"Patrols Platoon, 3 PARA in action"

by David Rowlands

Size 58 x 38 cm

3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment deployed to Afghanistan in April 2006. Patrols Platoon were mounted in modified Land Rovers called WMIKs (Weapons Mount Installation Kit). Each WMIK had a heavy Browning .50 calibre machine gun in the rear. Each vehicle commander operated a 7.62mm GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) from his front seat. Commanded by Captain Mark Swann, the platoon’s role was reconnaissance and convoy protection.

At about 10am on 26th July, while crossing a river near Garmsir, a patrol of seven WMIKs was ambushed by the Taliban firing RPGs, mortars and small arms from positions in the scrub and from behind a compound wall. The river was shallow, with a gravel island in the middle. The platoon returned 15,000 rounds. The patrol commander’s vehicle was second WMIK from the rear, and Sergeant Davies was commanding the lead vehicle.

A Pinzgauer vehicle accompanied the patrol, carrying stores and spares, and Sgt ‘Ronnie’ Scott, the medic, dismounted from it. When the firing began, the Pinzgauer made a 3-point turn and drove to the rear of the column (standard operating procedure), leaving Sgt Scott who can be seen on the ground.