 |
A Challenger 2 Tank storms ashore from a Royal Marine Landig Craft
during an amphibious capability demonstration in Hampshire.
Members from the 1st Mechanized Brigade were involved in the Maritime
Component Power Demo held at Browndown Beach, Gosport on the 28th
October 2010. The event took place in October 2010 for the ISCC
(Immediate Staff Command Course) which involves Royal Marines coming a
shore along with members from the Royal Welsh Regiment. NOTE: The captions for the following pictures is the same. |
Well I personally always wondered why the British never deployed any heavy armor from their amphibious ships. Little did I know. They have the capability. Its organic to the British Army and as the USMC has demonstrated, even a Tank Platoon retains shock action...especially in a mechanized raid scenario.The commandos carried out a dramatic amphibious landing using Viking armoured vehicles launched from landing craft, according to the Daily Mail.Heavily-armed personnel from 539 Assault Squadron pushed deep inland through the lawless zone to seize the influential clan chief.He was taken off for talks with MI6 and Foreign Offfice officials aboard a Royal Navy support ship ancored off the coast, centring on issues such as terrror training camps and the seizing of hostages.The raid in July was the first time British forces have conducted a military operation in the troubled area in 40 years, according to the Mail.Special Forces have been focusing on the region amid a rise in ships seized offshore by pirates for ransom, the kidnap of citizens from Western countries, and the threat of the Al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab terror group.
If the British Army is looking for work in the post Iraq/Afghanistan world, it might be to send detachments out with the Royal Marines!
i cant help but think if you need main battle tanks, you landed in the wrong place!
ReplyDeleteMy ignorant yet opinionated self thinks anyway.
i'm sure theres a viking esque vehicle with a 120mm gun that could provide firepower, if not armour
i hear ya but one of the issues with a mechanized raid is that no matter where you land you still have to motor to your objective. i've been a big critic of the Tanks attached to the MEU but if you have to crush obstacles, destroy barriers or just generally fight your way to the objective because the enemy has been alerted to your presence then maybe just maybe heavy armor could be a life saver. besides, one of the big issues that all western forces are going to have to face is the fact that freedom of the skies for rotary winged aircraft and the current crop of UAVs is a fantasy. someone somewhere is going to mimic the Hezbollah and start shooting them down.
ReplyDeleteI read the last line of your post and just imagined some Cavalry Officer hearing it and spitting out his tea in disgust at the thought of having to work with the dirty savages that are Commandos....then I pissed myself laughing.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see that we're still practising using this capability though, i'd love to see the UK forces get more sea-mobile, raid oriented. Kick in the door, blow stuff up for no more than 6 months on the ground, and then be on our merry way, that's how we should be fighting.
Sitting in a country for years is pointless if you aren't trying to take the place for a new holiday vacation spot for the royal family ;).
...Ah I miss the good old days.