Biggest blitz by paras since WW2 to crush Taliban

[SO19]

Biggest blitz by paras since WW2 to crush Taliban
Michael Smith and Louise Armitstead

BRITAIN is to deploy its biggest contingent of paratroopers and special forces since the second world war in a bid to crush the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Ministers are to send 3,000 paratroopers, including the entire Parachute Regiment, to southern Afghanistan in the spring, as well as trebling the number of special forces in the country.

It will be the first time in the regiment’s history that all four para battalions, including its reservists, have fought together on the same battlefield. The number of UK special forces personnel will rise to more than 800 and will include the bulk of the Special Forces Support Group, which is largely comprised of paratroopers.

The deployment comes amid fears that the Taliban are likely to regroup over the winter and retake terrain from weaker Afghan forces unable to hold their positions.

It has also emerged that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering ways in which private security companies could bolster frontline troops in war zones such as Afghanistan. Options include “defensive” tasks such as guarding military bases, helping to escort convoys, supplying frontline soldiers and transporting troops.

Gordon Brown is expected to signal a renewed emphasis on Afghanistan next week when he announces that local forces have officially taken control of southern Iraq. The number of UK troops in the country is expected to be cut from the current 5,000, freeing resources for deployment in Afghanistan.

Brown is expected to commit British troops to Helmand province until at least 2010, although senior officers privately expect to be there much longer. “The aim is for special forces to target the Taliban before they cause problems, while the paras provide security for reconstruction to get going in earnest,” one officer said.

The plan will see the current force of 7,000 British troops return from Afghanistan and a total of 8,000 sent out, bringing together the army’s most battle-hardened elite. Officers admit that, with 81 killed and more than 250 wounded, the Taliban have provided some of the fiercest resistance seen since the Korean war.

UK special forces will also concentrate for the first time solely on southern Helmand and will be expected not only to target the Taliban but also the drug barons funding them. The RAF will increase the number of aircraft in the country, adding Tornado and Typhoon ground attack planes to its existing Harrier squadrons.

A group of high-level civil servants has been set up to investigate the possibility of hiring private contractors to perform defensive duties in warzones. The group, which is being lead by Peter January of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and includes high-ranking officials from the MoD and the Department for International Development, has been consulting experts from the private sector for some months.

Andy Bearpark, director-general of the British Association of Private Security Companies, said he was in “constant contact” with both the MoD and the Foreign Office over what postconflict resolution work its members could carry out.

“The British military is getting more stretched, and so it makes sense to explore ways of utilising the skills of private security companies,” he said.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 558244.ece

[SO19]

I know 2 PARA are deploying in '08, but is there any substance to this?

[got1]

From 1960 until 1982 ( my time) I know of only one occasion that all 3 reg Bns where in the uk at the same time.
1974 presentation of new Colours

[SO19]

I think they may be slightly exaggerating on this one mate, sounds more like poor reporting to me.

[Tab]

Cough cough......... what about Suez in 1956 the whole Brigade was out there including the Reserves. You cant believe every thing you read in the papers. I think we had a force of around 5,000 paratrooprs in Egypt at this time. The first wave ashore was 45.000 men. There was twice that to come ashore in the second wave and the third wave would have been even bigger. There were at least 5 British aircraft carriers there, there were ships lined up all across the Med waiting with troops to be put ashore.

[Alfa]

I think they may be slightly exaggerating on this one mate, sounds more like poor reporting to me.

No they're not, it's true.

Both 2 & 3 Para are going there although I don't know if the whole of 1 Para will be deploying but they're definately sending out troops and 4 Para will obviously provide men as they do on most tours these days.

I just curse my bad luck that I got injured so early on in training otherwise I would have been off there myself (if things had gone well on P Coy obviously!).

[Alfa]

The first wave ashore was 45.000 men. There was twice that to come ashore in the second wave and the third wave would have been even bigger.

Is there one too many zeros in that figure? Otherwise that'd be an invasion force of around 200,000+ men No wonder you gave the Egyptions such a kicking!

