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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Fix Bayonets! |
| 2004-12-08 |
| [exerpt] Cpl Byles leaped into action on May 14 after his battalion, known as the Tigers, went to assist ambushed troops near a checkpoint on the main road between Basra and Baghdad. When the squad's Warrior armoured vehicle was attacked, the corporal and another soldier jumped from it. They were immediately targeted by small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. After linking up with four comrades, quick-thinking Cpl Byles identified the enemy in a sun-scorched drainage ditch 200 yards away. He said: "I decided the best way to attack was a full-frontal assault. It was my decision to fix bayonets and assault their position." It marked the first time British soldiers have gone into battle with bayonets since the 1982 Falklands War. And the NCO's surprise order horrified his own men. Cpl Byles, who has a six-year-old son, said: "They were under the impression we were going to lie in our ditch, shoot the enemy from a distance and they would run away. "But I believe we caught the enemy on the hop that day and we had to take the fight to them." As another Warrior provided covering fire, the men put fresh magazines on their rifles, scrambled over a muddy mound and sprayed the 60ft-long Iraqi trench. As they stormed the ditch, Cpl Byles saw around a dozen rebels brandishing weapons. He said: "The look on their faces was utter shock when five heavily-armed men jumped in on them." |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #20 Negative Ship, it's not David Niven either. Take another guess my friend. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-12-08 8:16:35 PM |
| #19 David Coultard? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-08 6:23:11 PM |
| #18 So crazy it worked. Put in the good Cpl for a promotion. I love reading about good shit like this. Jolly good work lads. "....and Saint David" Minor trivia, can anyone tell me where the above quote comes from? |
| Posted by: Phiter Glolung1555 (aka Jarhead) 2004-12-08 5:42:09 PM |
| #17 Some of us are even in friggin awe. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-08 5:41:33 PM |
| #16 nigh impossible to fire off a straight volley with an AK on auto , and thats what most jihadis use . Think they all watched too many Rambo movies :P maybe its your Psyops in Hollywood to congratulate for their ineptness at handling fire arms . And thanks to all of you saying thanks Tommy's . Alot of us over here appriciate that . |
| Posted by: MacNails 2004-12-08 3:42:34 PM |
| #15 Funny how that works, though... When excited, especially with something like an AK, it can be hard to hit the side of a barn. I recall something Wyatt Earp said (from a thread on RB long ago, heh) about doing your shooting in a deliberate hurry, heh. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-08 2:08:39 PM |
| #14 "Me" -- I can't fight with the Marines and the Army at Fallujah, but I damn sure intend to do whatever I can to cover their backs from attacks by MSM sources that either fail to report their achievements or make an international incident out of any perceived miltary screwup. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-12-08 2:06:38 PM |
| #13 Wow--I'm just glad it worked out for these Tommies. In this era of full automatic weapons, a 200 yd bayonet charge sounds like a suicide wish. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-12-08 2:03:11 PM |
| #12 Lol, Mrs D! Too True. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-08 1:48:26 PM |
| #11 When we spend as much time dumping on the MSM as the MSM spends lying to us, it'll be even. Till then, lead, follow, or STFU. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-08 1:36:38 PM |
| #10 As long as the MSM continues to suffer form cranial rectalitis, I would say yes. Got a problem with that? |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-12-08 1:23:33 PM |
| #9 Does every thread have meander back to the MSM?I assume the MSM means"any media which disagrees with RBers".And does Fox News Channel count as part of the MSM?Oops,Fox agrees with youze! |
| Posted by: Me 2004-12-08 12:34:48 PM |
| #8 God Bless the Tommies. They've been with us steadfastly all along! And to Mike: I love that movie!! the ending charge is THE best battle scene ever. |
| Posted by: Justrand 2004-12-08 11:55:43 AM |
| #7 MSM would spin it as US soldiers bayoneting Iraqi civilians |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-08 11:26:55 AM |
| #6 Get real, MSM wouldn't cover it even if it were Americans. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-08 11:25:24 AM |
| #5 Anyone seen a word of US media coverage of this? |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-12-08 11:22:32 AM |
| #4 Remember seeing a good post on this when the story broke. Byles and Co. really tore em some new corn-chutes that day! |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-12-08 11:04:56 AM |
| #3 [span class=ColourSgtBourne] ". . . a bayonet Sir! With some guts behind it!" [/span] |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-12-08 10:10:39 AM |
| #2 Great story. Be sure to click on the link to see The Sun's dramatic recreation of the event. LOL! |
| Posted by: BH 2004-12-08 10:05:30 AM |
| #1 Now this is a Rantburg post if I have ever seen one. Way to go guys!!! |
| Posted by: SamL 2004-12-08 9:16:32 AM |