ianstone
10-10-2010, 11:48 AM
Royal Marines have spoken for the first time of an horrific "Black Hawk Down" battle to save a helicopter crew trapped in enemy territory.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01735/blackHawk_1735776c.jpg
The Blackhawk helicopter, callsign Pedro 66, went into a spin and smashed into the ground
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01735/rickAngove_1735774c.jpg
The US aircraft was flying to pick up a wounded British Marine in the British base in Sangin, southern Afghanistan, when it was hit in the tail rotor by a rocket propelled grenade.
The Blackhawk helicopter, callsign Pedro 66, went into a spin and smashed into the ground killing a four man medical team on board instantly.
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A company of 90 Commandos 'crashed out' of their base in desperate race with insurgents to get to survivors in the blazing wreck.
Demonstrating extraordinary courage, the marines pulled two unconscious pilots from the burning aircraft as armour-piercing ammunition on board began to explode.
Five Marines crawled into the blazing fuselage to save a trapped and badly burned door gunner, cutting off his boots to free him.
A young medic carried out emergency throat surgery on the pilot who had suffered a massive head injury. The casualty later died in hospital in America.
Royal Marine Sgt Rick Angove, 36, a married father of two from Telford, Shropshire was one of the first on the scene.
Referring to the helicopter by its callsign, he said: "The Pedro was circling above the Green Zone when it was hit, we think by a rocket propelled grenade.
"The pilot was very brave and tried to control the aircraft but it went in to a spin and hit the ground very hard.
"We declared it a Mass Casualty incident and crashed out the whole company to protect the aircraft and get to the survivors.
"When we got to it, the whole of the Pedro was in flames. The engine block had dropped into the fuselage and we think that is what killed the medical team.
"We could see the pilots strapped into their seats in the burning cockpit. Both were unconscious. We grabbed the fire extinguishers from our vehicles and tried to put out the fire.
"There was aviation fuel everywhere. Fifty calibre armour-piercing ammunition inside the aircraft was starting to explode. Flares from the defensive aids suite were going off in the fire.
"The waist gunner was hanging out of his door in the side of the aircraft. He was conscious and talked to us in a very calm manner. It was surreal.
"He told us he was trapped by his boots and his safety harness and that his feet were burning.
"We fought the fire and five lads were able to get into the aircraft to cut his strap and the laces of his boots to get his feet free. The gunner was a big lad with bad burns. It took all five of them to get him out of the helicopter."
Company Sgt Major Buck Ryan, 41, a married father of two from Tavistock, Devon, who has served with the commandos for 24-years, was in charge of recovering the casualties during the incident.
He helped to organise a security cordon around the area of the crash site whose job was to repel a Taliban attack
He said: "I think the Taliban were as surprised as anyone that they had managed to shoot down the Pedro and we were able to prevent them getting near it.
"We then set up an inner cordon to handle the casualties. We cut the pilots out of their harnesses and pulled them from the cockpit.
"The pilot suffered a very serious head injury and a young medic, L Cpl Ryan Shelley, performed an emergency tracheotomy in very difficult conditions."
The casualties were placed on quad bikes and driven back to the Forward Operating Base Jackson which is located on the outskirts of Sangin.
Sgt Maj Ryan continued: "A second Pedro came to pick them up along with our original casualty, a Marine who had been shot in the elbow during a foot patrol.
"We maintained the cordon around the aircraft and later on in the day we were able to recover the bodies of those who had died in the aircraft with dignity.
"The incident was a very bad one with there some horrific sights seen by many young Marines. They responded with exemplary courage and professionalism and I am proud of them.
"The second Pedro crew could not thank the Company enough for the efforts made to protect their comrades."
The co-pilot and door gunner survived thanks to the rescue effort carried out by Charlie Company, 40 Commando, following the attack in June (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7814494/American-troops-killed-when-Blackhawk-helicopter-shot-down.html).
The pilot, David Wisniewski, 31, from Iowa, was transferred to the Bethesda military hospital in Maryland, USA but died from his injuries in July.
His door gunner underwent skin grafts to his burns and he and the co-pilot made a good recovery.
