Friendly fire video. A10/British unit.

[3Jane]

Originally Posted by Oberon

TBH I really wouldn't have put it past the Iraqis to cotton onto that and paint their rockets orange to try and deter being bombed. I hope that wherever the finger points about this incident, it doesn't point at those pilots, their intel was bad, way bad.

As a Brit, I don't hold the US responsible for this, accidents do happen in war, and intel is well known for being screwed up at times, unfortunately in this case, it lead to a blue on blue and lives were lost. Unfortunately, I dare say most of the Brit rags will make it out to be "another incident of outrageous American aggression" and create comments from "They can't bomb the enemy but they can bomb their own." etc, etc.

Hell, no-one's perfect, we've sunk our own subs in WW2...and...it looks like the RM commando unit my grandfather was in got bombed by carrier based UK aircraft with heavy casualties in Suez in '56...heck, as recently as 2003, a Challenger II opened fire on another Challenger II and blew the turret off it, killing two.

So, it's not just the US doing it, unfortunately, that fact is lost in the rapidly growing anti-US stance in Western Europe, (A stance that, despite some disagreements with US policy in recent years, I'm NOT a part of.) which the media seems to love. Particularly ****-stirrers like The Sun.

To my mind this is one of the worst aspects of this whole issue. Even though the Sun had the actual footage, the journalism written around it seems to have had the intent of portraying the pilots as being trigger happy. When clearly they were not.

[STEED]

Originally Posted by 3Jane

To my mid this is one of the worst aspects of this whole issue. Even though the Sun had the actual footage, the journalism written around it seems to have had the intent of portraying the pilots as being trigger happy. When clearly they were not.

What do you expect for a toilet rag of a paper, the gutter press work for that pile of you know what.

[robbo180265]

I think what happened is an awful accident, I feel sorry for the soldier who died and even worse for the two pilots who will have to live with the guilt of this for the rest of their lives.

I just wish that Blair had stood up to Bush, and maybe we wouldn't be in this mess now.

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by robbo180265

I think what happened is an awful accident, I feel sorry for the soldier who died and even worse for the two pilots who will have to live with the guilt of this for the rest of their lives.

I just wish it had all happened for a true and just war, and not this one

I see what you're getting at , but it hardly happened for anything..

[robbo180265]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

I see what you're getting at , but it hardly happened for anything..

Worded it better I hope - no disrespect meant

[Ducimus]

Im more angry at that britsh newspaper for releasing this video. (The sun) From what ive read on both CNN and BBC is that this video was declassified and was meant to be released ONLY to the inquest. Instead, this jackass newspaper (however the hell they got ahold of it) uses it as an opportunity to increase their ratings. I guess lawyers really arent the scum off the bottom of a barrel after all.

[robbo180265]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Im more angry at that britsh newspaper for releasing this video. (The sun) From what ive read on both CNN and BBC is that this video was declassified and was meant to be released ONLY to the inquest. Instead, this jackass newspaper (however the hell they got ahold of it) uses it as an opportunity to increase their ratings. I guess lawyers really arent the scum off the bottom of a barrel after all.

From the way it was reported over here on Radio 2 (a BBC radio station)the American military were not going to release the film at all , in fact the attack happened 4 years ago and our (English) law courts have been fighting since then to see it. Yes the Sun is a rubbish paper, but had it not been given the clip and threatened to release it, I honestly believe those two pilots would have walked away scott free.

[badhat17]

Worth noting that the pilot never told his FAC that the vehicles had orange panels on them, if he had then I am certain the FAC would have called them off. The pilots failed to relay some basic information to the ground controller, it was very confused and I suspect that the controller thought they were asking about another target, probably the target they had actualy been tasked with attacking and not the new targets these gung ho bozo's had gone chasing after. If I was looking for a guilty party here I wouldn't look much further than the guy with his fingers on the trigger, what was he thinking ?
He suspected they were friendly right from the begining and let his FAC bring the situation round to what he wanted to see instead of believing what his own eyes could see. His controller did not have ' eyes on ' but the pilot did.

[flintlock]

I read both the transcript and watched the video -- I felt sick. Can't even begin to imagine how the A-10 pilots felt. Horrible accident that should never have happened.

[nelson1985]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

I see what you're getting at , but it hardly happened for anything..

there has not been a just war in a long time now.

[ASWnut101]

heh, really?


Anyway back on topic:

It was a VERY unfortunate incident, but fractocide is (sadly) a part of war. In fact, I can't remember any war where there was none.

[nelson1985]

Originally Posted by ASWnut101

heh, really?


Anyway back on topic:

It was a VERY unfortunate incident, but fractocide is (sadly) a part of war. In fact, I can't remember any war where there was none.

if you know some name a few

[robbo180265]

Originally Posted by robbo180265

I think what happened is an awful accident, I feel sorry for the soldier who died and even worse for the two pilots who will have to live with the guilt of this for the rest of their lives.

I just wish that Blair had stood up to Bush, and maybe we wouldn't be in this mess now.

First of all I don't entirely blame the pilots, the whole thing is a series of c#ck ups and I think my first post does still give that impression. But I drive for a living and if I run someone down and kill them by accident , then it would be quite reasonable for the family of my victim to want to see me in court and see justice done. Even if the judge says there is no case to answer

What I don't like is the fact that the American millitary has sat on that tape (with the help of our MOD) for four years - Why?

I own "Lock on" and everything that you see in that video you can see on my screen when I play it. Surely the Russians have HUD's too?

There is something fishy going on.

Add to that Iraq has been an unmittigated disaster and we want our troops back(a great many of us didn't want them out there in the first place), and maybe you can see why this is leaving a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

I'd like to finish this rant by saying that I don't hate Americans at all - just Bush, his policys and his party.