Heroes of Helmand

A documentary made by the lads themselves that fought at Musa Qala in 2006.

Elements of 3 PARA and The Royal Irish jointly named Easy Company. The MOD refused any assistance and effectively disengaged from any knowledge of it ever happening!!

This film shows the bravery and sheer doggedness of the officers and men that fought that lengthy 50 day battle, under strength and totally and inadequately equipped, compared to our Allies at the time.
Colonel Stuart Tootal DSO OBE the then CO of 3 PARA resigned his commission over this and other tragedies including Kajaki Dam, which was also made into a film in the last couple of years and a film not to be missed, to highlight how bad things really were back then. His selfless determination, ensured that no other British soldiers would be sent to Afghanistan or anywhere else so ill prepared ever again.

Hope you can view it where ever you are:

Heroes of Helmand - All 4

Moderator Edit: Moved to The Screening Room and loaded movie onto our in-house video server for viewing by all members.

I know the place well, my last combat OP was supporting 3 PARA's evac of a besieged Platoon house in Musa Qulay, it would have been sometime between 4-Aug and 10-Aug 2006.

After seeing this video, I rechecked my copies of the battle maps and did a search, my Platoon was part of Operation Snakebite, as it appears to be now public ally known.

Wiki:
Operation Snakebite[edit]
In response to an obvious shortage of manpower, two platoons and a mortar section from the Royal Irish Regiment were deployed to Afghanistan, almost all volunteers. The Somme platoon and the mortar troop were due to replace the Pathfinders.

The operation, codenamed Mar Chichel (Snakebite in Pashto), was the largest to date carried out by the coalition in Helmand, involving 500 troops and beginning on August 6.[25] In the first move, the Royal Irish units and a Paratroop platoon secured a landing zone to the West of Musa Qala for 3 PARAs B and C companies. The 300 men then conducted an advance with fixed bayonets.[3] Meanwhile, a Canadian unit in LAV III armoured vehicles broke through the green zone and assisted in linking up with the Danish troops. The Pathfinders were then able to drive away from Musa Qala where they had stayed for eight weeks, of which three were spent under constant attack.[25] The Taliban compounds had been abandoned after heavy bombardment by B-1s, and the operation met only sporadic resistance, though one British supply convoy was fired on as it left, and Private Andrew Cutts of the Royal Logistic Corps was killed.[3] An inquest held by an Oxfordshire coroner concluded that Private Cutts had probably fallen victim to "friendly fire" from British positions.[26]

I distinctly remember during a lull in the battle, I was sitting on top of our LAV, eating tinned "Vienna Sausages" that I had purchased from the American PX in Kandahar before the mission, I was sick of rations by this point, and into my 7th month of deployment. With casual indifference to the potential danger I watched as the air assets and artillery pounded the city, quite satisfied as only an Infantryman can be when the enemy is on the receiving end of ordinance. On the long run back to Kandahar we would find ourselves in an old Russian minefield, and I rotated home mere days later on 13 August 2006.

It's a small world in some ways, thank you for posting the video Gil.

I do know just after OP Snakebite, a number of Brit troops were shooting photos and videos of our LAV 3 contingent, I wonder where those might have ended up.

It was difficult to deduce from that programme whether that was a victorious 50 day battle or an pragmatic defeat. Sorry to say that but as always, discression is the better part of valour and all that. I would have expected some SERIOUS arxx kicking following that

Peter, I suspect you slipped up on your one finger keyboard agility by hitting the k instead of the l.

That stage of the Iraq deployment was a direct result of Sir Michael „Mike“ Jackson´s contention that a British involvement would not overstretch the Army´s limited capacity and that equipment was not a critical issue. He failed to accept personal responsibility for his role in the `Bloody Sunday´ fiasco and to protect those under his command after the Iraq `atrocities´ allegations.

Sadly, a GCB, CBE and DSO don´t come without the ability to get to the top of the greasy pole with ease and alacrity. Arse liking is an art that is only acquired by those who truly appreciate the taste.

Patrick,
Sadly have to agree with that knowing the man, he ruined a good friends career.

I met him once .... and my opinion has not changed since. I see that (like Blair) he´s now making a packet on the internatuional lecture circuit.