| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| 2 Brit Snipers + 6 Weeks = 75 Dead Taliban |
| 2011-03-14 |
| The arrival at the newly-established Patrol Base Shamal Storrai (Pashto for “North Star”) in late August 2009 of Serjeant Tom Potter and Rifleman Mark Osmond marked the start of an astonishing episode in the history of British Army sniping. Within 40 days, the two marksmen from 4 Rifles, part of the Welsh Guards Battle group, had achieved 75 confirmed kills with 31 attributed to Potter and 44 to Osmond. Each kill was chalked up as a little stick man on the beam above the firing position in their camouflaged sangar beside the base gate – a stick man with no head denoting a target eliminated with a shot to the skull. Osmond, 25, was an engaging, fast-talking enthusiast, eager to display his encyclopedic knowledge of every specification and capability of his equipment. He had stubbornly remained a rifleman because he feared that being promoted might lead to his being taken away from sniping, a job he loved and lived for. Potter, 30, was more laid back, projecting a calm professionalism and quiet confidence in the value of what he did. Potter had notched up seven confirmed kills in Bara in 2007 and 2008 while Osmond’s total was 23. Both were members of the Green Jackets team that won the 2006 British Army Sniper Championships. Most of the kills were at a range of 1,200 metres using the 7.62 mm L96 sniper rifle. Walkie-talkie messages revealed that the Taliban thought they were being hit from helicopters. On September 12th, a known Taliban commander appeared on the back of a motorcycle with a passenger riding pillion. There was a British patrol in the village of Gorup-e Shesh Kalay and under the rules of engagement, the walkie-talkie the Taliban pair were carrying was designated a hostile act. As they drove off, Osmond fired warning shots with his pistol and then picked up his L96, the same weapon – serial number 0166 – he had used in Iraq and on the butt of which he had written, ‘I love u 0166’. Taking deliberate aim, he fired a single shot. The bike tumbled and both men fell onto the road and lay there motionless. When the British patrol returned, they checked the men and confirmed they were both dead, with large holes through their heads. The 7.62 mm bullet Osmond had fired had passed through the heads of both men. He had achieved the rare feat of ‘one shot, two kills’ known in the sniping business as ‘a Quigley’. The term comes from the 1990 film Quigley Down Under in which the hero, played by Tom Selleck, uses an old Sharps rifle to devastating effect. Potter and Osmond’s working day would begin around 7 am and end a dozen or so hours later at last light. Up to about 900 metres, they would aim at an insurgent’s head, beyond that at the chest. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #10 *85+Year Old USA SNIPER hitting at 1000Yds+ http://wimp.com/veteransniper/ |
| Posted by: Herman Phusons1336 2011-03-14 23:16 |
| #9 There can be up to 3 layers of brass needed to approve an engagement, unless the enemy is engaging the party seeking to counter. But they got President Karzai's relative anyway. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-03-14 21:27 |
| #8 3 layers? During a war? I'm sure SWAT Police snipers have looser rules of engagement. |
| Posted by: john frum 2011-03-14 19:00 |
| #7 Unfortunately, US Armed Forces don't have shoot on sight privilege. There can be up to 3 layers of brass needed to approve an engagement, unless the enemy is engaging the party seeking to counter. Blame Karzai for that mess. |
| Posted by: Angoting McGurque1187 2011-03-14 14:06 |
| #6 John - There are 2 standard sniper kits in the British Army as of now . The L115A3 long range rifle which fires 8.59mm bullets and the L96 which fires the bread and butter nato standard 7.62mm but can also utilise .338 Lapua Magnum . The .338 has low drag and travels much further and truer . I would suspect he was kitted out with them by personal preference . A bit of trivia - a member of the household cavalry got a confirmed kill (longest confirmed sniper kill in combat, at a range of approx 2,500 m) back in 2009 using L115A3 and .338 Lapua Magnum |
| Posted by: Oscar 2011-03-14 13:41 |
| #5 "On one occasion they killed eight Taliban in two hours" A Target Rich environment! |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2011-03-14 12:12 |
| #4 1200 meters seems like it is pushing the extreme of the range of the 7.62 mm. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-03-14 09:29 |
| #3 "Make a lef "pop", "By th ? "pop". |
| Posted by: Steven 2011-03-14 09:26 |
| #2 #1 Mikey: The Brits have had some astounding successes. Truly world class. Most people who are not shooters probably don't appreciate just what a feat this is. Everything has to be perfect with a measure of luck. Was it a Brit or Canadian who made a 1.5 + mile shot? Do you know what the Brits are using for sniper rifles. Is it the .338 Lapua Magnum? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-03-14 09:24 |
| #1 I'm proud of these guys and the thankless job they are doing. the locals love them. God Speed guys! Wish there were 100 more of them! |
| Posted by: Mikey Hunt 2011-03-14 00:25 |