger in Wardak, and that will be a real threat to the security of Kabul city.”

The Afghan government has said it is confident its own security forces, which took the lead for security in Wardak last December, can deal with the insurgents and stabilize the province.

It is unclear how many of the extremely secretive U.S. special operations forces are operating in Wardak.

“We never talk about special operating forces. We don’t about their numbers either,” said Katz.

Afghan forces have been in control of Kabul for years and Katz said then government had assured them that “they are capable enough to provide security” for the capital.

Sher Shah Bazon, a member of the Wardak provincial council, said there were many complaints about Afghan groups working with U.S. special operations forces, but “we must find a solution for this sort of issue here by talking with the U.S. special operations forces, which did not happen. Instead a decision was made which I believe most people are not happy with it.”

He said that Wardak was so insecure that local officials had problems getting around.

“A district governor or a district police chief in many districts can’t go to their offices by road, and if they go they must have a big convoy of security forces with them. So with a security situation like this, the withdrawal of the foreign forces is not a good idea,” he said.

Most of the complaints are aimed at the Afghans working with the U.S. special operations forces, provincial officials said.

“I can say a lack of coordination between the Afghan and foreign forces caused all these problems in Wardak. The withdrawal of the U.S. special forces from Wardak would not be to the benefit of people, government and security of Wardak province. I am sure that would have a negative impact on the security of Kabul city as well,” said Mohammad Hazrat Janan, deputy head of provincial council.

Australian soldier dies on 7th Afghanistan tour

An elite Australian soldier was shot dead during his seventh tour of duty in Afghanistan, a commander said Tuesday, raising the number of Australian troops killed in the more-than-decade-long war to 33.

The 40-year-old veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment was killed in the Chora Valley in Uruzgan province on Monday during an operation involving Australian and Afghan troops targeting an insurgent commander, Australian Defense Force Chief Lt. Gen. David Hurley said.

The soldier was evacuated with a chest wound to the military hospital at the Australian base at Tarin Kowt but could not be resuscitated, Hurley said. His name has not been made public at his family’s request.

Hurley said it was “probably unusual” that a soldier had served seven tours, but he added that he does not believe soldiers are being asked to do too much.

“I’m confident that the (psychological) management processes are in place ... and all of them are volunteers to go back to serve in Afghanistan,” he told reporters.

“But it’s an issue we need to keep a sharp eye on,” he added.

Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defense Association, an influential security think tank, said it’s “unusual, but not that unusual” for an SAS soldier to have so many Afghanistan tours.

“The real problem is the country is expecting a very small part of the national family to bear the burden of its wars, and the association doesn’t think that’s right,” he said.

The Australian Defense Force needs to share the fighting load more broadly among its 58,000 troops, he said.

Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan and is the largest military contributor to the U.S.-led alliance outside NATO. Australia also provides the third-largest force of special operations troops after the U.S. and Britain.

Australia’s elite Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan, which numbers about 300, draws from the SAS and two commando regiments that total fewer than 1,600 troops. The duration of SAS tours are flexible, but they typically extend beyond six months.

After taking command of Australia’s military a year ago, Hurley said the death of a decorated commando on his fifth tour in Afghanistan raised the question of whether Australia was asking too much of its elite soldiers. He then took advice on the subject from regiment commanders.

The soldier killed Monday enlisted in the army in 1990 and joined Australia’s most elite regiment in 1995.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said the Australian special operations force could remain in Afghanistan after the Afghan military takes charge of their nation’s security in 2014.

She described the latest death as a “dreadful blow.”

“This tragic incident is part of what we are doing in Afghanistan because that mission is so important to our Australian nation,” she said.

NATO troops rescue 4 hostages in Afghanistan

It was a risky, but successful operation: British and other NATO forces stormed a cave tucked in the mountains before dawn Saturday and rescued two foreign female aid workers and their two Afghan colleagues being held hostage by Taliban-linked militants.

Helicopters, flying under the cover of darkness, ferried the rescue team to extreme northeastern Afghanistan where they suspected the hostages were being held. After confirming the workers were there, they raided the site, killed several militants and freed the hostages, ending their nearly two-week ordeal.

Helen Johnston, 28, from Britain; Moragwa Oirere, 26, from Kenya; and their two Afghan colleagues were kidnapped May 22 while traveling on horseback in Badakhshan province. The four work for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organization based near Lausanne, Switzerland.

