Bravo Two Zero was the
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...
of an eight-man
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
Special Air Service (SAS) patrol, deployed into
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
during the
First Gulf War in January 1991. According to
Chris Ryan
Colin Armstrong (born 1961), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Chris Ryan, is an author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNa ...
's account, the patrol was given the task of gathering intelligence, finding a good lying-up position (LUP), setting up an
observation post
An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...
(OP), and monitoring enemy movements, especially
Scud missile launchers
on the Iraqi
Main Supply Route
A main supply route (MSR) is the route or routes designated within an area of operations upon which the bulk of traffic flows in support of military operations and humanitarian operations. MSR is a term that is also used in insurgency and irregul ...
(MSR) between
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
and North-Western Iraq; however, according to
Andy McNab
Steven Billy Mitchell, (born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Andy McNab, is a novelist and former British Army infantry soldier.
He came into public prominence in 1993 when he published a book entitled '' Bra ...
's account, the task was to find and destroy Iraqi
Scud missile launchers along a stretch of the MSR.
The patrol has been the subject of several books. Accounts in the first two books, one in 1993 by patrol commander Steven Mitchell (writing under the pseudonym
Andy McNab
Steven Billy Mitchell, (born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Andy McNab, is a novelist and former British Army infantry soldier.
He came into public prominence in 1993 when he published a book entitled '' Bra ...
), ''
Bravo Two Zero'', and the other in 1995 by Colin Armstrong (writing under the pseudonym Chris Ryan), ''
The One That Got Away'', do not always correspond with one another about the events. Both accounts also conflict with SAS's
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Australia ...
(RSM) at the time of the patrol,
Peter Ratcliffe, in his 2000 memoir, ''Eye of the Storm''. Another book by a member of the patrol, Mike Coburn, titled ''
Soldier Five
''Soldier Five – The Real Truth About the Bravo Two Zero Mission'' is the third book about the Bravo Two Zero mission during the Gulf War to have been written by a member of the eight-man patrol involved.
It is published under the pseudonym " ...
'', was published in 2004.
Michael Asher, a former soldier with the SAS, went to Iraq and traced in person the route of the patrol and interviewed local Iraqi witnesses to its actions; afterward, he alleged that much of Mitchell's ''Bravo Two Zero'' and Armstrong's ''The One That Got Away'' were fabrication. His findings were published in a British television documentary filmed by
Channel 4 Television
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, and in a 2002 book entitled ''The Real Bravo Two Zero''. Both Armstrong and Mitchell reacted angrily to the documentary and Asher's conclusions.
Mitchell was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...
for his actions during the mission,
whilst Armstrong and two other patrol members (Steven Lane and Robert Consiglio),
were awarded the
Military Medal
The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
.
Patrol members
;
Sergeant Steven Billy Mitchell,
DCM,
MM, patrol commander:
former
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry).
History
The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
.
[ Captured by the enemy, later released. Author of '' Bravo Two Zero'' and referred to as "Andy McNab" in the books.
; Sergeant Vincent David Phillips,][ patrol ]2IC
Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation.
Usage
In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...
:[ former ]Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...
.[ Died of ]hypothermia
Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...
during action, 25 January 1991.[
;]Corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
Colin Armstrong, MM: former 23(R) SAS. The only member of the patrol to escape capture. Author of '' The One That Got Away'' and better known under his pseudonym as "Chris Ryan
Colin Armstrong (born 1961), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Chris Ryan, is an author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNa ...
".
;Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...
[ Ian Robert "Dinger" Pring MBE VR:] former Parachute Regiment. Captured by the enemy, later released.
; Trooper Robert Gaspare Consiglio, MM (posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' ...
): former Royal Marine
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
42 Cdo RM.[ Killed in action, 27 January 1991.][
; Trooper Steven John "Legs" Lane, MM (]posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' ...
): former Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...
of 9 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers and former Parachute Regiment.[ Died of ]hypothermia
Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...
during action, 27 January 1991.[
; Trooper Malcolm Graham MacGown, BDSc:] former Australian 1st Commando Regiment. Captured by the enemy, later released. Referred to as "Stan" in the books.
; Trooper Mike "Kiwi"[ Coburn (pseudonym):] former New Zealand Special Air Service
The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated as 1 NZSAS Regt, was formed on 7 July 1955 and is the Special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It traces its origins ...
. Captured by the enemy, later released. Author of ''Soldier Five
''Soldier Five – The Real Truth About the Bravo Two Zero Mission'' is the third book about the Bravo Two Zero mission during the Gulf War to have been written by a member of the eight-man patrol involved.
It is published under the pseudonym " ...
''. Referred to as "Mark the Kiwi" in the books.
The patrol
Background
In January 1991, during the prelude to the Coalition ground invasion of Iraq, B Squadron 22 SAS were stationed at a forward operating base
A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, machine ...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. The squadron provided a number of long-range, similarly tasked teams deep into Iraq including three eight-man patrols: "Bravo One Zero", "Bravo Two Zero" and "Bravo Three Zero".[ Asher lists one of the three patrols as "Bravo One Niner",][ though it is not clear whether this is one of the same three listed by Ryan. (Peter Ratcliffe (RSM at the time) on his book ''Eye of the Storm'' also mentions the first patrol as "Bravo One Nine" and the only patrol that used vehicles with Bravo Three Zero aborting their mission immediately on seeing the terrain they had to operate in. This is the exact opposite to what is mentioned in Des Powell's book ''Bravo Three Zero'' in which his patrol (Bravo three zero) was the one with the vehicles and Bravo one zero the one that aborted.)
]
Insertion
On the night of 22/23 January, the patrol were transported into Iraqi airspace by a RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Chinook helicopter, along with Bravo Three Zero and their Land Rover 110 vehicles.[ Unlike Bravo Three Zero, the patrol had decided not to take vehicles. According to McNab's account, the patrol walked ][ during the first night to the proposed location of the observation post. However, both Ryan's and Coburn's accounts put the distance at . Eyewitness accounts of Bedouin tribesmen and Asher's re-creation support the Ryan/Coburn estimate of . Ryan states the patrol was intentionally dropped only from the observation post because of heavy pack weights.][
According to both Ryan and McNab, the weight of their equipment required the patrol to "shuttle" the equipment to the observation post.][ Four members would walk approximately 300 m, then drop their ]bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
s and wait. The next four would move up and drop their bergens, then the first four would return for their jerry cans of water and bring them back to the group, followed by the second four doing the same.[ In this manner, each member of the patrol covered three times the distance from the drop off to the observation post.
Soon after the patrol landed on Iraqi soil, Lane discovered that they had communication problems and could not receive messages on the patrol's radio. McNab later claimed that the patrol had been issued incorrect radio frequencies;][ however, a 2002 ]BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
report discovered that there was no error with the frequencies because the patrol's transmissions had been noted in the SAS daily record log.
lays the blame for the faulty radios on McNab as the patrol commander; it was his job to make sure the patrol's equipment was working.