Collosus
03-01-2004, 06:52 PM
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1019652,00.html
Saddam’s sea of fire foiled by Polish SAS
Robert Winnett and Justin Sparks
IN a command bunker beneath the Ministry of Defence in London, Geoff Hoon and some of his most senior officials gathered to watch the first special forces mission of last year’s invasion of Iraq.
The night operation, one of the most daring and dangerous of the war, was relayed live to the defence secretary’s bunker from cameras monitoring the raid.
Details of the mission have been revealed for the first time by the Polish special forces who had the task of seizing an oil rig off the coast of Iraq. Their attack paved the way for the full invasion.
Intelligence reports suggested that Iraqi workers were under orders to blow up two oil rigs near the port of Umm Qasr when hostilities began. Had they succeeded, an oil spill could have set the Gulf ablaze and seriously hampered the invasion.
In a synchronised attack, one rig was to be seized by crack troops from America’s Delta Force. The other, 50 miles to the east, was to be taken by Grom, a Polish force trained and nurtured by Britain’s SAS.
“It was a mission with no margin for error,” said Darek, one of the Polish commandos on the raid. “Every second counted. We had to hit them and finish the job before they had a chance even to think about detonating explosives.”
On March 19, Darek and more than 20 other Polish commandos set out under cover of darkness in fast boats fitted with high-calibre machineguns. It was the third consecutive night that the unit, commanded by Colonel Roman Polko, had been ready to go. On the two preceding evenings the mission was halted at the last minute.
Finally, with Hoon and his officials watching, Grom — it is Polish for thunder — got the go-ahead. The plan was simple: the boat-based team would defuse any underwater explosives on the rig before a helicopter manned with a sniper swooped to kill or capture more than 40 Iraqi workers.
Grom soldiers have access to a devastating array of firepower; each unit carries Glock or Browning handguns, Uzi sub-machineguns, Tantal assault rifles and M203 grenade launchers.
The snipers can each choose their own favoured rifle and those used include the M86, PSG-1 and Hecate II.
As they approached the rig, the diving team moved into two dinghies powered by silent motors that would not alert the enemy.
At the rig frogmen checked for charges on the submerged oil pipeline, while commandos climbed underneath the giant steel structure. They quickly established that the intelligence had been correct — and carefully removed all the explosives.
Then a naval Black Hawk helicopter arrived carrying marksmen. It took them three minutes to kill the guards and secure the platform.
An SAS source said: “The Grom unit has an extremely good reputation and is often chosen for the most dangerous and daring raids. We work very closely with them and they are always unflinching in battle.”
After capturing the rig, Grom went into inland waterways deep in Iraq and created havoc behind enemy lines.
Even after the fall of Baghdad, Grom played a role in tracking down Saddam Hussein’s henchmen. They captured about 30 leaders on the “most wanted” list.
One high-ranking Ba’ath party official who was shot by Grom soldiers pleaded for his life in fluent Polish. “Our enemy spoke truly admirable Polish because he had studied at a military academy run by our communist generals,” said one commando.
“When we handed him over somebody remarked, ‘Those guys not only capture them but force them to learn Polish in just a couple of hours!’ ” The Polish operations in Iraq are to be turned into a Hollywood-backed film later this year. Retired commandos and officers who took part have agreed to co-operate and the production is expected to offer one of the most comprehensive insights yet into the secret world of special forces.
The decision by some former officers to reveal details of top-secret operations comes amid fears that Grom is about to be disbanded.
“I’d like to think that the film may help us,” said Slawomir Petelicki, a retired general who commanded the organisation, “but I fear it will only be a celluloid testament to what is one of the best special forces in the world.”
The unit’s high-profile success and close links to British and American intelligence has caused it to fall foul of the political establishment and become a “source of concern” for socialist politicians.
Saddam’s sea of fire foiled by Polish SAS
Robert Winnett and Justin Sparks
IN a command bunker beneath the Ministry of Defence in London, Geoff Hoon and some of his most senior officials gathered to watch the first special forces mission of last year’s invasion of Iraq.
The night operation, one of the most daring and dangerous of the war, was relayed live to the defence secretary’s bunker from cameras monitoring the raid.
Details of the mission have been revealed for the first time by the Polish special forces who had the task of seizing an oil rig off the coast of Iraq. Their attack paved the way for the full invasion.
Intelligence reports suggested that Iraqi workers were under orders to blow up two oil rigs near the port of Umm Qasr when hostilities began. Had they succeeded, an oil spill could have set the Gulf ablaze and seriously hampered the invasion.
In a synchronised attack, one rig was to be seized by crack troops from America’s Delta Force. The other, 50 miles to the east, was to be taken by Grom, a Polish force trained and nurtured by Britain’s SAS.
“It was a mission with no margin for error,” said Darek, one of the Polish commandos on the raid. “Every second counted. We had to hit them and finish the job before they had a chance even to think about detonating explosives.”
On March 19, Darek and more than 20 other Polish commandos set out under cover of darkness in fast boats fitted with high-calibre machineguns. It was the third consecutive night that the unit, commanded by Colonel Roman Polko, had been ready to go. On the two preceding evenings the mission was halted at the last minute.
Finally, with Hoon and his officials watching, Grom — it is Polish for thunder — got the go-ahead. The plan was simple: the boat-based team would defuse any underwater explosives on the rig before a helicopter manned with a sniper swooped to kill or capture more than 40 Iraqi workers.
Grom soldiers have access to a devastating array of firepower; each unit carries Glock or Browning handguns, Uzi sub-machineguns, Tantal assault rifles and M203 grenade launchers.
The snipers can each choose their own favoured rifle and those used include the M86, PSG-1 and Hecate II.
As they approached the rig, the diving team moved into two dinghies powered by silent motors that would not alert the enemy.
At the rig frogmen checked for charges on the submerged oil pipeline, while commandos climbed underneath the giant steel structure. They quickly established that the intelligence had been correct — and carefully removed all the explosives.
Then a naval Black Hawk helicopter arrived carrying marksmen. It took them three minutes to kill the guards and secure the platform.
An SAS source said: “The Grom unit has an extremely good reputation and is often chosen for the most dangerous and daring raids. We work very closely with them and they are always unflinching in battle.”
After capturing the rig, Grom went into inland waterways deep in Iraq and created havoc behind enemy lines.
Even after the fall of Baghdad, Grom played a role in tracking down Saddam Hussein’s henchmen. They captured about 30 leaders on the “most wanted” list.
One high-ranking Ba’ath party official who was shot by Grom soldiers pleaded for his life in fluent Polish. “Our enemy spoke truly admirable Polish because he had studied at a military academy run by our communist generals,” said one commando.
“When we handed him over somebody remarked, ‘Those guys not only capture them but force them to learn Polish in just a couple of hours!’ ” The Polish operations in Iraq are to be turned into a Hollywood-backed film later this year. Retired commandos and officers who took part have agreed to co-operate and the production is expected to offer one of the most comprehensive insights yet into the secret world of special forces.
The decision by some former officers to reveal details of top-secret operations comes amid fears that Grom is about to be disbanded.
“I’d like to think that the film may help us,” said Slawomir Petelicki, a retired general who commanded the organisation, “but I fear it will only be a celluloid testament to what is one of the best special forces in the world.”
The unit’s high-profile success and close links to British and American intelligence has caused it to fall foul of the political establishment and become a “source of concern” for socialist politicians.