“They were kidnapped by an armed terrorist group with ties to the Taliban,” said Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition fighting in Afghanistan. “The kidnappers were armed with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and AK47s. ... The hostages were being held in a cave in the mountains.”

Past rescue attempts in Afghanistan have not always gone so well.

In 2009, Sultan Munadi, an Afghan translator kidnapped alongside New York Times reporter Stephen Farrell, was killed in a hail of bullets during a rescue attempt by British commandos. In 2010, the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team 6 tried to rescue Linda Norgrove, a Scottish aid worker, from her Taliban captors in Afghanistan. She was killed by a grenade thrown in haste by one of the American commandos.

Afghan officials said seven militants were killed during Saturday’s rescue operation, which was launched about 1 a.m.

British Prime Minister David Cameron approved the rescue operation Friday afternoon after becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of the hostages. The mission was carried out by British troops in cooperation with other NATO and Afghan forces, Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street in London.

He said it was “extraordinarily difficult” to decide to go ahead with the operation, which involved a “long route march” without being discovered.

“It was an extraordinarily brave, breathtaking even, operation that our troops had to carry out,” Cameron said.

British Army Lt. Gen. Adrian Bradshaw, deputy commander of the NATO military coalition in Afghanistan, said the rugged area had steep mountains, deep gullies and demanding terrain.

“The hostages are in good health — we’ve seen all four of them this morning,” Bradshaw said, adding they would be reunited with their families soon.

Johnston’s family expressed delight over the news that the aid worker and her colleagues had been freed.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their love, prayers and support over the last twelve days,” the family said in a statement.

Medair spokesman Aurilien Demaurex also expressed relief that the aid workers had been rescued and said the company was “immensely grateful to all parties involved in ensuring their swift and safe return.”

Shams ul-Rahman, the deputy governor of Badakhshan province, said the hostages had been held in Gulati, a village in Shahri Buzurg district, near the Tajikistan border.

“Mostly smugglers are based in those areas, but of course the smugglers have the support of the Taliban,” Rahman said.

He said Afghan elders in the area had been working to seek the release of the aid workers.

“A group of elders was about to go to the village and start negotiations,” Rahman said. “Based on intelligence reports that Afghan forces received, a successful operation was conducted that resulted in the release of the hostages and the killing of the kidnappers.”

Separately, a NATO service member died Saturday following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. The coalition released no other details about the death. So far this year, 177 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

Also in the south, Abdul Salaam, the Taliban’s military leader for three districts in southern Helmand province, was killed Friday in a joint operation by the Afghan and coalition forces in Kajaki district, the provincial governor’s office said Saturday. Abdul Salaam was the brother of Qayum Zakir, a member of Taliban’s leadership council known as the Quetta Shura after the Pakistani city of the same name, said Fared Ahmad Farhang, a spokesman for the police in Helmand province.

In the east, NATO and Afghan forces detained a militant commander who allegedly planned and coordinated an attack on a coalition base in eastern Khost province Friday. Several other insurgents were detained during the operation in Sabari district. Militants detonated a truck bomb outside Forward Operating Base Salerno on Friday, then tried to storm the site, but coalition forces repelled the attack, killing 14 militants. No foreign or Afghan troops were killed.

The Falklands War - SBS

Special Boat Service

The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navy's special forces unit. The service's motto is "By Strength and Guile". It forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces, alongside the Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR).

The SBS is an independent unit of the Royal Marines and is based with 1 Assault Group Royal Marines and the British Army's 148 Commando Forward Observation Battery in Royal Marines Poole, in Poole, Dorset.

Selection

To be eligible for SBS selection, a candidate must have at least two years regular service. Formerly candidates were from the Royal Marines or the Royal Navy, but now volunteers are taken from any arm of the services. In order to qualify as a Swimmer Canoeist, Candidates must first undergo Special Forces Selection with the SAS before continuing to SBS selection.

There is also an SBS Reserve (SBS(R)), and candidates must have previous military experience or have served at least two years in the Royal Marines Reserve before attending a Specialist course and gaining the specialist qualification of swimmer canoeist. SBS(R) provides individual reservists to serve with the regular SBS rather than forming independent teams.

Role

The SBS's role is not confined to seaborne and maritime operations; their responsibilities do not end at the tide line. The SBS usually provides the special forces element of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and is responsible for Maritime Counter-Terrorism operations, including the protection of oil rigs and vessels at sea.

