3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron Royal Marines
Hot & High...

With the Winter Deployment behind us, we took Easter Leave and looked forward to a year of mixed deployments; Ex Korrigan/Tradewinds (West Indies), Belize (attached to 25 fit AAC), Ex Goshawk (Germany), Ex Pond Jump West 3 (Canada) and the Brigade Autumn Exercise, Action Express (Denmark).

However, during leave, the story of the Kurds' plight in Northern Iraq hit the headlines and rumours started of Royal Marines involvement in a Coalition force to assist them. Contingency plans that had been worked on since last September were dusted off and re­adjusted where necessary.

The CO, Maj Wilsey, departed with the Brigade Recce Group on 17 April, for three days, having managed to hold a fairly swift O'Group the previous evening to enable concurrent preparations to begin: ordering maps, packing stores, ensuring the aircraft and vehicles were readied mechanically, and preparing the manpower both medically (lots of injections) and administratively (NoK and Will forms) for the imminent deployment. In the event the CO never returned from the recce!

Gazelle Forward Refueling Point 

Within 48 hours of his departure, two Gazelles and a supporting advance party were dispatched in an RAF C130 to set up a small Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Turkey. At Yeovilton preparations continued apace, contact with the advance party being made through a tenuous American satellite link. RFA Argus was made available to ship the majority of the rest of the squadron 'to Theatre'. Our vehicles, six Lynx, four Gazelles and 103 personnel embarked at Portsmouth on Saturday 21 April for a 10-day 'Grey Funnel Line' cruise. This left 50 personnel to fly out to Turkey on a VC-10 on 28 April and a follow-on party of two Gazelles plus crews to come out later, after completing tasking relating to Op Haven for the formation in UK.

As elements of the Squadron arrived in theatre, they were immediately faced with the bureaucratic procedures necessary to enter Turkey, delays whilst stores cleared Customs, a climate that was somewhat warmer than predicted and the prospect of further travel to reach the FOB, which was now established near the border, at Silopi 700 kms away. Vast quantities of stores for both the Coalition forces and the Kurdish refugees were arriving by helicopter or truck and before long the nice green field site had turned into a dust bowl. This was then followed by torrential rain which produced a quagmire -out of the frying pan and into the sink! Luckily the sun returned to dry it out and the weather remained excellent for both flying and tanning.

40 Commando HQ Recce CP Site Kani-Masi Valley

Soon Coalition forces had crossed the border and a FOB of three Gazelle and two Lynx was deployed into Northern Iraq to the ruined village of Shirati, one of the many which have been bulldozed or blown up by Saddam Hussein's forces. The second FOB and our Echelon moved forwards shortly after.

Our helicopters were in continual demand, as were other nations'; the air corridor between Silopi in Turkey and Sirsenk in Iraq was a busy and potentially hazardous thoroughfare for aircraft of every conceivable type. Overhead, USAF AWACS and CAP provided comforting security as we regularly overflew Iraqi positions equipped with Soviet weaponry (which made years of recognition training all seem worthwhile). Flying operations were made even more interesting by the demands of the 'hot and high' climate and terrain respectively. Tasks included recce and liaison support for the Commandos and patrolling the Brigade TAOR with TOW-armed Lynx to help deter any interference by Iraqi Forces. Sadly, on a number of occasions, we were tasked to casevac Allied troops (none British) who had strayed into unmarked minefields. We have also received, and fitted for use as required, Thermal Imaging TOW sights, Global Positioning System navigation aids, Infra Red Counter Measure ducts and door mounts for GPMG.

TOW equipped Lynx

Within four weeks we had flown in excess of 1,500 hours (over three times the normal flying rate) and our REME technicians, augmented by 703 AMG from 70 Aircraft Workshop REME, had completed over 12,000 man‑hours of aircraft servicing, maintaining a highly commendable aircraft availability of over 85076. To put this flying rate in perspective, we could stop all flying for nine weeks and still have exceeded the worldwide average for Army Aviation! The high flying hours are a reflection of the important contribution that light aviation makes where TAORs are large and road systems all but absent.

Eventually a redeployment plan evolved and political permission was given for a phased withdrawal to commence. To support this, FOB1 and associated LAD elements moved back from Iraq to our original location at Silopi, Turkey. Once this 'foot on the ground' had been established, FOB2 and the Echelon were able to effect their withdrawal.

The FOB2 aircraft flew to the USAF Base at Incirlik in Turkey via a number of refuel stops. Once there, the crews started to rediscover civilisation. People were found struggling with a knife and fork at meal times and had to be discouraged from washing in buckets and plastic dustbins and asked to try this new invention . . . a shower!

Liberated ZU23-2 in front of an armed Lynx

For the remainder in Iraq, there was the logistic nightmare of clearing locations and packing equipment. The classic 'quart into a pint pot' syndrome! However in a couple of days all was complete and the lucky air party under the command of the QM, Lt Fisk, flew back to UK from Sirsenk via Cyprus. Meanwhile, the unlucky road party of some 27 vehicles, under the command of the SSM, W02 Candlish, set off on the marathon drive to Iskenderun, some two and a half days away.

During this period, the FOB at Silopi continued to provide reconnaissance and liaison support to the remaining elements of 3 Cdo Bde, despite outbreaks of d&v, dirty, dusty conditions and temperatures up to 117 degrees. Tasking remained lively although the area of operations had markedly reduced in size as the Kurds returned to their homelands, allowing the Coalition forces to close the temporary mountain camps and way stations. Later, as 40 Cdo Gp took control of the TAOR, FOB I moved back into Iraq. The Sirsenk landing site, which had previously been used by the helicopters o f the French ALAT, was used as this co-located the FOB with Cdo HQ and the airhead at Sirsenk. Until the final withdrawal, on 15 July, the FOB continued to operate three Lynx and three Gazelles in support of the Commando Group.

FOB1 & Sqn HQ at Shirati

As this is written, the final elements of the Squadron are arriving home. The Coalition force has been replaced by a Quick Reaction Force (QRF), or Rainbow Battalion (in American parlance), in Southern Turkey to safeguard the achievements of Op Haven. The aviation support for this Force has now been taken on by the US Army.

We gleaned tremendous flying experience from Op Haven. The hours flown exceeded five times those which could be expected at RNAS Yeovilton; the Lynx flew some 865 hours and the Gazelles 1457, making a grand total of 2322 hours. We now look forward to some leave before returning to pick up the threads - preparing for Ex Gadfly in the Pyrenees, the changeover of C0s and of course WD '92. In the back of our minds though, we have the satisfaction of having contributed to a complex, unique and immensely satisfying operation. As with other units in the Brigade, we can take pride in our speed of response to the situation, the hard work and successful tasking we have completed, and of being a small part of the international response to the threatened genocide of the Kurdish people; a tragedy which has personally touched every one of us deployed here.