Catweazle64
Well-known member
Here's a bit of history first:
The Battle of Mirbat took place on 19th July 1972 during the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, which was supported by Communist guerrillas from South Yemen. Britain assisted the Omani government by sending elements of its Special Air Service both to train soldiers and compete against the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) guerrillas for the “hearts and minds” of the Omani people. Their mission was to prevent this strategic land at the mouth of the Gulf from falling to PFLOAG.
The Officer in Command, Captain Mike Kealy observed the enemy advancing on the fort, but did not order his men to open fire because he thought it was the “Night Picket” coming back from night shift. This was a loyal group of the Omani Army positioned on the slopes to warn the BATT house of Adoo troop movements. Realising that the Night Picket must have been killed, due to them not warning the SAS of the assault, Mike Kealy ordered his men to open fire. Kealy along with other members of the team took up positions behind the sand-bag parapet on the roof of the BATT house, firing at the Adoo with SLR rifles, with one man firing the Browning -50 heavy machine gun, and a further two men on the ground operating and firing an infantry mortar surrounded by sand-bags. The Adoo were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, and were mortar bombing the area around the BATT house. Kealy ordered the signaller to establish communications with SAS Headquarters at Um al Quarif, to request reinforcements.
There were also a small number of Omani Intelligence Service personnel in the BATT house, a small contingent of Pakistani soldiers and a member of British Military Intelligence seconded to the OIS who joined the team on the roof and fired on the Adoo with SLRs and other small arms. Initially some of the Pakistani soldiers were reluctant to join the defence of the fort because their roles with the BATT were largely administrative, but they obeyed orders from Kealy and the British Military Intelligence Corporal.
Knowing that the SLRs would not be of full use until the Adoo were closer than the weapon’s range of 800 metres, and lacking more heavy firepower, Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba made a run for the 25-pounder Artillery Piece which was positioned next to a smaller fort in which were stationed nine Omani Army Special Forces soldiers, who had not played a part in the battle. Talaiasi Labalaba managed to operate the weapon, which is a six-man job, himself and fire a round a minute at the approaching Adoo, directing their attention away from the BATT house. Kealy received a radio message from Labalaba reporting that a bullet had skimmed his face, and was badly injured, and was struggling to operate the gun by himself. At the BATT house Kealy asked for a volunteer to run to Labalaba’s aid. Fellow Fijian Trooper Sekonaia Takavesi volunteered to go.
Sekonaia Takavesi ran from the BATT house, with the remaining men providing covering fire, in an attempt to distract the Adoo. Takavesi ran the 800 metres through heavy gunfire, and reached the gun emplacement. He tried to give aid to his injured friend, while firing at the approaching Adoo with his rifle. Realising that they needed help, Takavesi tried to raise the small number of Omani soldiers inside the smaller fort, and Walid Khamis emerged. The remaining Omani soldiers in the fort engaged the enemy with small arms fire from firing positions on the roof and through the windows of the fort. As the two men made it back to the emplacement, the Omani soldier fell wounded after being shot in the stomach with a 7.62 mm bullet.
Adoo continued to advance upon the BATT house, and artillery emplacement. At one point, the Adoo were so close that Takavesi and Labalaba fired the weapon at point blank range, aiming down the barrel. Lalalaba crawled across a small space to reach a 60 mm Infantry Mortar, but fell dead after being shot in the neck. Takavesi, also shot through the shoulder and grazed by a bullet to the back of his head continued to fire at the approaching Adoo with his rifle. The team signaller sent messages through to the main Forward Operating Base, to request air support and medical evacuation for the men in the gun emplacement.
Captain Kealy and Trooper Tobin made a run to the artillery piece. Upon reaching it, they dived in to avoid increasingly intense gunfire from the Adoo. Takavesi continued to fire on the attackers, propped up against sand bags after being shot through the stomach (the bullet narrowly missing his spine). The Adoo threw several hand grenades, but only one detonated, exploding behind the emplacement with no one injured. During the battle, Tobin attempted to reach over the body of Lalababa. In so doing, he was wounded when a bullet struck his face. By this time, BAC Strikemaster light-attack jets of the Royal Air Force of Oman had arrived, and began strafing the Adoo in the Jebel Ali. With a low cloud base making for low altitude attack runs, only machine-guns and light rockets were used. Reinforcements arrived from G Squadron of 22 SAS and, defeated, the PFLOAG withdrew at about 12:30. All wounded SAS soldiers were evacuated, and given medical treatment, Trooper Tobin eventually died in hospital not due to the multiple gunshot wounds but to an infection in his lung caused by his splintered tooth which he had swallowed when his bottom jaw was blown off by a AK-47 round.
The 25-pounder gun (now known as the “Mirbat gun”) used by Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba during the siege is now housed in the Firepower museum of the Royal Artillery at the former Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Though killed in action, his heroism was a key factor in halting the Adoo’s assault on the emplacement, allowing time for reinforcements to arrive. Labalaba was awarded a posthumous Mention in Dispatches for his actions in the Battle of Mirbat, though some of his comrades have since campaigned for him to be awarded the more prestigious Victoria Cross.
Picture of fort looking back across to the jebel from where the Adoo came
DSC_0124 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Gun pit
Mirbat Fort (1) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Gun pit out towards sea and Wallis fort
Mirbat Fort (6) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Gun pit and fort
Mirbat Fort (3) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Entrance (note the poppy on the wall which I placed in remembrance)
Mirbat Fort (13) by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Old air con!
P1010570 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
P1010572 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Looking at ground level toilets. There was never any roof here.
P1010573 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
P1010574 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Another room on level 2
P1010575 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Old steps up to top tower
P1010579 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
From top tower towards sea and Wallis fort
P1010580 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Entrance doorway
P1010589 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
P1010590 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
Stairwell to level 2
P1010591 by Cat Weazle, on Flickr
The 25lb gun in the pit
The actual gun now in Woolwich
Hope you enjoyed the history lesson.
The fort, although abandoned, is in reasonable condition despite it being neglected since the war. The town is largely, as was, with a few more buildings nearby. I have found several discarded bits of old 303/762 ammunition cases, barbed wire and munition boxes that give a real sense of the battle that was. There is also a good true account book called Operation Storm by Roger Cole.
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