It also has the responsibility for conducting coastal reconnaissance before amphibious operations. This involves conducting hydrographic surveys (surveying beaches and coastal waters to determine their suitability for amphibious landings) and landing small teams ashore covertly, to conduct reconnaissance patrols or set up coast-watch observation posts; as the SBS and Boat Troops of the SAS did in the Falklands war in 1982.

Training

Qualification as an SBS Swimmer Canoeist involves an extensive training course, building on the skills gained during SF Selection at Hereford. Training includes:

Diving both closed and open circuit - candidates swim underwater for miles in poor visibility completing complex navigational tasks and employment exercises.

Parachuting both HALO and HAHO

Demolition,

Infiltration of ships, in harbour and whilst under way, and oil platforms.

Canoeing - Use of the Klepper canoe during selection is extensive.

Further survival training in the wilds of Scotland.

Beach reconnaissance including photography

Maritime Counter-Terrorism activities

Those who pass the selection course qualify as a Swimmer Canoeist (SC3) and are then probationers.

Being trained as parachutists, SBS marines are distinguishable by wearing the Special Forces Parachute badge on the shoulder of the right sleeve on their uniforms.

Organisation

The SBS is thought to have a complement of around 100 "Swimmer Canoeists" at any one time. These are split into four squadrons.

C and X squadrons rotate through three specialist roles.

M squadron is the maritime counter-terrorism and shipboard operations unit. Within M-Squadron is the Black Group, the counter-terrorism team that uses helicopter-borne assaults.

Z squadron takes care of small watercraft and minisub insertions.

Personnel have previously been required to return to the main Commando force after the first three year tour, potentially returning again after a short period, it is thought that this requirement has been relaxed with some personnel remaining with the service as required.

History

1941: The Special Air Service was formed in World War II during the north African conflict. The SAS later formed a unit comprising eight-man sections of divers and canoeists to reconnoitre enemy fortifications from land or sea, raid enemy ports, and conduct sabotage operations against merchant shipping. Originally this unit was named the Special Boat Section to fool German radio operators listening in on British military communications. It was assumed that Wehrmacht operators would have little interest in a "Special Boat Section" when there was so much else going on.

1942 April: The British Royal Navy formed a frogman and manned torpedo unit called "Experimental Submarine Flotilla": see British commando frogmen for more about them and their deeds in 1942 to 1945.

1946: The SBS became part of the Royal Marines. It became part of the School of Combined Operations under the command of Blondie Hasler.

1951: Another two squadrons were formed from British troops in West Germany.

Two volunteer squadrons were later added. Their first missions were in Palestine (ordnance removal) and in Haifa (limpet mine removal from ships).

1950-1953: In the Korean War the SBS were in action along the North Korean coast. They gathered intelligence and destroyed railways and installations. The SBS operated first from submarines, and later from islands off Wonsan, behind enemy lines. They used two-man canoes and motorised inflatable boats.

1952: SBS teams were held at combat readiness in Egypt in case Gamal Abdal Nasser's coup turned more violent than it did.

1956: The SBS were alerted during the Suez Crisis, but did not see action.

1969 September: The SBS were alerted during a coup against king Idris I of Libya, but did not see action. Similar situations followed.

1961: SBS teams carried out reconnaissance missions during the Indonesian Confrontation.

1961: The SBS primarily gathered intelligence and trained other special forces during the Vietnam War

1961: Iraq threatened to invade Kuwait for the first time, so the SBS put a detachment at Bahrain.

later: The SBS was stationed in Gibraltar, where they gathered intelligence in case Franco's Spain decided to invade.

The SBS were involved in anti-drug operations in the Caribbean.

1972: The SAS and SBS came into the spotlight for a moment during their involvement with a bomb threat (which later proved to be a hoax) onboard the Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth II, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

1977: The SBS changed its name to Special Boat Squadron.

1979: 5 SBS became part of the Comacchio Company, which protected North Sea oil rigs.

1980: SBS members played a part in the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege.

1982 March-June: In the Falklands War, 2 SBS took part in the liberation of South Georgia and 6 SBS reconnoitered in East Falkland. Their only losses were to friendly fire from the SAS.

1987: The SBS became part of the UK Special Forces group alongside the Special Air Service and 14 Intelligence Company.

1987: The SBS changed its name to Special Boat Service and was brought under the command of the Director of Special Forces.

