Operation Branding Iron

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Helmand Province in Afghanistan
M1A1 Abrams of the ALPHA company near the Kajaki dam
Detection of booby traps in the area of ​​Zamindawar
USMC telecommunication device during Operation Branding Iron
USMC soldier during Operation Branding Iron
Explosion of an IED during Operation Branding Iron
Captain Ben Middendorf checks his own positions

Operation Branding Iron (Engl. Branding iron) was an operation that in 2012 the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines in Helmand -Provinz in Afghanistan was carried out.

Operational importance

The special operational importance of the Zamindarwar region is that it is, among other things, Afghanistan's largest opium poppy cultivation area. In addition, the Kajakai dam is a decision for the drinking water supply and irrigation of agricultural crops. In 2007 an attempt was made to get the important city of Sangin (the most important opium transhipment point in the region) under control and in December 2007 the town of Musa Qala was fought over. The Kajaki Dam has also been the target of various offensives on several occasions. The NATO counter-offensive on Taliban territory resulted in Operations Achilles , Lastay Kulang, Hammer and Sledgehammer Hit (all 2007). In 2008 the situation escalated and US Marines had to reinforce in Garmsir and North Helmand. Operation Eagle's Eye, Red Dagger, Blue Sword and the Taliban's spring offensive followed. In 2009, the coalition launched a spring offensive that culminated in Operations Panther's Claw, Khanjar and the Battle of Dahaneh. Major Operation Mushtarak 2010 , in which 15,000 US, Afghan and British troops participated. was already part of a new model of war.

surgery

Operation Branding Iron was carried out from May 27 to June 11, 2012 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The aim of the operation was to track down and destroy one of the largest Taliban strongholds in the troubled and remote Kajaki district. With the help of a USMC combat group, command structures, command posts, opium processing sites , safe havens and supply hubs were primarily to be located and smashed. The events concentrated on smaller towns with a focus on Musa Quala near Zamindawar, a historical region to the right of the Helmand River and northwest of Kandahar . Musa Quala is considered one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan because of its strong control by the Taliban. A large number of poppy fields are concentrated here, from which opium is procured for weapons with the proceeds from the sale. The area is completely ruled by warlords who have used the past few years to build up their defensive bastions. Operation Branding Iron was just one of a long series of campaigns and military operations in Helmand Province previously carried out by British forces and ISAF forces . Since the spring of 2009 , 11,000 US Marines have been deployed there. Since Operation Branding Iron was carried out in a remote area, there were several logistical problems with the supply of the combat troops.

Taliban defenses

The Taliban have rebuilt the rural clay buildings for their “house warfare” purposes and provided them with a large number of booby traps (IED) to prevent them from being quickly captured and occupied. Shots can be fired from the so-called "Murder Holes" which are very difficult to locate. The Taliban use their partially subterranean network of irrigation canals to move and move quickly.

execution

One of the tactical operational principles of the US Marines is to be able to concentrate maximum firepower on one point at high speed and when necessary. For this type of combat, the units of the USMC are organized as independent associations (assault force), which can usually carry out their task independently of other combat support troops. The action of the dismounted infantry forces is monitored by battle tanks . The distance measurement and the high resolution of the optics of the M1 Abrams are used to combat more distant targets. Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters also offer the option of attacking enemy targets directly from the air. In daylight there was additional CAS air support from F-18 and F-16 combat aircraft and Predator reconnaissance drones. It was part of the approach of the US Marines not to use entrances that might have booby traps, but to blast holes through the clay walls with pioneer charges. The farmers received financial compensation for this. Captain Middendorf endeavored to always keep the initiative in his own hands and to lure the opponent out of his "comfort zone". Throughout Operation Branding Iron, it was a major problem to clearly locate enemy Taliban and securely separate them from the civilian population. During their mission, various Golf Company platoons came under Capt. Middendorf was ambushed by the Taliban several times and could only be freed again with air support. The 2nd Bn./5th Marines carried out a three-week operation Branding Iron at the end of a heavy blow against the leadership and supply structure of the Taliban and destroyed several opium processing plants.

