The troops were surrounded by approximately 50 ISIS militants yesterday close to Mosul in Northern Iraq as they had just withdrawn from an intelligence gathering mission, according to the Daily Star.
In the ambush, soldiers fatally shot several militants before their ammunition ran out and they were forced to use their guns as battering rams, knives, wit and brute strength to defeat the enemy.
One man even drowned an ISIS fighter in a puddle before picking up a stone which he smashed into another man's face.
Sources told the Daily Star that they were convinced they were going to die in the battle, so they chose to 'go out fighting' in the hope that they would kill as many ISIS fighters as possible before they died.
Of course, they could have planned their ammo pack a bit better.
The source counted 32 dead ISIS fighters during the battle which lasted just over four hours.
By its bloody end, the source said the remaining enemy forces had fled and despite multiple injuries - including gunshot wounds - the SAS unit walked five miles where a Kurdish fighter met them and brought them back to their base.
Those same soldiers are reported to have returned to duty just two days later, apart from those who were shot.
Well done, chaps.
I remember reading a personal history of a British soldier in North Africa during world war two saying something along the lines of "I was issued the standard combat load of ammunition, 16 rounds". I haven't verified that but as a Vietnam veteran I was astonished!
ReplyDeleteThese were SAS guys. One would think they could decide freely on how much ammo they carried. It's heavy, though. Maybe that was a factor.
DeleteStandard basic ammunition load for the British infantry, even the SAS when doing a "reccy" is five loaded magazines + one or two 50 round bandoleers + a 50 or 100 round belt for the SAW or GPMG. The Brits run out of ammo all the time even in small firefights.--Ray
ReplyDeleteThat is the basic load per man----Ray
ReplyDeleteSemper Fi
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing as "too much ammo."
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately supply sergeants often disagree. Military ROE and other regulations are best printed out, as then they are useful for starting fires. Otherwise, not helpful!
The only time I had too much ammo was on takeoff. regards, Alemaster
ReplyDelete