1991: During the Gulf War, the SBS made raids on the Kuwaiti coast to draw Iraqi troops away from the land attack. The liberation of the British embassy in Kuwait was one of their most high-profile operations.

1999 or later: The SBS were involved in operations in East Timor.

2001 October: The SBS took part in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, where they secured Bagram Airbase.

2003: The SBS took part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

2005 March 14: The commanding officer of the SBS was killed in a training accident in Norway.

2006 June 27: One SBS Marine and one seconded Parachute Regiment officer were killed and one seriously injured in a Taliban ambush in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Throughout the Cold War, the SBS was organised to perform a "conventional " special forces role for the 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines . However, in recent decades the SBS's role has become more and more devoted to counter-terrorist operations.

Present;  The SBS remain active and are also involved with the London Olympics.

The Falklands War - The SAS raid on the airfield at Pebble Island - 14th May 1982

Introduction

The long narrow shape of Pebble Island lies east to west across the western approaches to Falkland Sound. On 23 April, an Argentine aircraft landed on the airstrip there near the settlement which was home to the 25-strong farming community, supposedly to deliver the mail. One of the occupants of the aircraft surveyed the strip, walking some length along the main runway. A few hours later a UH-1 helicopter landed on the strip, depositing an Argentine Army patrol who then marched into the settlement and demanded that all radio transmitters of any kind be handed over. The leader of the soldiers stated that the occupying forces would send a patrol to Pebble Island from time to time, but otherwise they would be completely cut off from the outside world, a worrying prospect for the islanders as they would have no communications in case of emergency.

Only the following day the initial statement regarding the future of Pebble Island was proved a lie. A Short Skyvan twin-engined transport aircraft of Prefectura Naval Argentina, the Argentine Coastguard, landed on the airstrip, and disgorged a large party of Argentine Air Force ground personnel. This was followed by a number of T-34C-1 Turbo Mentor training and light ground-attack aircraft from 4 Escuadrilla de Ataque, who began patrol and training flights almost immediately. Over the next week stores and provisions were brought in before on 30 April the first Pucara twin-engined ground attack fighters from Grupo 3 de Ataque arrived on the strip. The airfield was now home to an estimated 150 Argentine personnel, and the local population were practically confined to their houses by these men, except for trips to gather food. The Argentine personnel were very nervous for three reasons, the strip and preparations were unfinished, the expected garrison of 400 troops were not in place, and they were expecting an attack by the British against what was now the only major Argentine position on West Falkland and its islands. They did not have long to wait.

On the night of 11/12 May an eight man patrol team from Boat Troop D Squadron 22nd Regiment SAS were landed by Sea King on Keppel Island, south of the western end of Pebble. The helicopter landed between Mount Keppel and Cove Hill, screening the event from Argentinian forces on Pebble Island. The eight men were carrying canoes as well as their full equipment, and yomped overland to a point near the abandonned airstrip on the eastern end of Keppel Isand. Here an Observation Point was set up to ascertain the movement of Argentine troops on Pebble, particularly in the area the SAS troopers intended to canoe across too. They remained here for twenty-four hours on watch, before continuing their journey by canoe on the evening of 13 May across the dangerous Keppel Sound. The current and tides in this stretch of water were extremely hazardous, but the team had been well briefed and avoided the worst of the difficulties. Immediately on landing on Pebble Island, a two-man team went forward almost half the length of the island to First Mount, which overlooked the airstrip and the settlement. An Observation Point was set up, and detailed surveillance began, locating the ammunition and fuel dumps, as well as the important radar equipment, which could detect any attempt at a concealed approach by the British Task Force. This indeed was the whole point of the attack, the radar and the Pucaras represented a serious threat, and had to be eliminated as the island lay close to the approach routes to the intended landing area.

The wind had risen during the day of the 14 May, and since it was intended that the main force to attack the airfield be landed by helicopter there was general concern about the ability of the Sea Kings to operate at long range. The task group of ships to support the attack were the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, the destroyer HMS Glamorgan and the frigate HMS Broadsword. The three warships approached Pebble Island from the north as darkness fell on the night of 14 May, but HMS Broadsword's Sea Wolf system, the only long-range air defence for the group, became defective. HMS Broadsword fell further and further behind the line of advance in the terrible weather as her crew tried to fix the vital system. HMS Glamorgan slowly closed to within only seven miles of the coast of Pebble to provide naval gunfire support, and the incredibly valuable, and therefore vulnerable HMS Hermes closed to within forty miles of the coast, much closer than planned, to give the 846 Squadron Sea Kings a fighting chance in the high winds. Considering that Pebble Island was much closer to the Argentine mainland than any previous foray by the carriers, this was a calculated risk and a very brave manoeuvre. The party ashore radioed that all the targets had been identified with eleven aircraft on the airfield, and recommended that the raid take place that night. They marked out landing sites for the helicopters that would ferry the 48 troopers of D Squadron 22nd Regiment SAS and one naval gunfire expert, and all was ready.

The Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observer (NGSFO) was none other than Captain Chris Brown RA from 148 Battery of 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, the same officer who had performed no small wonders in the re-capture of South Georgia. He would be directing the 4.5 inch guns of HMS Glamorgan in direct support of the SAS raid. The Sea King HC4 pilots flew into the landing zone using passive night vision goggles and the SAS team split up into an assault group and support group to give covering fire. The landing had been delayed by the weather, and the troopers had a long march with their full equipment as well as the mortars and rounds for them. As a consequence the original plan to contact the settlers before the attack had to be abandonned as there was no time. The mortar base was set up, and the General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) arranged to cover the approaches from the settlement and the settlement itself where it was known the bulk of the Argentine forces were taking shelter from the weather.

Early in the morning of the 15 May, HMS Glamorgan began delivering 4.5 inch shells at the rate of one a minute under the direction of Captain Brown. The GPMG teams opened fire and kept the Argentine troops pinned down in the settlement area, while their colleagues went to work on the airfield. Using plastic explosive with short fuses, the SAS teams led by Captain John Hamilton destroyed all eleven aircraft, six Pucaras, four Turbo Mentors and the Short Skyvan, as well as the radar installation, fuel and ammunition dumps. The aircraft were attacked with teams destroying the same area of each to prevent the Argentines from assembling flyable aircraft from canibalising the wrecks. With the resounding success of the raid, the teams began to withdraw at 0745 in the morning.

By this time, the Argentines had managed to organise a response, and a sharp firefight began. The officer rallying the Argentine troops was identified and promptly shot, and the counter-attack dwindled almost immediately. The withdrawal then continued almost unopposed, except for the detonation of a remotely controlled mine which was set off too late to have any real effect, but managed to slightly wound two of the SAS troopers. The entire force boarded their helicopters without loss, and returned to the Task Force, having crippled the base, and ended any threat it and it's aircraft posed to the proposed landings.

The Falklands War - PEBBLE ISLAND RAID by SAS

Summary of Main Events

CVBG - CV Hermes, Invincible; DD Glamorgan, Coventry, Glasgow; FR Alacrity, Arrow, Brilliant, Broadsword, Yarmouth; RFA Fort Austin, Olmeda, Resource; with SBS and SAS

    1. SHEFFIELD sank (10th)

    2. Alacrity entered Falkland Sound from the south (10th)

    3. Alacrity sank Isla de los Estados off Swan Is (10th/11th)

    4. Alacrity met Arrow and headed back to CVBG (10th/11th)

    5. Glasgow damaged off Stanley/Argentine aircraft lost - [a16,a17,a18] Skyhawks (12th)

    6. Argentine aircraft lost at Goose Green - [a19] Skyhawk (12th)

   7. PEBBLE ISLAND OPERATION (11th-15th) (1) SAS Boat Troop patrol ashore to reconnoitre (11th/12th) (2) Hermes, Broadsword and Glamorgan approached and D Sqdn SAS landed by No.846 Sea Kings (14th)

    8. Pebble Island Installations and aircraft destroyed and force returned to CVBG; Argentine aircraft lost - [a20-25] Pucaras, [a26-29] Mentors, [a30] Skyvan (14th/15th)

