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| Iraq-Jordan |
| British act as bait in war with Mahdi |
| 2004-10-20 |
| THEY called it "Spectre baiting". Sergeant Craig Brodie, 33, sensed his men's nervousness in the grim little joke as their Warrior armoured vehicle crawled down a darkened street in the southern Iraqi city of Amara. They were keyed up for action and concentrating for all they were worth. Lurking in the shadows ahead was a group of rebel gunmen from the Mahdi army of Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shi'ite cleric. Brodie's job was to lure them into the open so an AC-130 Spectre gunship overhead could destroy them with its cannons and howitzers. The rebels would show themselves only if they were attacking the British Warrior, so it was no surprise to Brodie that the atmosphere in the vehicle was tense. By contrast, the American voice in his earphones could not have been cooler. "Steel rain on call," drawled the controller of the US special forces gunship circling in the starry night sky and waiting for the moment to strike. There was a pause as the Warrior edged forward. Then the controller, codenamed Basher 75, came back on the radio. Six to eight armed men had been spotted with the Spectre's night vision equipment. They were preparing to ambush. "Any foxhounds out?" asked the controller, checking that there were no dismounted soldiers who needed to get back inside Brodie's vehicle fast. It was just as well the answer was negative. The Mahdi militiamen were now less than 100 yards away and the Spectre was about to swing into action. Colonel Matt Maer, of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR), had given special written authorisation for the Spectre to open fire even if his own troops were within the potential blast area. This was to be the first such "danger close" engagement signed off by a British commander since the Korean war. Brodie locked down his hatch and stared through his night-sights at the Mahdi militiamen. "We were in so close we watched them laughing and joking," he recalled. "Basher then announced, 'Rounds on the way,' and at the same time I engaged with my cannon. "The strike was an awesome sight. There was no flame, just a big puff and then hot metal shrapnel flying in all directions. In three or four seconds the smoke cleared and there was nothing there at all. The militia had been vaporised." The battle that began that night — August 10 — was codenamed Operation Hammersmith and became the biggest fought by British troops since the invasion of Iraq last year. More than 100 engagements would follow in 48 hours. Rest of 3 page article at link. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #16 The C-130 sounds like a wonderful toy to not play nice with. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-10-20 10:11:18 PM |
| #15 This sounds like a variation of an SAS "Quick Response" technique. Where three shooters sit in the back of a Jeep. To possibly draw and return massed firepower in a wide spectrum. An AC-5B would be a waste of an aircraft. Since the 5 is very susceptable to stalling in a banked Pylon turn. Which is what a Spectre uses to deliver such pinpoint devastsation. The C-130 is incredibly maneuverable, Mike. And does handle like a fighter. I've got dents in my scalp from not being strapped in when a Herk flew through mountain passes and ridges. Dodging simulated SAMs. On its way to drop fuel bladders and Ground Contollers at a lake bed for A-10s in Vegas during training exercises. Jack. |
| Posted by: Jack Deth 2004-10-20 8:19:06 PM |
| #14 The AC-5B would be something to see when it cut loose, but I don't think it would be practical. The C-5 is built for lift capacity, not maneuverability. The C-130 is pretty darned maneuverable for something that big--I've heard it's sometimes referred to as "the only four-engine fighter plane ever built"--and that's how come it can lay down the fire so precisely. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-10-20 6:12:34 PM |
| #13 "That's no moon..." |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-10-20 4:40:42 PM |
| #12 Anybody know if they've ever thought about tricking out a C-5A/B with some firepower? Geebus, I'll bet Sgt. Stryker would have a few choice words about that. LOL. Sgt. Mom? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-10-20 4:38:30 PM |
| #11 Anybody know if they've ever thought about tricking out a C-5A/B with some firepower? It might not be feasible, but I'll bet it'd be something to see. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-10-20 4:30:59 PM |
| #10 Spooky was the Vietnam era AC-47 gunship. The AC-130 is Spectre. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-10-20 4:23:18 PM |
| #9 The SPECTREs are flying in Afghanistan, SPOOKY is on the job in Iraq. |
| Posted by: a fan 2004-10-20 4:00:05 PM |
| #8 "steel rain on call" Now THAT's a catch phrase that should endure.... |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-10-20 12:03:45 PM |
| #7 My favorite AC-130 patch: |
| Posted by: gromky 2004-10-20 10:44:24 AM |
| #6 This has been SOP with US forces for some time - going back to Vietnam - and ya gotta have bait to lay a trap. Glad to see the cousins are comfortable (???) with the ploy, now. The accuracy and devastation of the "on call" Spectre is first rate. Being inside an armored (armoured? heh) personnel carrier is a nice improvement over trying to find a depression in the elephant grass - improves your survivability and guarantees the identification of friend vs foe. Good show, chaps! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-20 10:39:33 AM |
| #5 Brodie’s job was to lure them into the open so an AC-130 Spectre gunship overhead could destroy them with its cannons and howitzers. Militiaman shredded down to the cellular level? Damn, I'd pay to see that. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-10-20 10:24:09 AM |
| #4 And likewise, just started my day the same way ... |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2004-10-20 9:52:49 AM |
| #3 In three or four seconds the smoke cleared and there was nothing there at all. The militia had been vaporised. What a nice thing to read to start my day... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-10-20 9:33:30 AM |
| #2 The unit motto is probably "We make house calls" or possibly "Weddings our specialty." |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-10-20 9:29:33 AM |
| #1 "Steel rain on call." I like that. "Steel rain." Nasty. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-10-20 9:18:01 AM |