World War III?

[Perknose]

I'd sure like to know the entire story here:

Singer James Blunt has told the BBC how he refused an order to attack Russian troops when he was a British soldier in Kosovo. Blunt said he was willing to risk a court martial by rejecting the order from a US General.
But he was backed by British General Sir Mike Jackson, who told him "I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War 3".

Blunt was ordered to seize an airfield - but the Russians had got there first.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5Live, to be broadcast later on Sunday, he said: "I was given the direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there.

"I was the lead officer with my troop of men behind us ... The soldiers directly behind me were from the Parachute Regiment, so they're obviously game for the fight.

"The direct command [that] came in from General Wesley Clark was to overpower them. Various words were used that seemed unusual to us. Words such as 'destroy' came down the radio."

The confusion surrounding the taking of Pristina airfield in 1999 has been written about in political memoirs, and was widely reported at the time.

But this is the first time Blunt has given an account of his role in the incident.

Blunt, who was at the head of a column of 30,000 NATO troops with his unit, told Pienaar's Politics it was a "mad situation".

He said he had been "party to the conversation" between senior officers in which Gen Clark had ordered the attack.

"We had two hundred Russians lined up pointing their weapons at us aggressively, which was... and you know we'd been told to reach the airfield and take a hold of it.

"And if we had a foothold there then it would make life much easier for the NATO forces in Pristina. So there was a political reason to take hold of this.

"And the practical consequences of that political reason would be then aggression against the Russians."

Asked if following the order would have risked starting World War 3, Blunt, who was a 25-year-old cavalry officer at the time, replied: "Absolutely. And that's why we were querying our instruction from an American general".

"Fortunately, up on the radio came General Mike Jackson, whose exact words at the time were, 'I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War 3', and told us why don't we sugar off down the road, you know, encircle the airfield instead.

"And after a couple of days the Russians there said 'hang on we have no food and no water. Can we share the airfield with you?'."

If Gen Jackson had not blocked the order from Gen Clark, who as NATO Supreme Commander Europe was his superior officer, Blunt said he would still have declined to follow it, even at the risk of a court martial.

He said: "There are things that you do along the way that you know are right, and those that you absolutely feel are wrong, that I think it's morally important to stand up against, and that sense of moral judgment is drilled into us as soldiers in the British army."

Blunt left the army in 2002 to pursue a career in music, later scoring a worldwide hit with You're Beautiful

If true as told, I say good on the lad. :thumbsup:

 

[GoPackGo]

You realize that if there were real truth to that he would probably not be alive right now.

 

[CanOWorms]

Seems like routine British military narcissism.

 

[drebo]

So Blunt didn't refuse the order...his superior officer did. And he's saying, after the fact, that he would have refused the order anyway. Who's to say he's not just making this up to try and get publicity to restart his failed celebrity?

Mediocre music and mediocre lyrics only get you so far, I guess.

 

[Lemon law]

Seems like routine British military narcissism.

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I will take British Narcissism over WW3 any day of the week.

 

[CanOWorms]

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I will take British Narcissism over WW3 any day of the week.

The British narcissism leads to the claim of WW3.

 

[alphatarget1]

I'm glad Gen. Wesley Clark isn't/wasn't our President.

 

[Zebo]

Beware of little men with power. They take bullies to a whole new level trying to prove something. All goes back to childhood.

 

[UberNeuman]

Beware of little men with power. They take bullies to a whole new level trying to prove something. All goes back to childhood.

Games without frontiers, war without tears....

 

[dennilfloss]

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses

:\

 

[ahenkel]

World War III would probably have prevented the world from being tortured with his "music".

 

[Zebo]

It's probably just a matter of time. With more proliferation, and so many close calls I've read about, let alone if some nut like Stalin or Hilter arises in some country. Meh - I'll be dead so no real reason to sweat it. I tend to worry about stuff going on while living more.

 

[erikistired]

nobody believes this actually happened right?

 

[Brovane]

I doubt that WW3 would have started over this even if there was fighting. The Russians didn't have enough troops in the local area to really push the issue. I am sure that if a firefight would have resulted there would have been apologizes etc. This would been a localized event that wouldn't have gone outside the local area. The Russians are not going to sit back and start launching nukes over a firefight in Kosovo.

