The Wolves of the Radfan

David Brown

Description

War is not a pleasant business. People die, cut to ribbons by bullets, limbs blown off by mines and roadside bombs. Not just the soldiers, but the non-combatants: young women, the elderly and children. 1963 to 1967 saw Britain fighting in a hostile and arid country, trying to stem the expansion of communism in the Middle East. On the ground, the ordinary soldiers, infantry, gunners, engineers and armoured regiments did what the British soldier always does - getting on with the job come hell or high water! Bomber's story is written from real-life experience. Although Bomber, the main character, is fictitious, he is based on a combination of many soldiers. Many of the events took place as described but with the storyteller's licence when melting them together. The Wolves of the Radfan, the largest tribe that straddled the then-border between North and South Yemen, started the war and the British soldiers put paid to the Wolves in 1964, but then came the push by the communists from North Yemen and it was then the contest started in all the brutality that war produces. Many acts of great courage have not been mentioned in the book, especially in the period from 1963 to the end of 1964, perhaps someone else will write about that. Fact and fiction, fiction or fact? This is a story of a normal British infantryman who faced combat and it was nothing like he had ever imagined.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 31 mai 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528965491
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Wolves of the Radfan
David Brown
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-05-31
The Wolves of the Radfan About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright Information Acknowledgements Prologue Chapter 1 Starlight and Bullets Chapter 2 Base Camp and the Pig Chapter 3 Monkey Business and Hell Drivers Chapter 4 Rockets and Beyond Chapter 5 Dammed Chapter 6 Good Preparations Prevent Piss Poor Performance Chapter 7 Red Wolves Shoot Out Chapter 8 Camels, Mines, Old Men and Promises Chapter 9 Spit, Polish, and Clueless Chapter 10 Crater City, an Old Volcano Waiting to Blow Chapter 11 Hell and the Spider Chapter 12 Going Native Chapter 13 RAD Force Chapter 14 Curly and Camels Chapter 15 A Sad Christmas and Rowdy New Year! Chapter 16 Justice, Torture, and Death Chapter 17 Their Finest Hour! Chapter 18 Ambush, Raids, and Booby Traps Chapter 19 Roll on Death De-Mob too Far Away! Chapter 20 Fighting Sappers Chapter 21 Oh No, Not you, Brown Key Nick Names
About the Author
David served for almost forty years in the army. Firstly in the Infantry, rising quickly up the ranks and, then, transferring to the elite Army Physical Training Corps, (now Royal).
During his time, he experienced many things both on active service and as the Chief Instructor for the Joint Services Mountain Training Center—things that eventually had to be written about in a fictional form but based on factual events.
About the Book
War is not a pleasant business. People die, cut to ribbons by bullets, limbs blown off by mines and roadside bombs. Not just the soldiers, but the non-combatants, young women, the elderly and children. 1963 to 1967 saw Britain fighting in a hostile and arid country, trying to stem the expansion of communism in the Middle East. On the ground, the ordinary soldiers, infantry, gunners, engineers and armoured regiments did what the British soldier always does. Getting on with the job come hell or high water! Bomber’s story is written from real-life experience. Although Bomber, the main character, is fictitious, it is based on a combination of many soldiers. Many of the events took place as described but with the storyteller’s licence when melting them together. The Wolves of the Radfan, the largest tribe that straddled the then border between North and South Yemen, started the war and the British soldiers put paid to the Wolves in 1964, but then came the push by the communists from North Yemen and it was then the contest started in all the brutality that war produces. Many acts of great courage have been not been mentioned in the book, especially in the period from 1963 to the end of 1964, perhaps someone else will write about that. Fact and fiction, fiction or fact? This is a story of a normal British infantry man who faced combat and it was nothing like he had ever imagined.
Dedication
In memory of Captain Robert James Davies. Soldier, teacher, mountaineer, and friend.
Copyright Information
Copyright © David Brown (2019)
The right of David Brown to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalog record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528928458 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528928465 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781528965491 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Major Mark Pritchard RWR for his advice and help. Jane White for encouraging me to keep going. Carole whose courage gave me strength when I most needed it.
Prologue
When you read this, remember ‘Look Alike’ said, “It never happened,” and if Doyle said, “We can’t remember,” well that’s it!"
The Aden campaign was a vicious war promoted by the North Yemen communists who had killed the ruling Iman and deposed his son. Backed by the Egyptian dictator Abdul Gamal Nasser and indirectly the Soviet Union, the Yemen started its expansion south to take the independent Federation of South Arabia which included the Aden Protectorate that Britain was hoping to complete a peaceful hand over to the civil powers in the near future.
For the British the violence started in 1963 and continued through to 1967, this story covers the period I served there with a great Infantry Regiment that was serving a two-year tour of duty from1963 to 1965. The conflict was largely ignored by the British and world press. A world struggling out of the depths of the Second World War and into the horror of nuclear destruction in the cold war had little interest in a declining empires colonial problems and the expansion of communism.
The events I have written about in the book happened in some way or another. The main characters were either involved or I have used them to tell the stories that were related to me. These may have become taller in the telling or I have used my imagination to entertain. Some of the events may not be in chronological order but I have put it down as it flowed from my mind. I have not used my real name or of those who were there with me. However, they may recognize the characters and the part they played.
Compared to today’s weapons and equipment, the soldier of the time was not very well armed or protected. There was no body armor, rifles that were only semi-automatic, no night vision aids, primitive communications systems, and a webbing equipment to carry everything bordering on sadistic.
The casualties for this conflict will never be truly known especially on the NLF, FLOSY or the general Dissidents’ side. The innocent as usual suffered the most and those numbers are impossible to assess. Officially, British military casualties numbered 92 killed and 510 wounded plus 17 civilians killed and 81 wounded. Of the enemy, 382 killed and 1,714 wounded. I believe the enemy and innocents’ numbers were much greater than this for the following reasons. None of the rubble of the destroyed villages was searched by the authorities to my knowledge. After a firefight, the tribesmen were very good at removing their dead and wounded. And the ease of movement over the border meant that they could be buried out of sight of the British. Despite the difficulties of flying in such terrain, the RAF would have killed or wounded many more during up country action with the attacks on enemy positions with the amazing Hunter aircraft flown by brave and talented pilots. David Brown
“Remember those that serve.”
Chapter 1

