Operation Telic order of battle

This is the Operation Telic order of battle, which lists the British forces that took part in Operation Telic, including

  • the 2003 Invasion of Iraq,
  • subsequent operations during the occupation and military government of the country, and
  • stabilisation operations under the Iraqi Interim Government and the Iraqi Transitional Government.

The invasion (Operation TELIC I)

From January 2003 to 11 July 2003:[1]

  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Major-General Freddie Viggers (May 2003 to July 2003)[2]

Maritime forces

Support vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Air forces

27 helicopters were also sent to the area, a mixture of Pumas, Chinooks and Merlins, although the breakdown of types within that number is yet to be determined. Beyond the Hercules aircraft that were based in theatre, virtually the whole of the rest of the Hercules fleet, the C-17 fleet, and those Tristars and VC10s that had remained based in the UK were involved in transport operations to and from the Persian Gulf.

Ground forces

Joint assets

  • National Support Element
    • 102 Logistic Brigade - Brigadier Shaun Cowlam
      • Headquarters 102 Logistic Brigade
      • 2 Signal Regiment
      • 39 Engineer Regiment
      • 33 Field Hospital
      • 34 Field Hospital
      • 202 Field Hospital (Volunteer)
      • 4 General Support Medical Regiment
      • 3 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
      • 6 Supply Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
      • 7 Transport Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
      • 10 Transport Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (attached from 101 Logistic Brigade)
      • 17 Port and Maritime Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
      • 23 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
      • 168 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistics Corps (101 Squadron)
      • 24 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
      • 5 Regiment Royal Military Police
      • Elements of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment
  • Joint Helicopter Force Headquarters

Notes

When a battalion is referred to as a battlegroup, it is not purely made up of units from the parent unit, but is an integrated team, combining armoured units with tanks, and mechanised infantry with infantry fighting vehicles.

Also, whilst 16 Air Assault Brigade is apparently the only fighting brigade listed with its own organic helicopter support in this order of battle, 3 Commando Brigade had the helicopters on board Ocean and Ark Royal to call upon, and 7 Armoured Brigade wasn't really air mobile as a formation. There were also the RAF Pumas and Chinooks mentioned above for transport purposes.

Special Forces elements of the British Army (Special Air Service) and Royal Marines (Special Boat Service) were also deployed but as the British government policy is not to comment on special forces activity, the exact details or elements deployed are officially unconfirmed.

The contribution of reservists to the deployment (some 9,500 of the 46,000 personnel involved in the warfighting phase and its immediate aftermath, the vast majority from the Territorial Army, and in significant number in the subsequent roulements) is understated by the order of battle, as the only units to deploy in their entirety were 202 Field Hospital (with augmentees from the other TA Field Hospitals), 131 Independent Commando Squadron of the Royal Engineers as well as A (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Squadron, W (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry and two platoons from 710 (Bath and Laundry) Squadron of 166 Supply Regiment RLC(v). The remainder were augmentees, called up individually from their units (which therefore do not feature in the order of battle) and employed to bring many of the units listed above up to their war-fighting strength.

Finally, 3 Commando Brigade had a United States Marine Corps unit, 15th MEU under its command in the initial stages of the war. This went back to American command around 25 March.

Roulements

1st Armoured Division remained in theatre, controlling UK ground forces until June 2003, when 3rd Mechanised Division's HQ arrived in theatre to take command of British forces. From December 2003 a series of composite HQs were established.

1st Roulement (Operation TELIC II)

From 11 July 2003 to 4 November 2003:[1]

  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Major-General Freddie Viggers (July 2003 to September 2003)[2]
  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Major-General Andrew Figgures (September 2003 to November 2003)[2]
  • GOC 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division: Major General Graeme Lamb (July 2003 to November 2003)[1]
  • National Support Element
    • 101 Logistic Brigade
      • 101 Logistics Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron
      • 27 Transport Regiment,(attached 236 Squadron RLC(V)Royal Logistic Corps
      • 9 Supply Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
      • 168 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
      • 4 Regiment, Royal Military Police
      • 33 Field Hospital
      • Elements from 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps
      • Elements from 29 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
      • Elements from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
      • Elements from 1 Postal & Courier Service Group
      • 15 Field Support Squadron Royal Engineers Op Telic 2 & 3
  • Maritime contribution
    • HMS Cardiff (handed over to HMS Richmond)
    • HMS Richmond (to July 2003)
    • HMS Sutherland (July 2003 – October 2003)
    • HMS Norfolk (October 2003 – March 2004)
    • HMS Kent
    • RFA Diligence
    • RFA Brambleleaf

2nd Roulement (Operation TELIC III)

From: 4 November 2003 to 25 April 2004:[1]

