Detailed Report of SEAL Team 6's Raid Released

Feuer Frei! · 05-17-11, 09:37 PM

Wall of text incoming:

Five aircraft flew from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with three school-bus-size Chinook helicopters landing in a deserted area roughly two-thirds of the way to bin Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, two of the officials explained.
Aboard two Black Hawk helicopters were 23 SEALs, an interpreter and a tracking dog named Cairo. Nineteen SEALs would enter the compound, and three of them would find bin Laden, one official said, providing the exact numbers for the first time.
Aboard the Chinooks were two dozen more SEALs, as backup.
The Black Hawks were specially engineered to muffle the tail rotor and engine sound, two officials said. The added weight of the stealth technology meant cargo was calculated to the ounce, with weather factored in. The night of the mission, it was hotter than expected.
The Black Hawks were to drop the SEALs and depart in less than two minutes, in hopes locals would assume they were Pakistani aircraft visiting the nearby military academy.
One Black Hawk was to hover above the compound, with SEALs sliding down ropes into the open courtyard.
The second was to hover above the roof to drop SEALs there, then land more SEALs outside — plus an interpreter and the dog, who would track anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces.
If troops appeared, the plan was to hunker down in the compound, avoiding armed confrontation with the Pakistanis while officials in Washington negotiated their passage out.
The two SEAL teams inside would work toward each other, in a simultaneous attack from above and below, their weapons silenced, guaranteeing surprise, one of the officials said. They would have stormed the building in a matter of minutes, as they’d done time and again in two training models of the compound.
The plan unraveled as the first helicopter tried to hover over the compound. The Black Hawk skittered around uncontrollably in the heat-thinned air, forcing the pilot to land. As he did, the tail and rotor got caught on one of the compound’s 12-foot walls. The pilot quickly buried the aircraft’s nose in the dirt to keep it from tipping over, and the SEALs clambered out into an outer courtyard.
The other aircraft did not even attempt hovering, landing its SEALs outside the compound.
Now, the raiders were outside, and they’d lost the element of surprise.
They had trained for this, and started blowing their way in with explosives, through walls and doors, working their way up the three-level house from the bottom.
They had to blow their way through barriers at each stair landing, firing back, as one of the men in the house fired at them.

They shot three men as well as one woman, whom U.S. officials have said lunged at the SEALs.
Small knots of children were on every level, including the balcony of bin Laden’s room.
As three of the SEALs reached the top of the steps on the third floor, they saw bin Laden standing at the end of the hall. The Americans recognized him instantly, the officials said.
Bin Laden also saw them, dimly outlined in the dark house, and ducked into his room.
The three SEALs assumed he was going for a weapon, and one by one they rushed after him through the door, one official described.
Two women were in front of bin Laden, yelling and trying to protect him, two officials said. The first SEAL grabbed the two women and shoved them away, fearing they might be wearing suicide bomb vests, they said.
The SEAL behind him opened fire at bin Laden, putting one bullet in his chest, and one in his head.
It was over in a matter of seconds.
Back at the White House Situation Room, word was relayed that bin Laden had been found, signaled by the code word “Geronimo.” That was not bin Laden’s code name, but rather a representation of the letter “G.” Each step of the mission was labeled alphabetically, and “Geronimo” meant that the raiders had reached step “G,” the killing or capture of bin Laden, two officials said.
As the SEALs began photographing the body for identification, the raiders found an AK-47 rifle and a Russian-made Makarov pistol on a shelf by the door they’d just run through. Bin Laden hadn’t touched them.
They were among a handful of weapons that were removed to be inventoried.
It took approximately 15 minutes to reach bin Laden, one official said. The next 23 or so were spent blowing up the broken chopper, after rounding up nine women and 18 children to get them out of range of the blast.
One of the waiting Chinooks flew in to pick up bin Laden’s body, the raiders from the broken aircraft and the weapons, documents and other materials seized at the site.
The helicopters flew back to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, and the body was flown to a waiting Navy ship for bin Laden’s burial at sea, ensuring no shrine would spring up around his grave.
When the SEAL team met President Obama, he did not ask who shot bin Laden. He simply thanked each member of the team, two officials said.

SOURCE

Interesting account of things. Ofc we can only believe what we are told.

Platapus · 05-18-11, 12:27 PM

Good article but the Navy Times is not an official government source but just another news media. And this story came from the Associated Press, Navy times is just reprinting it.

