Battle of Crater

Last updated

Battle of the Crater
Part of Aden Emergency
DateJuly 1967
Location
Result British victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Flag of Yemen.svg NLF
FLOSY
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Lt. Col. Colin Mitchell
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Maj. Ian Mackay
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Maj. Tony Shewan
Unknown
Units involved
Flag of the Royal Marines.svg 45 Commando
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Queen's Dragoon Guards
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
60th Squadron, Royal Engineers
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg 47th Light Artillery Regiment
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg 15th Signal Regiment
Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg 60th Transport Squadron
unknown
Strength
unknown
1 helicopter
400
Casualties and losses
none 11 killed

The Battle of Crater or Operation Stirling Castle was an encounter in 1967 during the Aden Emergency. After the mutiny of the Arab Armed Police and ambush of British troops by them, the Crater district in Aden was abandoned by British troops. The British then decided to enter Crater and retrieve the bodies of dead British soldiers. [1]

Contents

The battle

The operation began on 3 July 1967 with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders commanded by Lt-Col Colin Mitchell ("Mad Mitch") performing a night invasion of Crater, which he termed Operation Stirling Castle, after the Argylls’ regimental headquarters. The enemy was taken totally by surprise, and effective resistance ceased. [2] [3] [4] A particular sign of Mitchell’s confidence was his decision to order the pipe band to march down the main street of Crater, playing regimental tunes, for which the Pipe major was mentioned in despatches. [5] British troops remained in Crater until the end of the Emergency.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Air Service</span> Special forces of the British Army

The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action and special reconnaissance. Much of the information about the SAS is highly classified, and the unit is not commented on by either the British government or the Ministry of Defence due to the secrecy and sensitivity of its operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Scots Dragoon Guards</span> Cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British Army. The regiment is based at Waterloo Lines, Leuchars Station, as part of 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, a light adaptable force brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45 Commando</span> Battalion sized formation of the Royal Marines

45 Commando Royal Marines is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of the Fleet Commander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Own Scottish Borderers</span> Military unit

The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 52nd Lowland Regiment, and 51st Highland Regiment to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. However, after just a few months the battalion merged with the Royal Scots Battalion to form the Royal Scots Borderers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders</span> Line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 2006

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) is a light infantry company (designated as Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) and was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire</span> Former regiment of the British Army

The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of the West Yorkshire Regiment and the East Yorkshire Regiment. After 48 years service, the regiment was amalgamated again, this time with two other Yorkshire regiments. It became the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, with the Green Howards forming the 2nd Battalion and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment forming the 3rd Battalion on 6 June 2006. Following further merges, in 2012, the battalion was redesignated as the new 2nd Battalion (2Yorks).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards</span> Regiment of the British Army

1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) is a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales and the bordering English counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior cavalry regiment, and therefore senior regiment of the line of the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)</span> Military unit

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, based at John W. Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 31 Canadian Brigade Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden Protectorate</span> Former British protectorate in Arabia

The Aden Protectorate was a British protectorate in southern Arabia. The protectorate evolved in the hinterland of the port of Aden and in the Hadhramaut after the conquest of Aden by the Bombay Presidency of British India in January 1839, and which continued until the 1960s. In 1940, it was divided for administrative purposes into the Western Protectorate and the Eastern Protectorate. The territory now forms part of the Republic of Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of Aden</span> British protectorate (1963–1967)

The State of Aden was a state constituted in Aden within the Federation of South Arabia. Following its establishment on 18 January 1963, Sir Charles Johnston stepped down as the last Governor of Aden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th/18th Royal Hussars</span> Military unit

The 13th/18th Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 13th Hussars and the 18th Royal Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars to form the Light Dragoons in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden Emergency</span> 1963–1967 South Yemeni insurgency against British rule

The Aden Emergency, also known as the 14 October Revolution or as the Radfan Uprising, was an armed rebellion by the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) against the Federation of South Arabia, a British Protectorate of the United Kingdom, which led to the proclamation of the People's Republic of South Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Mitchell</span> British Army officer and politician (1925–1996)

Colin Campbell Mitchell was a British Army soldier and politician. He became a public figure in 1967 as the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Forces under his command reoccupied the Crater district of Aden which had been taken over by local police mutineers in what became known as "the last battle of the British empire". The reoccupation and subsequent control of the Crater were controversial and Mitchell resigned his army commission in 1968. Subsequently, he became a Conservative Member of Parliament and served one term from 1970 to February 1974. After participation in a failed business venture he subsequently worked as a security and military consultant. In 1989 Mitchell took a leading role in the Halo Trust, a not-for-profit organisation undertaking mine clearance in former war zones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crater (Aden)</span> District in Aden Governorate, Yemen

Crater, also Kraytar, is a district of the Aden Governorate, Yemen. Its official name is Seera. It is situated in a crater of an ancient volcano which forms the Shamsan Mountains. In 1991, the population was 70,319. As of 2003, the district had a population of 76,723 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baloch Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army

The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to 27 battalions. The Baloch Regiment is descended from the infantry of the old British Indian Army and is named after Balochistan. Before 1991, it was called the Baluch Regiment but the spelling was changed to 'Baloch' to better reflect the correct pronunciation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Liberation Front (South Yemen)</span> 1963–1978 paramilitary and political party

The National Liberation Front was a Marxist–Leninist paramilitary organization and a political party operating in the Federation of South Arabia, during the Aden Emergency. During the North Yemen Civil War, fighting spilled over into South Yemen as the British attempted to establish an autonomous colony known as the Federation of South Arabia. Following the exit of the British armed forces, the NLF seized power from its rival, the Arab nationalist Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) (FLOSY). In the aftermath of the Emergency, the NLF renamed itself the National Front and eventually became the main force behind the creation of the Yemeni Socialist Party, which subsequently governed the country as a single-party Marxist–Leninist state.

The Radfan Campaign was a series of British military actions during the Aden Emergency in January–May 1964. It took place in the mountainous Radfan region near the border with the Yemen Arab Republic. Local tribesmen connected with the NLF began raiding the road connecting with Aden with the town of Dhala.

The Arab Police mutiny was an incident during the Aden Emergency where Arab soldiers and police mutinied against British troops. While the mutiny itself was localized and quickly suppressed, it undermined the South Arabian Federation which had been organized by Britain in 1959 as an intended successor to direct colonial rule.

The Aden Street riots took place in early 1967 during the Aden Emergency. On 19-20 January 1967 the NLF prompted street rioting in Aden. The Aden police lost control, so British High Commissioner Sir Richard Turnbull deployed British troops to crush the riots. This was followed by pro-FLOSY rioters taking to the streets which then led to conflict with British troops until February. The mood created by the riots helped lead to the Arab Police mutiny.

The Children's Party attack was an attack which took place during the Aden Emergency. Terrorists threw a grenade into a children's party being held at the RAF Khormaksar. One girl was killed and four children wounded.

References

  1. Wilson, Derek. "British troops grow bitter as anarchy spreads in Aden." Sunday Times [London, England] 2 July 1967: 6. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
  2. National Army Museum – Aden Exhibit Archived 2013-07-28 at the Wayback Machine accessed 3 November 2013
  3. Jim Keys, "Operation Stirling Castle", History Herald 21 November 2012 accessed 3 November 2013
  4. Humphry, Derek. "How Mitch's tactics fanned Aden row." Sunday Times [London] 21 July 1968: 3. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
  5. Having Been a Soldier by Lt. Col. Colin Mitchell, (Hamish Hamilton, 1969), Chapter 11, pp. 179, 183.