The Taliban used similar tactics to those used by Somali fighters in Mogadishu in 1993 to shoot down Blackhawk helicopters during a 24 hour battle immortalised in the movie Black Hawk Down.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01735/blackHawk_1735776c.jpg
The Blackhawk helicopter, callsign Pedro 66, went into a spin and smashed into the ground
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01735/rickAngove_1735774c.jpg
The US aircraft was flying to pick up a wounded British Marine in the British base in Sangin, southern Afghanistan, when it was hit in the tail rotor by a rocket propelled grenade.
The Blackhawk helicopter, callsign Pedro 66, went into a spin and smashed into the ground killing a four man medical team on board instantly.
Related Articles
<LI class=video sizcache="38" sizset="55">Dramatic footage of Afghanistan rescue attempt (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/8045035/Dramatic-footage-of-attempted-rescue-of-officer-shot-in-Afghanistan.html)
A company of 90 Commandos 'crashed out' of their base in desperate race with insurgents to get to survivors in the blazing wreck.
Demonstrating extraordinary courage, the marines pulled two unconscious pilots from the burning aircraft as armour-piercing ammunition on board began to explode.
Five Marines crawled into the blazing fuselage to save a trapped and badly burned door gunner, cutting off his boots to free him.
A young medic carried out emergency throat surgery on the pilot who had suffered a massive head injury. The casualty later died in hospital in America.
Royal Marine Sgt Rick Angove, 36, a married father of two from Telford, Shropshire was one of the first on the scene.
Referring to the helicopter by its callsign, he said: "The Pedro was circling above the Green Zone when it was hit, we think by a rocket propelled grenade.
"The pilot was very brave and tried to control the aircraft but it went in to a spin and hit the ground very hard.
"We declared it a Mass Casualty incident and crashed out the whole company to protect the aircraft and get to the survivors.
"When we got to it, the whole of the Pedro was in flames. The engine block had dropped into the fuselage and we think that is what killed the medical team.
"We could see the pilots strapped into their seats in the burning cockpit. Both were unconscious. We grabbed the fire extinguishers from our vehicles and tried to put out the fire.
"There was aviation fuel everywhere. Fifty calibre armour-piercing ammunition inside the aircraft was starting to explode. Flares from the defensive aids suite were going off in the fire.
"The waist gunner was hanging out of his door in the side of the aircraft. He was conscious and talked to us in a very calm manner. It was surreal.
"He told us he was trapped by his boots and his safety harness and that his feet were burning.
"We fought the fire and five lads were able to get into the aircraft to cut his strap and the laces of his boots to get his feet free. The gunner was a big lad with bad burns. It took all five of them to get him out of the helicopter."
Company Sgt Major Buck Ryan, 41, a married father of two from Tavistock, Devon, who has served with the commandos for 24-years, was in charge of recovering the casualties during the incident.
He helped to organise a security cordon around the area of the crash site whose job was to repel a Taliban attack
He said: "I think the Taliban were as surprised as anyone that they had managed to shoot down the Pedro and we were able to prevent them getting near it.
"We then set up an inner cordon to handle the casualties. We cut the pilots out of their harnesses and pulled them from the cockpit.
"The pilot suffered a very serious head injury and a young medic, L Cpl Ryan Shelley, performed an emergency tracheotomy in very difficult conditions."
The casualties were placed on quad bikes and driven back to the Forward Operating Base Jackson which is located on the outskirts of Sangin.
Sgt Maj Ryan continued: "A second Pedro came to pick them up along with our original casualty, a Marine who had been shot in the elbow during a foot patrol.
"We maintained the cordon around the aircraft and later on in the day we were able to recover the bodies of those who had died in the aircraft with dignity.
"The incident was a very bad one with there some horrific sights seen by many young Marines. They responded with exemplary courage and professionalism and I am proud of them.
"The second Pedro crew could not thank the Company enough for the efforts made to protect their comrades."
The co-pilot and door gunner survived thanks to the rescue effort carried out by Charlie Company, 40 Commando, following the attack in June (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7814494/American-troops-killed-when-Blackhawk-helicopter-shot-down.html).
The pilot, David Wisniewski, 31, from Iowa, was transferred to the Bethesda military hospital in Maryland, USA but died from his injuries in July.
His door gunner underwent skin grafts to his burns and he and the co-pilot made a good recovery.
The Taliban used similar tactics to those used by Somali fighters in Mogadishu in 1993 to shoot down Blackhawk helicopters during a 24 hour battle immortalised in the movie Black Hawk Down.