Nicknamed the "Red Devil", members of the Royal Parachute Regiment have been known for their bravery and combat skill since their formation during World War II. "Their duty is in battle. They are proud of this honor and have never failed in any mission," wrote Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, who created the Parachute Regiment. "Whether it's combat skill or ingenuity in peacetime missions, they're being held to the highest standards. The tenacity and determination they show in defense is like the bravery in attack. ”
However, it was such a unit that the officers and men of its 2nd Battalion had been threatened with destruction in the jungles of Borneo, Indonesia in 1965.
In response, Company Sergeant Major John Williams later recalled in his book The Man in the Red Beret: "From a military point of view, from the beginning of the battle, the terrain was not good for us. For example, we are only a thousand yards from the border, so our efforts to request support have not been answered for a long time. At the same time, it is full of rats and overgrown with weeds. ”
Paratroopers were deployed to Borneo on 12 March 1965 to deal with the imminent threat of Indonesia's invasion of the Federation of Malaysia. On 12 March 1965, after completing bush warfare training in Singapore, the 2nd Battalion was split into two parts, with Company C going to the jungle area to assist the Royal Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), while the rest of the troops were stationed in the border area.
"During that time, Indonesian President Soekarno was feeling that he was going to make a big and amazing move, and if this operation was successful, the emerging Malaysia might be on his side." Williams recalled. And the deployment to Borneo is to prevent such a thing from happening. The team first set up a base and then conducted frequent patrols to thwart indonesian military infiltration attempts.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > preparations for the Great War</h1>
"Our mode of operation is to patrol for 10 days in a row and then wait in the base for 36 hours. During these 36 hours, we had to defend the base. Williams added. The stress of those days was so great that it was almost a breakdown. He continued, "Our goal is to get the players to the best physical condition and then hold on. For the next 10 days, they will not be able to eat cooked things, drink tea (British custom), smoke cigarettes, and talk to each other. ”
Because of its great reputation, the Parachute Regiment became an extremely attractive target for the Sukarno army, as victory brought it higher approval ratings and prestige among countries around the world.
This was followed by a tense waiting period. Before the storm finally broke out on 27 April, British patrols realized that enemy activity had increased.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > finally arrived like a storm</h1>
During the 36-hour patrol-guard transition period, the Indonesians took advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on the B Company garrison of Plaman Mapu. At this time, the base had only a group of recruits, and their platoon commanders and non-commissioned officers were absent. These 36 people were about to suffer a massacre.
As the enemy attacked with mortars, machine guns, and rockets, Williams was getting ready for sleep, and he had taken off his shirt. "I jumped out of bed. It was pitch black and it was raining heavily, and the rain made it almost impossible to open your eyes. It's the monsoon season, the sky is like a leak, and the rain is falling non-stop."
Previously, the British fortifications had been deployed in a "Y" shape, with a GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) on the open side. The enemy first picks a seemingly easy position to attack, in an attempt to make a breakthrough there with a sustained onslaught.
Soon, the British machine gunner in that position was hit in the head by three bullets. He was still alive but "completely insane" as he raised a rifle and aimed it at Williams, who was beside him. The latter reacted immediately, grabbed his rifle, and lured the wounded soldier into the headquarters to avoid being shot by his irrational comrades.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > sergeant major with a raging wave of power</h1>
Sensing that they were about to be overwhelmed by a tidal wave of enemies, Williams tried to organize everyone. They had a mortar group, two mortars, and some flare guns, a medic, and an artillery front-line observer.
However, under the massive charge of the enemy, this cohesive resistance soon showed signs of collapse. A counterattacking group and a corporal chef firing flares were knocked to the ground by enemy mortar shells. "Except for another machine gunner who was still holding on to the area he was responsible for, everyone else was almost overwhelmed. So I think there's only one thing that keeps them alive, and that's the universal machine gun. Williams recalled. I ran over, grabbed the machine gun, and hung up six chains. ”
While Williams' machine-gun bullets knocked down a large number of enemies and kept them stalled, the rest of the position was organized again. Together, they counterattacked and suppressed the attacking enemy in the trench. Of course, Williams also became a thorn in the enemy's side. The Indonesian soldiers continued to charge, firing continuously with the AK-47 in their hands as they ran. Williams calmly responded, adjusting the muzzle of his gun to knock down an enemy approaching him with an RPG.
An Indonesian paratrooper unit in 1962 shows the AK rifle they are carrying
Now the enemy is really annoyed. Realizing where the firepower that had disrupted the rhythm of the attack was coming from, they launched a platoon attack in the direction of Williams' machine gun nest. Williams clutched his machine gun and kept firing, but the enemy remained unrecumbered. One of the enemies was only two yards away when it was nearest. When the enemy launched the first attack, Williams was shot twice in the leg. He fastened a tourniquet and continued to fight. When another member of the team took his gun, Williams went to rescue the wounded. After the wounded were transferred to a relatively safe command, Williams helped distribute ammunition.
At this point, there were about 15 Red Devil members who could stand and fight. This small group struggled to repel another Indonesian charge and drove the remaining enemies out of the defensive circle before reinforcements arrived. When the helicopter arrived with reinforcements and doctors, they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Nothing seems like it's true. Williams said, "The lads were standing, wounded everywhere, bare-chested, wearing only pants and boots, and mud everywhere. ”
The fight lasted two hours, and the Red Devil fought desperately to win the battle. "The enemy thought it was an easy massacre," Williams said. "They really thought they could win with firepower and numbers alone."
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > one-eyed hero</h1>
Williams himself had been so desperate to protect his comrades that he had no time to take care of himself. When the medical staff stopped him to bandage him, he was covered in blood. After the war, he was awarded the Order of Outstanding Conduct, but his heroism also paid the price. A mortar shell exploded beside him, and shrapnel was inserted into the left side of his head. When the doctor finally completed the operation, he was deaf in his left ear, blind in his left eye, and left a lifelong mark on his face.
Still, Williams continued to serve with his teammates in the airborne unit. Since he wore an eye patch on his left eye, he was called a "patch". He was deployed to other parts of the world along with the 2nd and 10th Battalions of the Parachute Regiment.
Williams was eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel. Prior to his retirement in October 1989, he served as a quartermaster general at the Army Staff College at Camberley. In total, he served in the Royal Parachute Corps for 40 years.
The remnants of Indonesian forces that attacked the Plaman Mapu outpost withdrew to the other side of the border, leaving behind a large amount of equipment. After Britain's victory, the Indonesian military never dared to launch a large-scale cross-border attack.