 

[piasabird]

I definitely remember the Russians getting involved and taking ground after the battle was almost over. They were not man enough to actually do any fighting in the beginning of the conflict for some reason. Maybe russians are cowards. They do real well when their only foes are local tribes or innocent villagers or a small town or two.

 

[Zebo]

Didnt 20 some million Russian die in WWII and they kept coming towards the Hun? My ancestors killed like 1 million in winter war before they finally gave up.

 

[MacFatty]

James Blunt publicity stunt.
Aweful attempt, just like his "music".

 

[kage69]

Russians would not have started launching missiles over 200 soldiers, even if they had been wiped out with extreme prejudice. The Brits can and should have questioned orders that would have resulted in the deaths of kinda-allies, but to insinuate that we could have gone to the brink of nuclear Armageddon over this is rather silly.

 

[zinfamous]

James Blunt publicity stunt.
Aweful attempt, just like his "music".

were "aweful" a word, I believe it would mean "full of awe."

 

[PingSpike]

Russians would not have started launching missiles over 200 soldiers, even if they had been wiped out with extreme prejudice. The Brits can and should have questioned orders that would have resulted in the deaths of kinda-allies, but to insinuate that we could have gone to the brink of nuclear Armageddon over this is rather silly.

Nonsense. We all know the Russian military policy against lives lost.

"Sir, some of our soldiers may have been killed by the Americans! We don't know if it was friendly fire or what happened yet"
"LAUNCH ALL NUKES IMMEDIATELY AND DESTROY THE WHOLE EARTH!"

 

[Fern]

I have some trouble believing such an order came from General Wesley Clark. If Gen. Patton where there, maybe. Wesley Clark? No. It strikes me as very 'out-of-character'. (Edit: Well, it looks he did do this.)

When different countries' military are operating in the same area I'm not persuaded such tense encounters are all that unusual.

I also have a problem believing an isolated encounter with a couple hundred soldiers would lead to WWIII. If the situation was such that the various countries were already intensely embroiled in disputes and merely needed an excuse to start WWIII, OK. But that's not/wasn't the situation.

In general I have a problem seeing any 'traditional WWIII' happening (like WWII, or WWI). Economic conquest is less costly and far more profitable, and I think easier for those so inclined.

Fern

 

[maddogchen]

this came up a lot in his presidential bid, i remember reading about it here in this forum back then

Pristina International Airport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Clark

 

[MacFatty]

were "aweful" a word, I believe it would mean "full of awe."

I forget to proofread once...

 

[ebaycj]

Beware of little men with power. They take bullies to a whole new level trying to prove something. All goes back to childhood.

Yep, SMS (small man syndrome) can be very dangerous.

 

[Mardeth]

nobody believes this actually happened right?

One of Clark's most debated decisions during his SACEUR command was his attempted operation to attack Russian troops at Pristina International Airport immediately after the end of the Kosovo War. Russian forces had arrived in Kosovo and were heading for the airport on June 12, 1999, two days after the bombing campaign ended, expecting to help police that section of Kosovo. Clark, on the other hand, had planned for the Kosovo Force to police the area. Clark called then-Secretary General of NATO Javier Solana, and was told "of course you have to get to the airport" and "you have transfer of authority" in the area. General Clark then issued an order for the NATO troops to attack and "overpower" the armed Russian troops - who were aggressively pointing their weapons at the incoming troops - but Captain Blount leading the British troops questioned this order, and was backed up by the British commander of the Kosovo Force, General Mike Jackson, who refused to sanction the attack, reportedly saying "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you." Jackson has said he refused to take action because he did not believe it was worth the risk of a military confrontation with the Russians, instead insisting that troops encircle the airfield instead - a decision which lead to the Russian military surrendering control within two days without conflict. Nonetheless, the refusal was criticized by some senior US military personnel, with American General Hugh Shelton calling Jackson's refusal "troubling," and hearings in the United States Senate suggested it may amount to insubordination, with Senator John Warner suggesting holding hearings regarding whether the refusal was legal and potentially changing those rules if it was. British Chief of the Defence Staff Charles Guthrie, however, agreed with Jackson and told Clark this on the day Jackson refused the order.[82] Russia eventually withdrew its aid when some nations—including Bulgaria and Romania - granted U.S. requests and disallowed Russian aircraft to fly over their territory, halting their ability to bring in reinforcements.

I do. Do you have any proof it didnt?