Starlight and Bullets
David ‘Bomber’ Brown looked again at the star-filled sky, without any artificial light, pollution for hundreds of miles; the night sky could be seen in all its splendor.
Lying on the cold, hard ground at four in the morning at almost six thousand feet, he could ignore the discomfort and only wonder at the beauty of the universe.
Six months ago, he had been sitting in a Bury St. Edmunds pub, The One Bull, listening to the latest pop sensation, the Beatles . The jukebox seemed to have an endless supply of records and people fed the greedy chrome monster with coins to keep the music flowing. The busty barmaid worked tirelessly pulling pints for the squaddies from the training depot, who seemed to have an incurable thirst.
Having finished his two years training at the Infantry Junior Leaders Regiment Oswestry at the age of seventeen, he had moved to the Regimental Depot in Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. There, he had, with several others, completed six weeks’ preparation training followed by a few days’ leave before flying out to join his Regiment which had been deployed on a two-year tour of the British Protectorate of Aden.
The Regiment had already been in action against the so-called Red Wolves of the Radfan as the Qotaibi tribes men liked to call themselves. With the rest of the Brigade, they had pushed the Wolves out of the up country area known as the Radfan, freeing up the ancient trade route which ran from the coast all the way to Mecca.
The Wolves had taken advantage of the 1962 Revolution in North Yemen when the communist backed group supported by Egypt, which in turn was supported by the Soviet Block. The Wolves true to form backed themselves while playing the game with the communists hoping to gain more than anyone else in the deal but who would eventually find themselves being absorbed in the big game of communist expansion.
The barmaids, Beetles and beer were now a distant memory and the reality of soldiering in a combat zone was coming nearer every second to Bomber.
The shooting was more intense now and getting close. Bomber thought he could hear people struggling up the steep stone-covered path that led from North to South Yemen.
Six hours ago, his section of eight men had moved from the top of the rocky ridge, which was the dividing line between the two countries, to about half a mile down the slope to provide cover for the withdrawal of the PO (Political Officer) and his four local tribes men from their incursion into the north.
The remainder of the Platoon had taken up a defensive position just on the reverse slope of the ridge staying inside South Yemen.
Anyone coming over the ridge would be silhouetted against the night sky and would be an easy target for the riflemen.
Doyle, the section commander, a grizzled Irishman from Londonderry Northern Ireland, was now talking, telling them not to get triggered happy and to remember the first ones to appear would be the PO and his tribesmen and not to open fire until he gave the order or fired first. Bullets were now cracking overhead and Bo