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Marines Hammered By Danger Close "Friendly" Mortar Fire
Published 3 years ago
An intense video from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the war in Afghanistan, shows US Marines in the midst of a danger-close indirect fire mission (mortars), which quickly turns into a friendly-fire incident.
The footage begins after the first round has already fallen, and the Marines are shook. The initial round landed too close for comfort, but they are too stunned to call an immediate "check-fire" to the mortar crew, and more rounds begin impacting, at even closer distances.
Danger close fire missions are usually only used when the enemy has engaged a friendly unit and are on the verge of wiping them out. The mortar rounds have an adjustable fuze, and the "delay"bunker buster fuze setting is used because it reduces the blast/kill radius by detonating deeper into the ground. The explosion goes more up than out. Regardless, the high explosive rounds are still extremely deadly and even the concussive sound and shock waves have the potential to inflict brain, nerve, and hearing damage to those nearby.