HEISAP rocket 31, 266, 311, 316, 320, 338
Hellfire missiles 2–3, 22, 31, 32, 53, 54, 88–9, 90, 104, 110, 114, 118, 119, 122–3, 125, 126, 146, 164, 165, 173, 193, 199, 205, 214, 215, 217, 219, 221, 225, 226, 232, 234, 237, 249, 258, 264, 266, 267, 268, 260, 281, 286, 313, 316, 320, 338, 347
loading 53–4, 58
rockets 22, 31, 114, 117
wheel 66
Balkans conflict 2
Baram Cha 155
Bartlett, Sergeant Paul 3, 7, 8–9, 167
Bell AH1 ‘Huey’ Cobra 29
Billy 34, 38, 42–3, 46, 49, 105, 109, 163, 169, 182, 187, 190, 191, 193, 233
Blair visit to Camp Bastion and 129, 130, 133
callsign 100, 104
Camp Bastion, arrival at 11, 12, 13, 14, 17–18, 19, 23
commission 354
DFC 350, 351, 352
familiarisation flight 58–9, 60, 61, 62, 66, 69
Gereshk 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 80, 85, 86, 87, 90
Kajaki 115, 116, 120, 125
Operation Glacier (Garmsir) 146, 149, 155, 157, 158,
Operation Glacier (Jugroom Fort) 244, 245, 246, 248, 253, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 273, 275, 277, 281, 282, 286, 293, 294, 308, 316, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 328, 329, 330, 332, 333, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 344
Operation Glacier (Koshtay) 197, 199, 202, 205, 206, 211, 213, 216, 218, 219, 221, 225, 226, 227, 228, 233
Blair, Tony 19–20, 126, 127–34, 345
Blundell, Sergeant Kev 88, 89, 92, 109, 126, 226, 234, 321, 323–4, 347
Boeing 29, 33
Bosnia 28
British Army:
Apache, acquires 28–9
casualties 6, 22, 66, 68, 93, 148–9, 150, 151, 152, 170, 193, 243–350
first deployed to Afghanistan 19–20
friendly fire (blue-on-blue) incidents 71, 151, 152, 343–4
Helmand Task Force HQ, Lashkar Gah 12, 111, 115, 198, 227, 228, 231, 254, 342
ISTAR units 94
Joint Operations Cell (JOC) 43–4, 69, 90, 114, 116, 126, 152, 197, 243, 261
Military Internet Relay Chat (MIRC) 136
operations see under individual operation name
reconstruction programmes 22
ROE (Rules of Engagement) 164–5, 231, 336
British Army Air Corps (AAC) 12, 27–9, 37–8, 98, 191, 197, 347
656 Squadron 12
1 flight 46
2 flight 46, 113, 188
3 flight 46, 53, 103, 183, 184–5, 238–9,
241–2, 245, 262, 263, 278, 335, 339
backgrounds of pilots 24
debriefs 90–1, 159
‘Deliberate Tasking’ 105, 106, 144, 155, 185
‘Duty Ops’ 105
first deployment to Afghanistan 39–41
Gereshk 70–82
Garmsir 143–61, 194–9
Helmand Reaction Force 106
HQ flight 46, 102, 113, 144, 155, 185–6, 200, 239, 334
Incident Response Team 106
intensity of fighting 22
‘IRT/HRF’ (emergency scramble) 106, 113, 114–15, 116, 117, 128, 137, 160, 171, 184, 187–8, 239, 242, 243
Jugroom Fort 239–51
Koshtay 206–25, 226–36, 237, 347
mail 182–3
medivacs/casevac 106, 148–9, 243, 246–7
names of aircraft 98–101
Operation Glacier 143–61, 194–237, 238, 239–51
Operation Steve–O 171–80
return from second deployment 347
ROE (Rules of Engagement) 164–5, 231, 336
SBS casualties, attempt to recover 1–9, 65, 111, 137, 167, 247–8
second deployment to Afghanistan 13, 42–8
situational/intelligence brief 92, 93–5, 109, 134, 195–6
‘Testing and Maintenance’ 106–7
664 Squadron 13, 42, 43, 46–7, 67
British Army units:
C Squadron of the Light Dragoons 154, 241, 253, 291, 317
Gurkhas 2
Information Exploitation Battlegroup 153–4, 194
Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) 236, 328, 338
Joint Helicopter Force (JHF) 17, 43–4, 56, 85, 90, 92, 93, 99, 105, 108, 109, 111, 115, 116, 128, 136, 141, 151, 159, 161, 166, 170, 182, 183, 190, 192, 197, 201, 233, 234, 236, 237, 243, 245, 326, 327, 334, 337, 338
