French Army Storm Barracks!

[royalmile]

from the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7480483.stm

No it is not April 1st

 

[destroyer]

It must be the 3eme RPIMA, they have a small CRW contingent and are based in Carcassonne. Hope the injured pull through ok!

 

[JimmyNeutron]

Damn, got beaten to it! Check out the sky news version of events.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1320389,00.html

 

[Ozduke]

Clowns. The only time they conduct offensive operations, it's by mistake.
How the hell does a "mistake" like that happen?

 

[destroyer]

Is it a mistake? Perhaps the soldier whose weapon it was, commited the act deliberatly!

 

[jonwilly]

I find it impossible to believe that any trained soldier does not check his Magazine Load before loading his weapon.
john

 

[Ozduke]

I find it impossible to believe that any trained soldier does not check his Magazine Load before loading his weapon.
john

Yeah, me too John. Good point.

 

[DavidBOC]

I find it impossible to believe that any trained soldier does not check his Magazine Load before loading his weapon.
john

Actually, I would have expected that an NCO/Officer would have conducted an inspection or at least ordered an inspection.

Surprising the soldier(s) involved did not notice the recoil difference.

 

[cormack]

how the hell could you shoot 16 people by accident!!?? surely after the first 15 folk collapsed in a heap you'd know something was up.

 

[chocolate_frog]

BFAs?

 

[thegimp]

Its been done before on woodbury common unfortunately

 

[woody]

Well we managed to have enough accidents to justify having a bullet stopping bfa ,but, An event like this you'd think they would do rehersals
and blank rounds would come from new box not a sand bag of loose ?

 

[FinalRV]

Didn't the aussies have a similar incident on a training exercise?

They were just back from Ops and the enemy MG was loaded with live rounds. It didn't strike him as wrong as he was so used to seeing live loaded.

Apparently he was reported to have said 'they are acting well' as he dropped a few before the safety noticed the error.

 

[dropshortjock]

Here's the link for the Torygraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...dren-in-bungled-hostage-display.html#continue

fcuking grim!

 

[Bravo_Bravo]

I find it impossible to believe that any trained soldier does not check his Magazine Load before loading his weapon.
john

Such incidents are not unkown to UKLF, which is why we now have magazines that can ONLY take blank rounds, and a Safe Blank Firing Attatchment that can stop up to three live rounds should a live mag be fitted in error.


Bet the RCO is poohing his pants, though...

 

[halo_jones]

How does anyone mix live and blank?

Poor personal skills
bad RCO
a cowboy attitude to range safety...and as too it has happen in the UK this is because someone try to skip over range and weapon handling regulations and drills.

saying that it perhaps it is just a deliberate act by a nut job which of course is harder to stop.

 

[Biped]

The BBC report says "a demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques". Is the point NOT to drop sixteen people, including children?
I reckon this is more deliberate than accidental, seeing as how the soldier in question was "detained".

Good point - even if you've 'accidentally' loaded live rounds, you won't be pointing the weapon at women and children, but the baddies. I presume he didn't shoot any 'baddies'?

 

[Scabster_Mooch]

The BBC report says "a demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques". Is the point NOT to drop sixteen people, including children?
I reckon this is more deliberate than accidental, seeing as how the soldier in question was "detained".

Good point - even if you've 'accidentally' loaded live rounds, you won't be pointing the weapon at women and children, but the baddies. I presume he didn't shoot any 'baddies'?

Its not so implausible if the demonstration the room was constructed just for the open day IE made of plywood?

That might explain why they did not stop when people started dropping.

 

[Scabster_Mooch]

According to a bloke on a FFL site,

17 people injured : 15 civilians (5 are children) and 2 soldiers.

It was the last demonstration of the day, 8 soldiers came out of a building firing in the direction of the public (1, a sergeant, for some reason was using real bullets). A lady in the crowd started screaming "They are real bullets"....

250 people were 1 - 2 meters from the demonstration and at least 50 in front of the soldier using real bullets. For the moment nobody knows if it was a mistake. How can you mix up plastic white false bullets and real ones made of metal.

Photo of the soldiers picking up the bullets.

and

Nope no one killed luckily....

For the moment they say at 99.9% it was an accident.
(That in his vest he had real bullets in one of the magazines, which
is not good)....


4 of the 17 people have left the hospital this morning.

11 in Carcassonne Hospital, 4 in Toulouse, 1 in Montpellier and 1 in Perpignan.

The sergent for the moment is being held by the police. They say he is a good soldier no problems with 7 - 8 years experience.

Cpl K...

PS: Charles I gave them a call & they are now all wearing there berets..

http://www.cervens.net/legionbbs123/showthread.php?t=6409

Explains things somewhat. Well it doesn't explain why the Sgt had live ammo in his webbing and didn't know it.

 

[Seaking]

Many moons ago when I was young and very excitable, (Still excitable, just not so young ) on my potential NCO's course I was acting as NCO i/c of the recce section to take a look at a farm which we knew was ocupied by the enemy

Anyway, its 2am and no moon. I brief the squad, and start to move them down the ditch which borders the back of the farm. Everything is going well and the DS is behind me with beady eyes boring into my back.

I can't remember how many of us there were on the squad, around seven I think, but the squad halts and I move to the front, have a chat with point man and make my way back to converse with my 2i/c. The DS is crouched down to listen to my brief

As I started to crouch down I caught my foot in a rut, fell forward and grabed what I thought was a branch. No, its the cocking handle on my SMG! I fall down, the butt of the gun hits the ground and night becomes day!!! I had a runaway, with the DS and his face not 3 feet from the barrel. Thank god for blanks! Luckily the blank protector managed to disperse the flame and the DS had his face coated in camo paint and lost only his eye brows

Exercise abandoned! I am given a suitable dressing down and alls well in the end. I got my stripes and the DS and I actually ended up as friends. However, he suggested that I might be safer terrorising the skies than running around with a loaded gun in the middle of the night. That is another story

However the moral is if you carry a weapon you are responsible for it! Even a gun with a blank can and has killed or caused serious injury.

If you are in charge of others with weapons you are even more responsible!

Live and blank, simply should never be mixed. Thank god there was no one killed, but the trauma for those who have been injured and the soldiers involved will be dreadful. I feel sorry for them all.

I wish them all a safe recovery.