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines

The following facts distinguish the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines:

  • The 2nd Battalion 5th Marines is the U.S. Marine Corps' highest honored combat class
  • The association was set up in 1914, fought in both world wars, in the Korean War , among their most famous battles were Belleau Wood in 1918 and in 1968 the house fights at the siege of Huế . In the film Full Metal Jacket this unit was portrayed fighting for Huämpfen
  • The battalion's motto “ Retreat Hell ” comes from a famous saying by Company Commander Lloyd Williams during the fighting in France during the First World War. " Retreat? Hell, we just got here! "
  • Its headquarters are in Camp Pendleton , California
  • The battalion's manpower is around 1,000
  • The battalion was transferred to Afghanistan in late February 2012 to support Operation Enduring Freedom as part of Regimental Combat Team 6 (RCT 6)
  • The 2nd Battalion 5th Marines cooperated with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) on behalf of fighting insurgents and handing the region over to the ANSF after pacification
  • The 2nd Battalion 5th Marines focused its deployment on the resistance belt of the Keshmesh Khan region, north of the Kajaki Dam
  • Three Marines fell during the entire operation: Sgt Wade Wilson († May 11 , 2012 in combat activities), Marine Cpl Anthony Servin († June 8 , 2012 in combat activities) and Lance Cpl Joshua Witman

Documentation on the National Geographic Channel

Operation Branding Iron became known to the public through documentation on the National Geographic Channel . Reporters from this channel accompanied the combat troops of the Gulf Company as "imbedded" journalists on their seventeen-day mission in Helmand Province. Other USMC units were filmed leaving Afghanistan. The documentary is titled "Battleground Afghanistan" and consists of five episodes of a documentary about the fighting of the Gulf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines in chronological order. The five episodes document the preparation and implementation of the operation. The focus is on the perspective of the company's three platoon leaders and on interviews with the company commander, Captain Ben Middendorf. It shows life in the field, the tension of the soldiers during the fire fighting, their nightly patrols on certain sneaking paths to minimize the danger from IEDs, the pollution from the environment at temperatures up to +45 ° C in the shade, the risk of dehydration during physical exertion, made more difficult by carrying heavy equipment and ammunition, a plague of flies and much more. Furthermore, the life in "Camp Leatherneck" and the return home to the USA are illuminated. In the same year, Captain Middendorf was awarded the LtCol-William-G.-Leftwich-Medal for Outstanding Leadership for his actions. Middendorf was honored as the best captain of a USMC company in infantry combat. The Gulf Company did not lose a single Marine during its seventeen-day deployment and the last short mission shortly before departure from Afghanistan. The full documentation has been available on Netflix since 2014 .

Bibliography

  • Donny O'Malley, Aaron Moshier and Josh Brown: Embarrassing Confessions of a Marine Lieutenant: Operation Branding Iron, 2.1A, O'Malley Entertainment, Llc. 2015. ISBN 978-194397900-4 .

Web links

Notes and individual references

  1. ^ What Marines did in Helmand Province - The San Diego Union Tribune
  2. ↑ a b Operation Branding Iron at www.donnyomalley.com
  3. ↑ Sgt Wade Wilson. The fall. Military Times
  4. ^ Marine Cpl Anthony Servin. The fall. Military Times
  5. ^ National Geographic Channel - Battleground Afghanistan - About the Battailon
  6. ↑ https://www.wunschliste.de/serie/battleground-brothers- Einsatz-in-der- hoelle The war in Afghanistan has been going on for over ten years and is now nearing its end - at least for the US soldiers. While thousands of soldiers are returning home, the Gulf Company, 2nd Battalion, is tasked with destroying one of the Taliban's last strongholds - in Helmand, the most dangerous province of Afghanistan. In the north of the country, in the Zamindawar region, is the city of Keshmesh Khan. The situation and situation can be a tough test for a marine captain and his soldiers. Captain Ben Middendorf has no intention of losing the war - or even a single one of his soldiers. Press release on Battleground Brothers - Mission in Hell.
  7. ^ 1st Marine Division. Most decorated infantry battalion returns from Afghanistan. September 18, 2012