    9. British aircraft lost east of Falklands - [b7] Sea King (12th)

    10. Argentine cargo ship Rio Carcarana attacked and beached in Port King (16th)

    11. Argentine transport Bahia Buen Suceso damaged at Fox Bay East (16th)

    In the build-up to the landings at San Carlos, Admiral Woodward's destroyers and frigates continued to wear down the invaders and D Sqdn SAS made an important contribution with its Pebble Island raid. On Monday 10th, as submarine "San Luis" made her last reported and equally unsuccessful attack on ships of the Task Force and "Sheffield" finally sank, "Glasgow" (Sea Dart) and "Brilliant" (Sea Wolf) took over as type 42/22 combination from "Coventry" and "Broadsword" and continued their radar picket and bombardment duties off Stanley. That night as "Arrow" moved to the north end of Falkland Sound, sister ship "Alacrity" prepared to sail right through from the south for the first time to flush out any supply ships. As she passed up the Sound, "Alacrity" detected a small ship apparently heading for Port Howard, and using her single 4.5 inch, illuminated with star shell. Refusing to stop, the target was engaged in the only surface action of the war and after a number of hits, exploded and sank with heavy casualties. Reportedly there were only two survivors from what turned out to be the naval transport "ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS" carrying fuel and military supplies. "Alacrity" carried on through to meet "Arrow", and on Tuesday morning, both ships headed back to the carriers. Later that day, "Yarmouth" also returned from her attempts to tow "Sheffield" out of the TEZ.

    On Wednesday afternoon (12th) with "Glasgow" and "Brilliant" still off Stanley, eight A-4B Skyhawks of Grupo 5 were sent in to attack the bombarding ships. The first flight came in low, and as "Brilliant" fired her Sea Wolf automatically for the first time in anger, two aircraft exploded in the air, a third crashed in to the sea trying to escape and the fourth dropped its bomb without hitting, and got away [a16, a17, a18]. The second flight of four came in some minutes later, but for technical reasons Sea Wolf could not fire, and this time "Glasgow" was hit by a bomb which went in one side and out the other without exploding or causing any casualties. Although the damage was not severe, she had to withdraw to the CVBG for repairs that took a number of days and eventually became the first British warship to return home. Meanwhile as these Skyhawks returned home, they passed too close to Goose Green and "Glasgow's" attacker was shot down by Argentine AA [a19].

    Just a week before the landings, a raid was mounted by D Sqdn SAS on the airstrip and facilities at Pebble Island,especially to destroy the ground attack Pucaras based there. First of all men of the Squadron's Boat Troop were put ashore over Tuesday night to reconnoitre the area and three days later on Friday 14th, "Hermes" and escort "Broadsword" together with "Glamorgan" in the fire support role left the CVBG, and passing to the north, approached Pebble Island by night. As "Glamorgan" closed in to gunfire range, "Hermes" flew off the 48 SAS attackers and NGFO team in her No.846 Sea Kings to be guided in at midnight by the awaiting patrol. After a forced march to the airstrip, the attack went ahead led by Captain Hamilton, and all the aircraft there put out of action or destroyed by prepared charges. A fuel depot, ammo dump and radar installation were also destroyed. All this time "Glamorgan" provided gunfire support, and as the raiders withdrew, a brief Argentine counter-attack was halted when the officer in charge was shot. With two men slightly wounded the SAS were safely picked up again by the helicopters. The raid was a complete success and the Argentines not only lost six Pucaras of Grupo 3 [a20-25], four T-34C Mentors [a26-29] of CANA 4 Esc and one Coast Guard Skyvan [a30], but also the use of the airstrip at a crucial time. Now into Saturday morning, the warships returned to the CVBG, but "Glamorgan" soon moved on to other duties.

    Although bad weather had restricted fixed wing flying earlier in the week, by Wednesday 12th it had improved sufficiently for high level bombing attacks to be made on Stanley, the same day a No.826 ASW Sea King from "Hermes" ditched near the CVBG with engine failure [b7]. The crew were saved. The next main action took place over the weekend as Sea Harriers continued to bomb Stanley. On Saturday night "Brilliant's" Lynx failed in an attack on the transport "Bahia Buen Suceso" in Fox Bay East, but "Hermes" aircraft more than made up for this next day. In the middle of Sunday 16th, two No.800 Sea Harriers bombed and strafed the blockade running cargo ship "Rio Carcarana" (8,500 grt) at anchor off Port King and although there were no casualties, she caught fire, was beached and abandoned, finally to be destroyed by "Antelope's" Lynx a week later. Another two aircraft caught the "Bahia Buen Suceso" still at Fox Bay East alongside the jetty and raked her with cannon fire. Bombs were not used because of the ship's proximity to the settlement, but the damage was enough to deny her use by the Argentines, and she stayed there until after the war.

    Following the Pebble Island raid, HMS Glamorgan took on the job of convincing the Argentines that any landings would take place on East Falkland, south of the capital. For a number of nights, she bombarded Stanley and moved down the coast as far as Choiseul Sound carrying out a variety of deception activities. Other SBS and SAS operations were no doubt taking place all this time, and over Sunday night "Alacrity" sailed through Falkland Sound again and landed an SBS/NGFO team by Gemini near Sussex Mountains which overlooks the landing beaches around San Carlos Water.