Parachute Regiment 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 94
2 Para 26, 27
3 Para 21–2, 39
16 Air Assault Brigade 20, 48, 66, 141
Royal Artillery 193
Royal Engineers 16, 67, 275
Royal Fusiliers 40
Royal Marines 94, 194
3 Commando 48, 104, 143, 144–5, 146–7, 150, 238, 341–2, 345, 349, 350
Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) 154, 155–6, 157, 158, 197–8, 202–3, 208, 209, 224
29 Commando 193
42 Commando 72, 154, 159, 160–1, 170, 236, 243, 337
45 Commando 154, 348
Zulu Company 241, 242, 249, 254, 261, 263, 265, 268, 269, 270, 271, 276, 278, 279, 342–3, 344–5
SAS 26, 27, 28, 103, 197
SBS (Special Boat Service) 2, 8, 65, 111, 137, 154, 166, 167, 168, 197, 247–8
Special Forces 2–9, 154, 166, 170, 201, 240
British Army vehicles:
Pinzgauer 72, 156
Scimitar 241
Viking 249, 253, 317, 342
WMIK Land Rover 72, 129, 156
Bush, George W. 19–20
Cameron, David 128
Camp Bastion 7, 21, 43, 51, 60, 63, 64, 67, 70, 85, 112, 116, 125, 147, 167, 199, 234
appearance of 15
arrival at 12, 15–17
Christmas in 183–6
conditions 14, 18
descent into 12
front gate 162, 163
hospital 148
role of 12
security 162
surrounding landscape 15–16
Taliban observation of 162
Tony Blair visits 127–34
VIP visits 127–34, 191
Carl (Ewok) 109, 110, 111, 186, 187, 190
Blair visit to Camp Bastion and 127, 128
callsign 47, 100, 101
Electronic Warfare Officer 138–9
familiarisation flight 59, 60
Gereshk 71, 72, 74, 85, 87, 90, 91, 100, 101
joins Australian Army 354
Kajaki 113, 115, 116–17, 120, 121, 125, 126
Operation Glacier (Garmsir) 148, 158
Operation Glacier (Koshtay) 199, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 223, 224, 227, 228, 230, 231–2
Operation Glacier (Jugroom Fort) 244, 246, 248, 251, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 263–4, 265, 266, 267, 268–9, 270, 271, 273, 276, 277, 279, 280, 282, 283, 284, 286, 287, 288, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 299, 300, 302, 303, 308, 310, 311, 313, 315, 317–18, 319, 322, 323, 325, 326, 327, 330, 332, 333, 338, 339
pilot, experience as a 46
promotion 353
Charlotte 97–8, 101, 102, 129, 166, 169, 170, 172–3, 175, 177, 178, 180, 183–4, 185, 236, 238–9, 241, 250, 262, 264, 278, 285, 289, 291, 299, 305, 309, 311, 312, 316, 320, 21, 334, 335, 353
CIA 135, 196
Cold War 29, 38, 112
Daily Mirror 181–2
Dannatt, Sir Richard 191–3, 233
DGSE 196
Dunn, Tom Newton 102
Elizabeth II, Queen 351–2
Elphinstone, General 65
Falklands War 26
Ford, Joan 348, 349
Ford, Lance Corporal Mathew 250, 252, 253–65, 266, 268–9, 270, 271, 272–4, 276, 277, 278, 279–83, 285, 286, 291, 292, 294–5, 296–301, 302, 303, 304, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 322, 324, 329, 333, 335, 336–7, 338, 341, 343–5, 347, 348–50
Forward Operating Base Dwyer 193
Forward Operating Base Robinson 136, 187
Fraser-Perry, Chris 276, 281, 282, 283, 285, 286, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 313
Garmsir 93, 94, 104, 110, 112, 143–50, 151, 152–61, 193, 194–9, 226, 233, 239, 244, 342, 345, 346–7
GCHQ 154,196,342
Geordie (Vidal) 110, 190, 192
callsign 100–1
character 102–3, 111
Blair visit to Camp Bastion and 129, 130, 133
Operation Glacier (Koshtay) 201, 233
Operation Glacier (Jugroom Fort) 242, 244, 245, 248, 253, 258, 259, 263, 264, 267, 269, 270, 273, 276, 277, 281, 282, 283, 286, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 298, 300, 302, 308–9, 310, 311, 312, 316, 318, 319, 323, 326–7, 330, 332, 333, 336, 339, 341, 350, 351, 352, 353