This is just what Ms Kimberly Dozier thinks what happened.

But still and interesting article.

Dowly · 05-18-11, 12:45 PM

Quote:

...their weapons silenced, guaranteeing surprise...

Sorry "official", but I doubt that silenced weapon would be any less noticeable in such a small area than one without SD.

Platapus · 05-18-11, 01:45 PM

We do have some pretty quiet weapons, but not the sort you would want to take on a compound insertion mission.

On the suppressed MP5 that I got a chance to shoot once.

The loudest sound was the bolt and you would hear that in the next room (you may not know what the sound was, but you would hear the sound)

Besides, in Hollywood movies, do you notice that the bad guys who are shot with suppressed weapons always die quiet?

Well the real world is not like Hollywood.

People die noisily.

vienna · 05-18-11, 01:50 PM

What used to amuse me about silencers in movies and on TV was when they were used on revolvers...

Platapus · 05-18-11, 01:52 PM

Yeah, and the size of the silencers also is good for a laugh.

A little two inch tube stuck on the end of a revolver - only in Hollywood.

What Hollywood does not know about guns can fill a large book

TLAM Strike · 05-18-11, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

The loudest sound was the bolt and you would hear that in the next room (you may not know what the sound was, but you would hear the sound)

The teams back in the day would take a .22 or 9mm pistol with a silencer and remove the automatic reloading parts so it would only reload manually (like when you pull back the slide to chamber the 1st round) to get rid of that noise. They used it for killing guard dogs around VC villages. They called it the "Hush Puppy".

Platapus · 05-18-11, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

The teams back in the day would take a .22 or 9mm pistol with a silencer and remove the automatic reloading parts so it would only reload manually (like when you pull back the slide to chamber the 1st round) to get rid of that noise. They used it for killing guard dogs around VC villages. They called it the "Hush Puppy".

Those single shot guns were quiet. I once was able to attend a demonstration at CIA a million years ago. It was part of the OSS history display. They had exactly what you described: A modified High Standard (HDM).22. They fired it into a clearing barrel. Even in the secured hallway it was hard to hear. The bullet impacting the sand probably made more noise than the gun. I am still pouting that I could only watch from a distance.

They also had a Colt Woodsman but it was only for display. Could not even hold it.

joea · 05-19-11, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

Besides, in Hollywood movies, do you notice that the bad guys who are shot with suppressed weapons always die quiet?

Well the real world is not like Hollywood.

People die noisily.

Doens't it depend on where you shot them? A headshot=instant death no?

Mush Martin · 05-19-11, 04:59 AM

Thats the movies, yes its instant an inch above and behind the ear,
but training is always double taps to the body as your far less likely
to miss and far more likely to do serious damage.

Headshots are for after action

TLAM Strike · 05-19-11, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joea

Doens't it depend on where you shot them? A headshot=instant death no?

depends on the weapon. No too long ago a Rochester Police officer was shot in the head with a .22 and survived.

