Cat Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 As no one else has mentioned this, I will. Soldier confuses live ammunition with blanks and shoots 17 people (including 5 children) during an army display in Carcassone yesterday.Report in EnglishReport in FrenchHow on earth can that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Now we know the second reason why the French army always leads an attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vervialle Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 There must have been mayhem, the French Army chiefs must be cringing. Does not exactly inspire confidence in the French Military. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 The sergeant who did it will be interrogated and made to pay, you can be sure of that. But there is some suggestion in some of the reports that they want to investigate whether it was deliberate or not. Seems unlikely though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Blanks and live rounds look very different phsically so it makes you wonder about the possibilty of a deliberate act. Also, what were they doing even pointing guns in the direction of a crowd? Even with blanks, stuff comes out of the barrel so definitely not to be pointed at anyone.Not that I've had much experiance of guns but it was drilled into me that 'A gun is always loaded' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Too right stuff comes out of the muzzle when firing blanks, get too close to some one and you will kill them with a blank, We used to demo this for new recruits, using a standard man size paper target (fig 11? or was it fig 12) on a backing board with a hole in the board where the stomach would be, plastic bag with offal in it taped behind the paper target. 10 ft or so away and fire a blank from a service rifle. The plastic bag ruptures and ............, result, lots of green faces and some totally lose it.A VERY valuable lesson for anyone who uses a gun.Pierre, another drill phrase, "never point a gun at anyone you are not prepared to kill" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 As per the news on FR2...Contrary to all rules and regulations, the sergeant who shot the public by accident had somehow kept a charger filled with live ammunitions which should have been returned to the armoury after a previous training exercise.Yesterday, he loaded the live charger rather than the one filled with blanks which he had been given for the hostage rescue demonstration.He has been remanded in custody and will be brought in front of the military juge d'instruction tomorrow.Sarkozy has said that the whole chain of command will be held to account for the négligences inexcusables.http://www.lemonde.fr/ (in English) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Chief of Staff resigns!http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7483159.stmNot that he had a choice really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 [quote user="Pierre ZFP"]Chief of Staff resigns!http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7483159.stmNot that he had a choice really.[/quote]Can you see such a resignation happening in UK - no chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 To be honest I don't even know who that would be with equivalent rank. General Sir Richard Dannatt maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 If the whole chain of command is to be held responsible the buck must stop at the head of the armed forces Nic Sarco. Will he go or will he stay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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