I always find the Suez Operation fascinating but it's never mentioned that much apart from the politics of it all.

[Sarastro]

Er, not that we get told everything of course, but it's news to me.

2 PARA deploying out as the core of 16AA, and 4 PARA supplementing them with a number of men. I'm fairly sure that 3 PARA, SFSG and the rest of 4 PARA will be somewhat surprised by this report.

3,000 paras would be, I think, almost as large as the entire reg, but I suspect it actually comes from them toting up the number of para trained soldiers in 16AA, taking the 8,000 deployment figure from the fact 16AA is about that large, and then generally w@#k on without knowing what the hell they are talking about.

The Times has some poor form in recent years about getting these things correct. Some months ago during the Iran hostage situation, they ran a multi-page spread based on the 'fact' that a regular RM earned £20,000 a year, re: why they might take money for their stories. They quoted the 2007 Forces Pay Review, and a quick look showed that someone had completely misread the pay grades, taken the pay figure for a Marine having served 22 years, and thought it applied to all of that rank. Wrote in pointing out this was untrue, they actually start out at around £13,500 & explained the FPR table, but they never ran a correction. Doesn't inspire confidence when they do a serious disservice to those trying to bring the pittance paied to lower ranks into the public eye, then don't even correct a blatent mistake when brought to their attention.

PS Alfa, are you sure 3 PARA are going out there? I've been away for a couple of months, but they certainly weren't as of July.

[Tab]

Alfa.....You say there was one two many Zero's on that Number of 45.000. That would bring it down to 4.500, well we had that number of Paratroopers there. You must remember that nearly every one one that had been demobed from the regiment in the last year had been recalled to the Colours. Our company alone had about 150 men in it and that is before you added in all the others in the Battalions strength which over a thousand men. Now all three battalions went into Suez along with all the other support units. Two aircraft carriers were used as troop transport and I have pictures of the docks at Suez jammed with British Transport ships . The thing is people don't realize just how big this operation was, also you remember that the British Armies strength when this happened was around one million men. It stood around 800.000 men and had been swollen by the reserves that had been recalled. This was an area when you had about 500.000 National Servicemen in the Army doing a two year stint for Queen & Country.

[aspinall]

what infantry regiments are out there.

[Chas]

Tab is correct.
The Army was vast at that time with regulars on a minimum 3 year term.
NS men as well. The Corps was 13000 strong with 30% NS.
RN had capital ships. The Fleet Air Arm and RAF were up to strength.
Reservists were called up with some ignoring the call. RMFVR honoured
it. I dipped out since I was only 4 months into training.
Chas RMV202910 (1956).

[SO19]

Surely the Times has fudged the numbers on this? With 2 PARA deployed that would leave 3 PARA behind as lead ABTF, so I can't see this being at bttln level if they decided to bugger off to Afghan too.

The other battalions yes, but the entire Regiment?

[Tab]

I think you will find that this link will allow you to see the units that took part in the Suez invasion including troopships there were 106 British Naval Vessels there and this does not include the French ones.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/suez/untis.html

[Alfa]

Sorry Tab I wasn't saying you were wrong, I was asking IF there was one too many zero's as I had no idea that there was such a large number of troops involved in the operation but like you say I don't think there is many people who do appreciate the true scale of it.


Sarastro; Yeah I'm sure 3 Para are heading out there aswell. The reason I'm so sure is that we were told on day one that anyone who passed out of depot between now and next year would be off to Afghanistan as the whole regiment was being deployed, the Pltn Commander mentioned how this was the first time that the Regiment would be deployed en masse since WWII or something. We were told this by the platoon staff so it's gen and not just gossip.

I wouldn't have mentioned it but I can't see anything wrong doing so since a national newspaper has already printed the info and the MOD always announces which units are being deployed to each theatre anyway don't they?

[jabcrosshook]

A member of 3 para on arrse said they are going out there but can't say the reason why.