First Into Action by Duncan Falconer

Author:Duncan Falconer [Falconer, Duncan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Military
ISBN: 9780751531657
Google: IealOQAACAAJ
Goodreads: 499156
Publisher: Sphere
Published: 1998-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

8

Before going over the water we were given two days’ leave. I went home to Poole to see some squadron friends and also to do some judo. I was a first-dan black belt by then and four months off the mat had left me rusty. I met up with a friend, Harvey, a Marine whose family lived in Dublin. He had ambitions to join the SBS one day and also to represent Britain in the Olympics at judo. He eventually achieved both. He later distinguished himself in the Falklands with the SBS by shooting a Mig fighter out of the skies with his GPMG. I believe it was the only jet fighter shot down by a hand-held bullet-firing weapon in the conflict. Jet fighters fly at an incredible speed during battle, and when low to the ground have usually passed overhead by the time they are heard. There are no simple rules to shooting one down with a machine-gun other than give it plenty of lead while trying to estimate its speed and distance in the few seconds available, and hope for the best.

Harvey was part of the SBS team that cleared an Argentinian detachment on Fanning Head, a hilltop that overlooked San Carlos, where the main invasion was taking place. They killed several soldiers and took the rest prisoner. After taking the position, Harvey was checking the Argentinian dead (thanks for the bayonet, Harv) when a shout went up that Migs were coming up the sound and heading directly towards them. There were two jets flying one behind the other at full attack speed. They climbed out of the sound and screamed over the hilltop directly above the SBS detachment. The team had just seconds to react. Those who were quick enough opened fire with their M16s, but Harvey grabbed his heavy 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-gun and let rip skyward. Every fifth round in the belt is a tracer – a bullet that leaves a glowing red tail allowing the gunman to see precisely where his rounds are going. Harvey’s tracers were seen hitting the Mig before it exploded. I later asked Harvey how he did it.

‘To tell you the truth, I was aiming for the first Mig but I shot down the second,’ he admitted.

The luck of the Irish.

There were several Irish operatives in the SBS. For obvious reasons, they were given the option of not going over the water. I never asked Harvey how he felt about the conflict, considering his family was Catholic. I don’t think his family had any idea he was in British special forces or he would not have been able to go home and visit his many brothers and sisters. He never asked me for my thoughts either. He knew my involvement, as most others, was unemotional.

I went with Harvey to visit my old civilian judo club where the members were only too happy to welcome me (from where, they had no idea, of course) by giving me a serious round-robin workout.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.