PPRuNe Forums - Basra Splat Maps

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Basra Splat Maps

There used to be the production of 'Spat maps' marking all the rocket impact points in Basra Airfield as 'souvenirs' as people left the base. Unfortunately during my time there (May - Nov 07) they were banned due to the very high number of rocket attacks during that period. I wondered if anyone had managed to get an 'unofficial' version out during that time that they wouldn't mind sharing?

Early mornings walking around looking at impact divers...sometimes with metal dog ends showing made for interesting commentary.

Standing in a way to look back over the remains to visualize where it might have come from also made for fun.

I was a day late leaving on a C-130 flight due to incoming rounds....which caused the aircraft to either divert or do an immediate turn around and depart.

I always wondered if was something I had said to cause such a reaction by the Little People who objected to my being in their neighborhood.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jumping_Jack (Post 10355012)

The splat maps were a typical military dark humour means of dealing with a pretty ****ty situation. I bet 50p on the square straddling my pod within Cambridge lines by Albert Hall. We were living in soft digs and camp cots. Despite concerns at the time, the perception of the time for those on the ground was very much that not enough was being done and that before long, as the frequency ramped up, people would be seriously hurt or killed. The ROE at the time I remember was rather limiting and I personally found to be a bit of a disgrace.

It took a few serious injuries and unfortunately mass casualty events before the pig pens were installed, finally offering limited protection.

If I ever met those responsible for the sleepless nights, and thirty+ lumps of supersonic explosive metal a week we endured for a time, I would have no holds barred about kerb stomping the bastards.

Was in Allenby Lines for almost all of those splats, the ones I missed at the airport were more than made up for when I was in Al Amaara, Talil and the Shat. Everything was fine until the weekend in Sept ‘05 that Clarkson (Jeremy) visited Iraq, was never the same after that and the IDF just kept growing. I banged out in late 2007 as there was no way I was going to sleep in the wonderful answer to it all ....The Concrete Coffins.

However I was impressed with the speed that the AS90s could return fire before the incoming impacted the base, assuming of course that the insurgents hadn’t launched from a school yard/hospital/mosque etc. The Goalkeeper was also extremely spectacular when engaging, although the effectiveness may have been questionable.

I believe the Splat Maps were discontinued after one found it’s way into the Telegraph, someone did have some Splat Embroidered Patches made up in various numerical denominations.

Ahh the concrete coffins......they were being introduced in the few weeks before my departure. I managed to delay building the one in my Corimec long enough for me never to have to sleep in one.......horrendous things.