Sea Harriers of No 800 NAS aboard HMS Hermes in "typical foul weather" in the Atlantic during

 

HMS Brilliant firing Sea Wolf at Argentine Skyhawks off Stanley -  three were shot down.

from the Art of Daniel Bechennec

The Falklands War - SAS operations

SAS Operations

When Argentina invaded the Falklands on 2nd April 1982, both Brigadier Peter de la Billiere and Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, the Commander of 22 SAS, fought hard to have the regiment included in the task force. By early April, members of both D and G squadrons were on their way.

South Georgia

During the operation to retake South Georgia, bad weather trapped SAS men on a glacier and a Wessex 3 and two Wessex 5s were sent to retrieve them. The first Wessex lifted off as the wind whipped up the snow. The Wessex from RFA Tidespring lifted off, but the pilot lost his bearing in the snow and crashed, skidding for some 50 yards, with the Wessex tipping over. The other two helicopters now embarked their troops. They lifted and landed next to the crashed Wessex and took on her aircrew and soldiers. Both aircraft dumped fuel to carry the extra load.

wessex crashVisibility by this time was practically zero and the wind and snow had not abated. The helicopters lifted off, and the Wessex 3, equipped with radar, took off with the Wessex 5 following astern and made their way down the glacier. Seconds later, the helicopters traversed a small ridge and the Wessex 5 flared violently and struck the top of the ridge. It rolled onto its side and could not be contacted by radio. The remaining overloaded helicopter returned to the ship, some 30 miles away to the north, and disembarked its passengers. The Wessex 3 returned to the crash site, but was unable to land. They made contact by radio and confirmed there were no serious casualties. The Wessex 3 returned to Antrim to wait for a break in the weather. An hour later an opportunity presented itself and the Wessex 3 flew back and embarked the survivors and was flown back to Antrim by Lt-Commander Ian Stanley RN, who was awarded the DSO.

The following night, 23rd April, 2 Section SBS was landed by helicopter. Five Gemini inflatable craft set out with troops of D Squadron's Boat troop aboard and two suffered engine failure. One of the crews was picked up by helicopter while the other crew got to shore. The Antrim group moved in again, on the 24th April, to drop off more troops and in doing so, located and beached the Argentine submarine Sante Fe. The Antrim's small company of Marines was landed following a hasty conference and the seventy-five Marines, SBS and SAS, under naval gunfire support, landed by helicopter. When they reached the settlement of Grytviken, they found white sheets fluttering from several windows. An Argentine officer complained to the SAS that they had just walked through his minefield. At 5:15am, the Argentine commander formally surrendered. The following morning, after threatening defiance by radio overnight, the small enemy garrison at Leith, along the coast, surrendered without resistance. The scrap merchants, whose activities had precipitated the entire war, were also taken into custody, for repatriation to the mainland. To complete the victory, a helicopter picked up a weak emergency beacon signal from the southernmost tip of the island, Stromness Bay. The helicopter homed in on it and found the lost three-man SAS patrol from the missing Gemini. They had paddled ashore with only a few hundred yards of land left between them and Antarctica. No British troops had been lost.

Goose Green Diversionary

The SAS mounted a diversionary raid at Goose Green on the night before the main landing at San Carlos. 60 men of D Squadron hit the garrison at Goose Green with the aim of simulating a battlion-sized attack. The soldiers marched for 20 hours to reach the hills north of Darwin before attacking the Argentines with LAW and MILAN missiles, machine gun and rifle fire. The enemy were taken completely by surprise and were unable to pinpoint the SAS positions and responded with only sporadic fire. Early next morning the SAS withdrew, the main landing complete.

Pebble Island

Crashed helicopter on Pebble IslandOn the night of 14-15 May, the SAS carried out a daring raid on the Pebble Island Airstrip on West Falkland. Twenty members of Mountain Troop, D Squadron, led by Captain John Hamilton, assaulted the airstrip to destroy all eleven aircraft. The attack was supported by fire from HMS Glamorgan, while the SAS used 81mm mortar, M203 grenade launchers, 66mm LAWS, and small arms fire to drive the Argentinians to cover. The Argentines were forced to take cover and the SAS moved onto the airstrip ad fixed explosive charges to the aircraft. The assault destroyed six Pucaras, four Turbo-Mentors and a Skyvan transport before the party withdrew.

