1 R ANGLIAN are exercising their Freedoms of Norwich on 22 November (1400-1515 hrs) and Bury St Edmunds on 23 November (1130 - 1245 hrs).Daily Telegraph; By Thomas Harding in Helmand province

British troops in Afghanistan have fired almost as many rounds in the past two months as the Parachute Regiment shot last year, military sources revealed yesterday. The 1st Battalion Royal Anglians battlegroup has fired almost 400,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and that is very soon expected to exceed the 450,000 bullets that the Paras fired over six months of intense fighting last year. In what many officers regard as all-out war, the Anglians have accounted for 600 Taliban dead since April as they attempt to push the insurgents away from populated areas of Helmand province in the south of the country. During Operation Lashtay Kulang, in the last week, more than 40 terrorists were killed. Fighting has now petered out with the Taliban withdrawing from overwhelming British and American firepower. Soldiers fighting on the front line are mostly teenagers experiencing combat for the first time. While many admitted they were initially afraid, all are now combat veterans whose morale remains high. Pte Aden Brown, 19, told The Daily Telegraph that he was "quite petrified" before coming out to Afghanistan. He said: "I didn't think I would make it this far.'' Recalling his first major firefight, Pte Brown, from Norfolk, said: "As the heavy machine guns, mortars and RPGs were going off around me I couldn't believe it. I had to take a second and look at my mates just to confirm we were under fire. "Then it just kicked off and I opened up with my machine gun and let them have it. Although it was a bit hairy I quite enjoyed it. It was exciting." Pte Scott Bramman, also 19, told of a battle last week when rocket-propelled grenades were bursting a few feet above his head and mortars landing 10 yards away. He said: ''It was an intense fight as we were getting pinned down. "At one stage, I thought ‘shit what's going on’ because an air burst RPG exploded over our heads and I thought that was it. It was quite a head rush with all the emotions mixed into one. "One part is excitement, one part is fear." Pte Bramman, from Lincolnshire, added: ''It has definitely been a life-changing experience. I think this is one of the hardest operations the British Army has undertaken." Pte Matt Slater, 19, from London, admitted being scared in his first battle, as for half an hour he was pinned down behind a wall which began to crumble as the enemy rounds chipped away at it. He said: "Mortars gave us covering fire and we legged it down a hill. "The blokes could see rounds pinging around our feet. ''It's changed my outlook on life. It makes you appreciate things much more, like family and how lucky we are to be alive when rounds are flying past you." The battalion has suffered 24 casualties and three deaths.

1/ 4/07 ROYAL ANGLIAN NEWS May 07 It is with deep regret that we record the death of Private Christopher Gray, 1st Battalion, who was killed during a ferocious engagement with heavily armed Taliban fighters on 13 April 2007. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family. Injured in the same incident were Corporal Moore and Private Fisher both of whom are now back in the UK. BATTALION ACTIVITIES 1st Battalion. The Viking Battle Group, numbering just over 1000 troops took over responsibility as Battle Group (North) from 42 Commando as part of 12 (Mech) Brigade’s deployment on 8 April 2007. The Battle Group is based in Camp Bastion – the main forward operating base for Helmand Province, south west of Kandahar and home to approx 3000 troops. A(Norfolk) Company have taken over control of the District Centre in the town of Nowzad in order to deny the Taliban influence in the area. C(Essex) Company are currently securing the strategically important dam at Kajaki keeping enemy forces well away in order to allow essential maintenance on the hydroelectric facility. B(Suffolk) Company have been in Forward Operating Base (FOB) Robinson since deployment, which is South of the town of Sangin. They have been in a supporting role as part of ongoing reassurance operations in the area. The Estonian Armoured Infantry Company and the Danish Formation Recce Squadron have joined the Battle Group. Both of these companies are based in Camp Bastion and can operate as Manoeuvre Groups. It is with deep regret that the Battle Group has sustained its first fatality. Pte Chris Gray, A(Norfolk) Company was killed by small arms fire on 13 April during a significant engagement that left at least 22 Taliban dead. Our thoughts are with Chris? family and friends. A(Norfolk) Company At the time of writing the main body of A(Fighting Ninth) Company Group has been in Nowzad for a fortnight. The Company took over from L Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines on 1 April. Over the course of the first week the Company conducted patrols to get the men tactically orientated and situational aware. The initial focus was to build the teams confidence – getting people familiar with the environment – whilst keeping the risks to a minimum. Moving forward, we have now begun to project forces at greater ranges and in greater numbers than the Royal Marines were able to, helped by the fact that we have more men on the ground. The Taliban have enjoyed freedom of movement around the majority of Nowzad for too long. Our job is to disrupt their operations and establish a more secure environment. It is not an easy task but we have started well and intend to continue keeping them under the pressure. Most people at home will have heard about the tragic death of Private Chris Gray on Friday 13 April. The initial news reports lacked detail and didn’t really put what happened into context. The entire Company Group was on the ground and had cleared over 2.3 km2 of ground that the Taliban had previously dominated when the contact started. The Company was well prepared – moving into ambush positions as the fire started. Private Gray was the point man in his Platoon (3 (Corunna) Platoon) as they moved to help their comrades in 1 Platoon who were pinned down by enemy fire. Private Gray saw a Taliban team to his front at a range of 15m and opened up on them immediately – killing 2. His section was then involved in a fierce firefight in which a further 3 Taliban were killed. During the contact A Company Group killed 22 Taliban; 11 as they tried (but failed) to out-flank the Company. Life in the Combat Out Post is simple and basic but the soldiers have shown a great deal of initiative in improvising creature comforts to make the camp more comfortable; shelves have been made from old ration boxes and the accommodation (which is not powered with electricity) is lit by candlelight and head torches during the dark hours, to allow the soldiers to write home and read. A gym has been improvised from scaffolding to make a chin up