  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Major-General Andrew Figgures (November 2003 to March 2004)[2]
  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Lieutenant-General John McColl (March 2004 to April 2004)[2]
  • GOC 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division: Major General Graeme Lamb (November 2003 to December 2003)[1]
  • GOC Multi-National Division (South-East): Major General Andrew Stewart (December 2003 to April 2004)[1]
  • National Support Element
    • 4 General Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • 22 Field Hospital
    • Elements of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)
    • Elements of 1 Regiment, Royal Military Police
    • Elements of 10 Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 17 Port & Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 23 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 24 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 5 General Support Medical Regiment, Royal Army Medical Corps
    • 15 Field Support Squadron Royal Engineers Roulemented by 45 Field Support Squadron January 2004
  • Maritime contribution
    • HMS Kent
    • HMS Norfolk (October 2003 – March 2004)
    • HMS Grafton (March 2004 – July 2004)
    • RFA Bayleaf

3rd Roulement (Operation TELIC IV)

From 25 April 2004 to 1 November 2004:[1]

  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Lieutenant-General John McColl (April 2004 to October 2004)[2]
  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Lieutenant-General John Kiszely (October 2004 to November 2004)[2]
  • GOC Multi-National Division (South-East): Major General Andrew Stewart (April 2004 to July 2004)[1]
  • GOC Multi-National Division (South-East): Major General Bill Rollo (July 2004 to November 2004)[1]
  • National Support Element
    • 8 Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • 207 (V) Field Hospital relieved in 2004
    • UK Medical Group
      • 256 (City of London) Field Hospital (V)
      • Close Support Squadron, Royal Army Medical
    • Phoenix Battery, 32 Regiment, Royal Artillery Corps
    • Elements of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)
    • Elements of 1 Regiment, Military Police
    • Elements of 6 Supply Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 24 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of 29 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
    • Elements of Scottish Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers)
    • Elements of 1 General Support Medical Regiment, Royal Army Medical Corps
    • Elements of 104 (V) Regiment, Royal Artillery
    • Elements of 6 Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • Maritime contribution
    • HMS Grafton (March 2004 – July 2004)
    • HMS Somerset (July 2004 – November 2004)
    • HMS Echo
    • RFA Bayleaf

4th Roulement (Operation TELIC V)

From 1 November 2004 to 30 April 2005:[1]

5th Roulement (Operation TELIC VI)

From 30 April 2005 to 31 October 2005:[4]

6th Roulement (Operation TELIC VII)

From 1 November 2005 to 9 May 2006:[4]

7th Roulement (Operation TELIC VIII)

From 10 May 2006 to 14 November 2006:[4]

8th Roulement (Operation TELIC IX)

From 14 November 2006[4] to June 2007:[7]

9th Roulement (Operation TELIC X)

From June 2007[7] to December 2007:[8]

  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Lieutenant-General Graeme Lamb (June 2007 to July 2007)[2]
  • Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq: Lieutenant-General Bill Rollo (July 2007 to December 2007)[2]
  • GOC Multi-National Division (South-East): Major General Jonathan Shaw (June 2007 to August 2007)[2]
  • GOC Multi-National Division (South-East): Major General Graham Binns (August 2007 to December 2007)[2]

Land component

Sea component

  • HMS Cornwall
  • HMS Enterprise
  • RFA Bayleaf
  • Two Mine Countermeasures vessels
  • Contribution to the 60-man joint US-UK 'Naval Transition Team'

Air component

10th Roulement (Operation TELIC XI)

From December 2007[8] to June 2008:[10][11]

2nd Battalion Royal Welsh I

11th Roulement (Operation TELIC XII)

From June 2008[10] to December 2008:[12]

12th Roulement (Operation TELIC XIII)

From December 2008[12] to 30 April 2009:[13][14]

Aerial assets

  • 847 Naval Air Squadron between October 2007 and February 2008 with the Lynx AH.9
  • No. 651 Squadron, Army Air Corps between October 2004 and April 2009 with the Defender

See also

  • flagIraq portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n UK Stability Operations in Iraq Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Canberra PR.9 by Brett Green (Xtrakit 1/72)
  4. ^ a b c d "The Operational Emergency Department Attendance Register (Opedar): A New Epidemiological Tool" (PDF). Royal Army Medical Corps RAMC Journal. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ a b "Tours of Duty". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 18 April 2006. col. 12–13.
  6. ^ a b Lieutenant General Sir Richard Shirreff to become Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR)
  7. ^ a b c Op Telic 10 - 1 Mechanised Brigade Defence Viewpoints
  8. ^ a b c Op Telic 11 - 4 Mechanised Brigade Defence Viewpoints
  9. ^ "Tour of duty - the troops return". The Daily Telegraph. 26 September 2007.
  10. ^ a b c Op Telic 12 - 7 Armoured Brigade Defence Viewpoints
  11. ^ "4 Mechanised Brigade to take over as the lead formation in southern Iraq". Ministry of Defence. 19 July 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007.
  12. ^ a b c Back to Iraq - Op Telic 13 - 20 Armoured Brigade Defence Viewpoints
  13. ^ "UK combat operations end in Iraq". Retrieved 25 March 2011 "BBC"
  14. ^ "British campaign in Iraq comes to official end". The Daily Telegraph. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2011.

External links

  • "Operations in Iraq". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 4 February 2006.
  • "Operation Telic - Archived Pages". Archived from the original on 9 December 2006.
  • Official Chronology on the National Archives