It was midafternoon, Oct. 3, 1993. The U.S. Rangers were assisting a commando squadron that was about to descend on a gathering of Habr Gidr clan leaders in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia. This ragtag clan, led by warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, had challenged the United States of America. Today's targets were two top Aidid lieutenants. Delta Force, the nation's elite commando unit, would storm the target house and capture them. Then four helicopter loads of Rangers, carrying chalks 1-4, would rope down to all four corners of the target block and form a perimeter. No one would be allowed in or out.
Waiting for the code word to launch, which today was "Irene,'' they were a formidable armada. The helicopter assault force included about 75 Rangers and 40 Commando troops in 17 helicopters. Idling at the airport was a convoy of 12 vehicles with soldiers who would ride three miles to the target building and escort the Somali prisoners and the assault team back to base.
2:49 PM Two principle targets, Habr Gidr clan leaders, spotted at a residence in central Mogadishu.
3:32 PM The force launches: nineteen aircraft, twelve vehicles and 160 men.
3:42 PM The Assault begins. the boys hit the target house and four Ranger chalks rope in -- one Ranger, Private Todd Blackburn, misses the rope and falls 70 ft. to the street.
3:47 PM Large crowds of Somalis converging on the target area.
3:58 PM One of the vehicles, a five-ton truck, is hit and disabled by a rocket propelled grenade, several men are wounded.
4:00 PM Forces of armed Somalis converging on the target area from all over Mogadishu.
4:02 PM Assault force reports both clan leaders and about 21 others in custody, as the force prepares to pull out, three vehicles are detached to rush the wounded Private Blackburn back to the base.
4:15 PM Fighting and confusion delays loading the prisoners and pulling out.
4:20 PM Black Hawk Super 61 is hit by a rocket propelled grenade and crashes five blocks northeast of the target.
4:22 PM Crowds of Somalis racing toward the crash site.
4:26 PM Prisoners loaded, the convoy and ground forces all begin moving toward the downed chopper. Black Hawk Super Six Four, piloted by Michael Durant, takes the downed chopper's place in orbit over the fight.
4:28 PM Search and rescue team ropes in to assist the downed crew. Both pilot and copilot are dead.
4:35 PM Convoy makes a wrong turn and begins wandering lost through city streets, sustaining heavy casualties.
4:40 PM Durant's Black Hawk, Super Six Four, is hit and crashes about a mile southwest of the target. Hostile crowds begin moving toward it.
4:42 PM Two snipers, Sergeants Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon, are inserted by helicopter to help protect the injured Durant and his crew.
4:54 PM The Lost Convoy, with more than half of its force wounded or dead, abandons its search for the first downed Black Hawk and begins fighting its way back to the base.
5:03 PM A smaller, emergency convoy is dispatched in an attempt to rescue the men stranded at Durant's crash site. It encounters immediate obstacles.
5:34 PM Both convoys, battered and bleeding, link up and abandon the effort to break through to Durant. The remainder of the ground force of Rangers and commandos are converging around the first crash site, sustaining many casualties. Ranger Corporal Jamie Smith is among those shot.
5:40 PM Somali crowds overrun Durant's crash site, killing Shughart, Gordon, and every member of the crew except Durant, who is carried off by militia through the city.
5:45 PM Both convoys return to the base. Ninety-nine men remain trapped and surrounded in the city around the first downed Black Hawk, fighting for their lives. Corporal Smith bleeding heavily, medic requests immediate evacuation.
7:08 PM Black Hawk Super Six makes a daring re-supply run, dropping water, ammo and medical supplies to the trapped force. It is badly damaged, cannot land to evacuate Corporal Smith, limps back to base.
8:27 PM Corporal Smith dies.
10:00 PM Giant convoy, two companies of 10th Mt. Division troops along with the remainder of Task Force Ranger, Pakistani tanks and Malaysian armored vehicles, forms at Mogadishu's New Port, and begins planning the rescue.
11:23 PM The giant rescue convoy moves out, blazing into the city.
1:55 AM Rescue convoy reaches the trapped Ranger force. A second half of the convoy reaches the site of Durant's downed Black Hawk. There is no trace of the crew.
3:00 AM Forces still struggling to remove the pinned body of Cliff Wolcott, pilot of Super Six One.
5:30 AM Wolcott's body is finally recovered. Vehicles roll out of the city. Ranger force is left to run out of the city through gunfire-"The Mogadishu Mile."
6:30 AM The force returns to the Pakistani Stadium. Eighteen dead, 73 injured.
Blackhawk down scenario.
US RANGER / DELTA: Desert cammo. Tri Colour/ multi cam /ACU/ British desert DPM.
SOMALI: Civilian dress or DPM/Woodland.
Mission start: 10:00hrs Saturday
Lunch :12:30hrs
Restart : 14:00hrs
Dinner : 18:00hrs
Restart : 19:30hrs
End Ex 00:00hrs
Restart Sunday 07:00hrs
End Ex: 11:00hrs Sunday
Price : £75 per person. with a £35 non-refundable deposit sent with your booking form( barracks beds can be booked for an extra £5 per person)
Stirling Style of Play
Stirling big games are some of the most intense experiences in airsofting, to achieve this we need people to play it in a certain way.
The games will start at 10am Saturday and run till 11am on Sunday witha 7hr stop from 12 midnight restart at 7am in the morning.
We will have a variety of vehicles on site.
The games work best if everyone gets into the spirit of it and stays fighting till the end on sunday.
Gaming location: Catterick Urban Ops
Booking form can be found here on this forum or on the website along with all other booking details.
www.stirlingairsoft.comPlease specify your unit you wish to play as only if you can dress appropriately as we do enforce a uniform rule .
Places are first come first served unfortunately.
Arrival is from Friday Evening, it is preffered that all players book in on Friday.
The directions to the gaming location are posted in this forum.
Catering will be on site, same as our Previous Catterick games.
AGE RESTRICTIONS
You must be over 18 to attend this event.
If you are aged 16 or 17 and would be accompanied by an adult (eg team member or parent 18+) then pm or email myself or Matt Belgrove and we will look individually at each case.
No one under 16 is permitted on this event unfortunately.
Accommodation
Camping will not be permitted, two area's will be designated as safe zones for sleeping and logistics etc. All other area's are in play.
Toilets are on site and in game playing area's.
Electric and Drinking water are available in the safe zone/admin area.
Items available on site
A fully trained medic team will be on site at all times.
Food will be available to buy all weekend, with a selection of hot and cold, food and drinks.
UK Tactical shop facilities will be available with items to buy including ammo, approved pyro and other equiptment. Payments can only be made in cash.
Pyro
Only official MK5 thunderflashes, 9mm blank firing grenades and standard smokes are permitted on this site.
Screening smoke can only be used in open areas, anyone found using them in buildings or placing them near an open door/window will be removed from the game.
Crow scarers, pea bombs and other unofficial pyro are not permitted.
FPS Limits Max
370 fps - AEGs
500 fps - Sniper rifles
450 fps - Fixed support weapons
Sniper rifles have a 25m minimum engagement distance.
Fixed support weapons have a 25m minimum engagement distance and will only be used by designated Stirling Airsoft staff.
All fps limits are the maximum and are set to ensure player safety.
We reserve the right to test any gun we believe to be exceeding the stated fps limits.
Any gun found to be over the fps limit will be removed from play.
Any player found or suspected to be engaging targets with a sniper rifle at a distance less than 25m will be removed from play.
FINISHING ON SUNDAY
Game play will finish at 11:00hrs.