Despite some last minute hitches, the aircraft had all been destroyed or rendered irreparable and one Argentinian lay dead. Two of the Squadron were wounded by shrapnel when a mine exploded, although not seriously hurt.

The Sea King Crash

On 19th May, the Regiment suffered a tragic loss when a Sea King crashed while cross-decking troops from HMS Hermes to HMS Intrepid and killed 22 men.  The Sea King had taken off from H.M.S. Hermes at dusk. The Aircraft was slightly over loaded but because it was short fight the pilot reduced his fuel load to lighten the helicopter. At 300 ft the Sea King started it's decent towards H.M.S. Intrepid. those on board heard a thump, then another from the engine above them. The Sea King dipped once then dived . Within four seconds it hit the water. Some men were killed instantly and other knocked unconscious in the initial impact. Amazingly 9 men managed to scramble out of the open side door before the helicopter slipped below the waves. They were the only survivors. Rescuers found bird feathers floating on the surface were the helicopter had impacted the water. It is thought that the Sea King was the victim of a bird strike. One theory is at the Sea King was hit by a Black Browed Albatross which has a 8 ft wing span. The SAS lost 18 men on this night. The regiment had not lost so many men at one tine since the end of the second world war. The accident killed a member of the Royal Signals and the only RAF casualty of the war Flt Lt G.W. Hawkins.

West Falkland

On June 5th five Four man SAS patrols were inserted onto West Falkland to observe and report the movements of the two large Argentine garrisons on West Falkland. One of these patrols was commanded by Captain Gavin John Hamilton, formerly of the Green Howards. Although Hamilton had only been with the Regiment for 5 months he was in command of G Squadrons Mountain troop.  He had proved himself to be a excellent SAS officer during Operation Paraquat and the raid on Pebble Island.

Captain G. J. Hamilton

On the 10th of June Hamilton and his four man patrol were using a well established OP near Port Howard when they were surrounded and out numbered by Argentine forces from the 1st Section 601 Combat Aviation Battalion. Two SAS men managed to get away but Hamilton and his signaler, Sergeant Fosenka, were pinned down. Hamilton was hit in the back by enemy fire and told Fosenka to get out while he covered him. " You carry on, I'll cover your back" Moments later Hamilton was killed. Sergeant Fosenka was later captured when he ran out of ammunition.  Fosenka was not badly treated by the Argentines and Hamilton was buried with full military honors by the Argentines.  The senior Argentine officer praised the heroism of the SAS officer. Hamilton was posthumously awarded the Military Cross. Some think he should have been given a VC. But because no British Officer was present during  this action (apart from Hamilton himself ) no VC was awarded.

Thank you to Julian M Taylor for some of the above information on Captain G. J. Hamilton

Mount Kent

Using Mount Kent, some 64 km behind enemy lines, as a forward operating base under the noses of the Argentine 12 Regiment, also on the mountain, the SAS continued their reconnaissance role until 26th May, when the Argentines were hurriedly airlifted to Goose Green by a mix of Huey and Chinook helicopters, leaving much personnel equipment behind. This sudden move left the mountain, which was dominant high ground, open to seizure by No.3 Commando Brigade. On 30th May, Sea King helicopters with Royal Marines aboard, took off but were forced by severe weather to turn back to San Carlos.

In the late afternoon of 31st May, elements of K Company, 42 Commando and two SAS officers, took off with the aim of arriving after dark. the helicopter pilots, using passive night goggles to mount a ground-hugging approach. This first liftoff had to land as many men as possible and were filled beyond capacity with men and weapons. They arrived behind a ridgeline about two miles from the summit of Mount Kent, where they were confronted by the sight of a night fire-fight in progress . The Marines quickly spread out and took cover and secured their landing zone as they offloaded their weapons and equipment. The firefight died down and Major Cedric Delves, of D Squadron, 22 SAS, appeared to assure his boss all was well. The SAS had encountered an Argentine patrol and had destroyed it.

Wireless Ridge

The last major SAS raid was mounted in East Falkland on the night of 14th June. This involved attacking the Argentinian rear while 2 Para assaulted Wireless Ridge, just a few kilometres west of Port Stanley. A total of 60 men from D and G Squadrons and six men from the SAS, using rigid raiders to assault Port Stanley harbour, set fire to the oil tanks while laying down suppressive fire.