Royal Marine Commando strapped to Apache wings to rescue missing
mate.
This is not rumor and confirmed by Army spokesman!!
Rescue bid by heroes strapped to
helicopters,17.01.07---http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23382037-details/Rescue%20bid%20by%20heroes%20strapped%20to%20helicopters/article.do
Four Royal Marine commandos flew into a battlefield strapped to
the wings of two Apache helicopters to retrieve a missing
comrade.
The daring mission to recover Lance Corporal Mathew Ford under fire
in Afghanistan is the first time British forces have conducted such
a risky operation.
British soldier killed in Afghanistan
named
But it ended in sadness when the Marines found the 30-year-old
member of 45 Commando had been killed. He is the 46th British
serviceman to die in Afghanistan since 2001.
He had been seen to be shot on Monday as he led his men in storming
a strongly- defended fort used by the Taliban as a key
headquarters.
Enemy fire was so heavy that the troops following him had to
withdraw, but comrades were determined to try to find him.
The pilots of two Apaches, which cannot carry passengers, flew back
into the combat zone with four Marines on their wings in an
operation dubbed Flight of the Phoenix.
The aircraft, carrying two men each, swooped on the compound, while
a third Apache hovered above, keeping the Taliban at bay.
When they found his body the four Marines jumped off the wings and
strapped it to a landed helicopter. They then mounted the wings of
the Apaches again as the aircraft flew back to the British
headquarters.
An Army spokesman said: "It was a leap into the unknown. It was an
extraordinary tale of heroism and bravery of our airmen, soldiers
and Marines who were all prepared to put themselves back into the
line of fire to rescue a fallen comrade."
The attack was one of the largest offensive operations against the
Talibanin Helmand province, involving more than 200 ground troops,
artillery, bombers and helicopter gunships attacking Jugroom fort
outside the volatile town of Garmsir.
The area is a key supply route for Taliban fighters crossing the
nearby border from Pakistan. The fort had been under surveillance
for weeks.
Troops from 45 Commando crossed a river at dawn to attack the
high-walled compound and came under "ferocious fire from all
sides".
Lance Corporal Ford was leading his section of Marines as they
charged when he was shot. Four other British servicemen were
injured. The lance corporal grew up in Immingham, Lincolnshire, and
joined the Marines six years ago.
He lived with his fiancee Ina, a student in Dundee, and had been
serving in Afghanistan since October.
Yesterday his family told how he was considering leaving the
Marines to settle down and start a family.
His mother Joan said: "We are all devastated by the news of
Mathew's death. His love for life and his ability to make everyone
laugh will always be with us."
An Apache: The Marines flew in tied to the winds of the
helicopters
2.If you are Commander,would you allow them to do so??
sorry i dunt know alreday discussed here--British troops stage
daring helicopter rescue in Afghanistan
pl stop post in this thread.
