Battle of Crater (Aden)

The Battle of Crater or Operation Stirling Castle was an encounter during the Aden Emergency. Following the ambush of British troops by the Arab Armed Police the Crater district in Aden was abandoned by British troops. The British decided to enter Crater and retrieve the bodies of British soldiers.[1]

For the 1864 Civil War battle during the Siege of Petersburg, see Battle of the Crater.

Battle of the Crater
Part of Aden Emergency
DateJuly 1967
Location
Aden, Aden Protectorate
Result British victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom NLF
FLOSY
Commanders and leaders
Lt. Col. Colin Mitchell
Maj. Ian Mackay
Maj. Tony Shewan		 Unknown
Units involved
45 Commando
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Queen's Dragoon Guards
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
60th Squadron, Royal Engineers
47th Light Artillery Regiment
15th Signal Regiment
60th Transport Squadron		 unknown
Strength
unknown
1 helicopter		 400
Casualties and losses
none 11 killed

The battle

The operation began on 3 July 1967 with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders under Lt-Col Colin Mitchell ("Mad Mitch") conducting a night invasion of Crater, which he called Operation Stirling Castle, after the Argylls’ regimental headquarters. The enemy was taken totally by surprise, and effective resistance ceased.[2][3][4] A particular sign of Mitchell’s confidence was his decision to order the pipe band to march down the main street of Crater, playing regimental tunes, for which the Pipe major was mentioned in despatches.[5] British troops remained in Crater until the end of the Emergency.

References
  1. Wilson, Derek. "British troops grow bitter as anarchy spreads in Aden." Sunday Times [London, England] 2 July 1967: 6. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
  2. National Army Museum – Aden Exhibit Archived 2013-07-28 at the Wayback Machine accessed 3 November 2013
  3. Jim Keys, "Operation Stirling Castle", History Herald 21 November 2012 accessed 3 November 2013
  4. Humphry, Derek. "How Mitch's tactics fanned Aden row." Sunday Times [London] 21 July 1968: 3. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
  5. Having Been a Soldier by Lt. Col. Colin Mitchell, (Hamish Hamilton, 1969), Chapter 11, pp. 179, 183.
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