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Victoria Cross Recommendations For British Afghan Troops
The Victoria Cross is equivalent to USA Congressional Medal Of Honour. British commanders in Afghanistan have recommended that their men receive almost 180 awards for gallantry, including "several" Victoria Crosses, following the most intense fighting since the Korean War. The awards are to be rushed through for Christmas. Officers are thought to have recommended about six VCs. Almost 100 of the awards, which range from the VC to being mentioned in dispatches, will go to the 650 men of 3 Bn The Parachute Regiment, which has experienced the bulk of fighting against Taliban insurgents in the southern Afghan province of Helmand during the last three months. Other awards have been recommended for the crews of Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters who have landed and rescued troops under withering fire, and the two-man crews of Army Air Corps Apache helicopter gunships. Describing the range of actions, a senior Whitehall source said: "You are talking about bayonet and grenade actions, Chinooks landing troops while being raked by gunfire and 105mm guns in direct fire mode." The latter comment refers to light field guns being used with their barrels horizontal due to the proximity of the enemy something not seen since Korea. "We're talking Waterloo stuff here," a source told The Daily Telegraph. Officers are thought to have recommended about half a dozen VCs, mainly for the troops of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The airborne forces last received the ultimate award for bravery in such quantity during the disastrous Arnhem operation in September 1944. The recommendations follow three months of vicious fighting in Helmand. The scale of the awards suggests a conflict out of all proportion to the security operation first outlined by the Government when Britain committed forces to southern Afghanistan in January. John Reid, the then Defence Secretary, expressed the hope that the troops might be able to get in and out of Helmand without firing a shot. So far, 400,000 small arms rounds have been fired. Submitted by John Hutchinson 
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