Invading Brits Still Haven't Learned A Goddamned Thing
While the Afghans remember their history quite well.
Taliban switch to long-range fire in fight against UK troops
"Royal Marines deployed in Sangin in southern Afghanistan, where British troops have suffered a high rate of casualties in recent weeks, are facing a growing threat from long-range rifle fire as Taliban fighters change their tactics, a senior British officer revealed today."
"Asked about the vulnerability of British troops in Sangin, Norton said: "We are all vulnerable to IEDs [improvised explosive devices], but the insurgents are increasingly using long-distance small arms."
"Major General Gordon Messenger, the Ministry of Defence's chief military spokesman, said Taliban-led insurgents were resorting to what he described as an "increasing use of single shots at range".
The Jezail - Afghanistan’s Kentucky rifle
"The English invaded Afghanistan from India three times in the 1800s. These were Sepoy armies, Indian men led by Englishmen, trained to fight in tight ranks, and armed with the Brown Bess musket. Sepoys were physically small, and their weapons had to be scaled down to make them easier to handle. But in other respects they were as good as British regulars, sometimes better. Individually inaccurate, soldiers of the day fired terrifying volleys, spewing hundreds of bullets at close range.
In the American war for independence, colonial militias found a way to fight British heavy infantry. They spread out under cover of rough terrain and shot up the tightly packed English ranks with hunting weapons like the Kentucky rifle. Volleys of poorly aimed musket balls were wasted on skirmishing militiamen, especially at the long ranges permitted by the Kentucky rifle. The experience in America might have prepared the English for Afghanistan. But when Afghan tribal militias started picking them off with the Jezail, the English still had no tactical answer. An entire British army was wiped out retreating from Kabul to Jallalabad in 1842."
Taliban switch to long-range fire in fight against UK troops
"Royal Marines deployed in Sangin in southern Afghanistan, where British troops have suffered a high rate of casualties in recent weeks, are facing a growing threat from long-range rifle fire as Taliban fighters change their tactics, a senior British officer revealed today."
"Asked about the vulnerability of British troops in Sangin, Norton said: "We are all vulnerable to IEDs [improvised explosive devices], but the insurgents are increasingly using long-distance small arms."
"Major General Gordon Messenger, the Ministry of Defence's chief military spokesman, said Taliban-led insurgents were resorting to what he described as an "increasing use of single shots at range".
The Jezail - Afghanistan’s Kentucky rifle
"The English invaded Afghanistan from India three times in the 1800s. These were Sepoy armies, Indian men led by Englishmen, trained to fight in tight ranks, and armed with the Brown Bess musket. Sepoys were physically small, and their weapons had to be scaled down to make them easier to handle. But in other respects they were as good as British regulars, sometimes better. Individually inaccurate, soldiers of the day fired terrifying volleys, spewing hundreds of bullets at close range.
In the American war for independence, colonial militias found a way to fight British heavy infantry. They spread out under cover of rough terrain and shot up the tightly packed English ranks with hunting weapons like the Kentucky rifle. Volleys of poorly aimed musket balls were wasted on skirmishing militiamen, especially at the long ranges permitted by the Kentucky rifle. The experience in America might have prepared the English for Afghanistan. But when Afghan tribal militias started picking them off with the Jezail, the English still had no tactical answer. An entire British army was wiped out retreating from Kabul to Jallalabad in 1842."
posted by nolocontendere at 7:42 PM
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