05-17-11, 09:37 PM	#1
Feuer Frei! Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Valhalla Posts: 5,295 Downloads: 141 Uploads: 17	Detailed Report of SEAL Team 6's Raid Released Wall of text incoming: Five aircraft flew from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with three school-bus-size Chinook helicopters landing in a deserted area roughly two-thirds of the way to bin Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, two of the officials explained. Aboard two Black Hawk helicopters were 23 SEALs, an interpreter and a tracking dog named Cairo. Nineteen SEALs would enter the compound, and three of them would find bin Laden, one official said, providing the exact numbers for the first time. Aboard the Chinooks were two dozen more SEALs, as backup. The Black Hawks were specially engineered to muffle the tail rotor and engine sound, two officials said. The added weight of the stealth technology meant cargo was calculated to the ounce, with weather factored in. The night of the mission, it was hotter than expected. The Black Hawks were to drop the SEALs and depart in less than two minutes, in hopes locals would assume they were Pakistani aircraft visiting the nearby military academy. One Black Hawk was to hover above the compound, with SEALs sliding down ropes into the open courtyard. The second was to hover above the roof to drop SEALs there, then land more SEALs outside — plus an interpreter and the dog, who would track anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces. If troops appeared, the plan was to hunker down in the compound, avoiding armed confrontation with the Pakistanis while officials in Washington negotiated their passage out. The two SEAL teams inside would work toward each other, in a simultaneous attack from above and below, their weapons silenced, guaranteeing surprise, one of the officials said. They would have stormed the building in a matter of minutes, as they’d done time and again in two training models of the compound. The plan unraveled as the first helicopter tried to hover over the compound. The Black Hawk skittered around uncontrollably in the heat-thinned air, forcing the pilot to land. As he did, the tail and rotor got caught on one of the compound’s 12-foot walls. The pilot quickly buried the aircraft’s nose in the dirt to keep it from tipping over, and the SEALs clambered out into an outer courtyard. The other aircraft did not even attempt hovering, landing its SEALs outside the compound. Now, the raiders were outside, and they’d lost the element of surprise. They had trained for this, and started blowing their way in with explosives, through walls and doors, working their way up the three-level house from the bottom. They had to blow their way through barriers at each stair landing, firing back, as one of the men in the house fired at them. They shot three men as well as one woman, whom U.S. officials have said lunged at the SEALs. Small knots of children were on every level, including the balcony of bin Laden’s room. As three of the SEALs reached the top of the steps on the third floor, they saw bin Laden standing at the end of the hall. The Americans recognized him instantly, the officials said. Bin Laden also saw them, dimly outlined in the dark house, and ducked into his room. The three SEALs assumed he was going for a weapon, and one by one they rushed after him through the door, one official described. Two women were in front of bin Laden, yelling and trying to protect him, two officials said. The first SEAL grabbed the two women and shoved them away, fearing they might be wearing suicide bomb vests, they said. The SEAL behind him opened fire at bin Laden, putting one bullet in his chest, and one in his head. It was over in a matter of seconds. Back at the White House Situation Room, word was relayed that bin Laden had been found, signaled by the code word “Geronimo.” That was not bin Laden’s code name, but rather a representation of the letter “G.” Each step of the mission was labeled alphabetically, and “Geronimo” meant that the raiders had reached step “G,” the killing or capture of bin Laden, two officials said. As the SEALs began photographing the body for identification, the raiders found an AK-47 rifle and a Russian-made Makarov pistol on a shelf by the door they’d just run through. Bin Laden hadn’t touched them. They were among a handful of weapons that were removed to be inventoried. It took approximately 15 minutes to reach bin Laden, one official said. The next 23 or so were spent blowing up the broken chopper, after rounding up nine women and 18 children to get them out of range of the blast. One of the waiting Chinooks flew in to pick up bin Laden’s body, the raiders from the broken aircraft and the weapons, documents and other materials seized at the site. The helicopters flew back to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, and the body was flown to a waiting Navy ship for bin Laden’s burial at sea, ensuring no shrine would spring up around his grave. When the SEAL team met President Obama, he did not ask who shot bin Laden. He simply thanked each member of the team, two officials said. SOURCE Interesting account of things. Ofc we can only believe what we are told. __________________ "History is the lies that the victors agree on"- Napoleon LINK TO MY SH 3 MODS

05-18-11, 12:27 PM	#2
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,365 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Good article but the Navy Times is not an official government source but just another news media. And this story came from the Associated Press, Navy times is just reprinting it. This is just what Ms Kimberly Dozier thinks what happened. But still and interesting article. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

05-18-11, 01:45 PM	#4
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,365 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	We do have some pretty quiet weapons, but not the sort you would want to take on a compound insertion mission. On the suppressed MP5 that I got a chance to shoot once. The loudest sound was the bolt and you would hear that in the next room (you may not know what the sound was, but you would hear the sound) Besides, in Hollywood movies, do you notice that the bad guys who are shot with suppressed weapons always die quiet? Well the real world is not like Hollywood. People die noisily. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

05-18-11, 01:52 PM	#6
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,365 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Yeah, and the size of the silencers also is good for a laugh. A little two inch tube stuck on the end of a revolver - only in Hollywood. What Hollywood does not know about guns can fill a large book __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

05-19-11, 04:59 AM	#10
Mush Martin Eternal Patrol Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4,398 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Thats the movies, yes its instant an inch above and behind the ear, but training is always double taps to the body as your far less likely to miss and far more likely to do serious damage. Headshots are for after action __________________ RIP Mush Tutorial Last edited by Mush Martin; 05-19-11 at 08:36 PM.

05-18-11, 01:50 PM	#5
vienna Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Anywhere but the here & now... Posts: 7,711 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	What used to amuse me about silencers in movies and on TV was when they were used on revolvers...