and dips bar; a bench press has been made using car batteries as weights. There is also a rowing machine, although care must be taken when using this as it is underneath one of the sentry positions and has been mistaken (by Pte Cowley!) as an early morning Taliban chain saw attack! The Company marked Easter Sunday with a Service lead by stand-in padre Cpl Bonner; the dulcet tones of the soldiers and officers present could be heard far and wide. In summary, the Company Group has settled in to what we all knew was going to be a challenging operational environment. There is no doubt that we are ready for the tasks ahead and relishing the opportunity to step-up to the plate and make a difference to the security situation in this war-torn province; enabling Helmand to be secured and developed. B(Suffolk) Company Op HERRICK 6 began for the B Company Vikings on the morning of 28 March 2007 when an 18-man advanced party departed from Brize Norton for Kandahar, Afghanistan. After the eventful flight consisting of airbrake changes, delays and a stop off in Cairo, Egypt we landed in Kandahar. It was then a short flight by CH47 to Camp Bastion. The advance party, lead by Major Mick Aston then prepared for the arrival of the main body with weapons training, briefs and of course physical exercise (PT). The main body arrived safely, in good spirits and got stuck into the introductory package. It began with a morning of briefs. Presentations from 0730 through to 1300 hours straight through - Death by Power-point! After a quick lunch we moved to the ranges to conduct some zeroing. Concurrently, the men of B Company got to grips with a new weapon system, the AT4. It is a fire and forget shoulder launch rocket that increases the platoon?s fighting potential – it is an awesome piece of kit and bound to have a great impact on the Taliban. The first day of the Helmand Taskforce Package (HTP) began the following day. Its aim was to aid the soldier to make a transition to war fighting. The benefits taken from the day?s activities are invaluable. Judgemental shoots practised the soldier?s reactions and accuracy when breaking into a room, whilst the compound clearance drills provided a good opportunity for the company to unleash some aggression. The Royal Engineers reminded and revised us in the methods of explosive entry into a compound and their other capabilities in this operational theatre. This was all in preparation for a live fire compound attack the following day. The second day of the HTP saw the platoons rotate through the compound attack range. Each platoon received orders and advanced to the compound with the mission to clear through the position. The range saw the platoons implementing explosive entry drills to make an entrance. Then it was a simple case of clearing through the compound. B Company then flew to FOB Robinson to takeover the security of the camp. Despite the Taliban?s best efforts to disrupt us with indirect fire the handover with 42 Commandos went well and we were in position to provide protection for the guns and personnel situated here. We also took over the task of blocking the area south of Sangin in support of the Brigade Operation SILVER, achieving the effect of fixing the Taliban in that location. After a period of settlement we were given the task of disrupting the area to our south, specifically to find and deny the enemy firing point and influence the local population. We used Viking armoured fighting vehicles to complete this task and had some good success, gaining good intelligence on Taliban movements and destroying possible firing points. Since that we have not taken any indirect fire. During our task we helped an American convoy that had been hit by Rocket Propelled Guns and Small Arms Fire after one of their vehicles had broken down. They sustained some casualties and we were in a position to extract them. Just goes to prove that its one team one fights in Helmand Province. In conclusion it has been a good start for B Company but I’m sure this is just a taste of what is to come. C (Essex) Company C Company began the move to the town of Kajaki on March 18 when Sergeant Wallis and a small advance party of the Intelligence Cell and supply chain representatives arrived. The aim is to protect the redevelopment of a Dam, which provides power to most of the Province. Within 24 hours, Sergeant Wallis was rudely awoken by loud bangs. He jumped out of bed, donned his body armour and helmet, only to be told coolly by the Royal Marine he was sharing the room with: „don’t worry, that is outgoing; its ours!? as the 42 Commando Mortar Detachment fired on the enemy. After a short training period of ground familiarisation and mouse hole inoculation, 11 Platoon and an element of Fire Support Group (FSG) C are currently manning Observation Posts (OPs) that overlook the camp and the surrounding area. 9 and 10 platoons with the remainder of the FSG conduct local patrols to push the Taliban elements away from the Dam. In the OPs, the troops are performing a vital function. Not only do the OPs provide observation across the entire surrounding area, they are also crucial in providing fire support to the patrols on the ground, if and when they meet Taliban elements. Conditions in the OPs are what can at best be described as a little „spartan?, but the troops seem to be enjoying themselves and have now settled down into a routine. In Kajaki main camp, the Mortar Platoon and Headquarters element are competing for the title of „Best Chefs assistants? while Captain Hicks and Lance Corporal Kerin are having a Bake-Off to see who can produce the best bread from the ingredients available to them from the 10-man ration packs which one has to say are not typical bread-making ingredients - results of both competitions at the end of the month… The patrols in the local area go largely unnoticed, as the civilian population have moved away from the area, driven out by the intense fighting last summer. Despite this, the enemy is still nearby and are quick to react to the Company’s presence. We have engaged the enemy on several occasions with 1 Section of the Mortar Platoon and the Fire Support Team to support the platoons, and everybody is working hard all the time. Despite the relatively high tempo, there have been a number of occasions where the troops have been able to let off steam. On the evening of 12 April, 9 Platoon deployed to the local Afghan National Police station to conduct a reassurance patrol. This coincided with their night off and they welcomed the relief from their stag routine. In between shifts in the sangars Private Dunster and Private Howard managed to fit in a dance-off to some local music with representatives nominated by the Police chief, over some „chai? (tea) and bread. Finally, the Company’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) detachment from the Royal Artillery flew in on 12 April. The detachment provides real time imagery and intelligence