British soldiers in Afghanistan (the men, anyway), had the ultimate morale-booster last week - by being visited by several of The Sun's world-famous Page 3 girls.
The girls were even taken down to a firing range to have a go at firing some of the weapons and even brought with them a special edition of The Sun for the troops to read....
Topless gun
WORDS: TOM NEWTON-DUNN
PICTURES: DAN CHARITY
in Helmand Province
Published: 29 Nov 2008
The Sun
Hot shot ... Becky fires a pistol watched by Tim
FIVE Page 3 beauties have proved to be bang on target during their mission to thrill Our Boys in Afghanistan.
On Day Two of the girls’ morale-boosting trip, Royal Marine bosses sent them down to Camp Bastion’s firing range to test their trigger skills.
And to the instructors’ amazement, each girl gave their “charging soldier” targets a serious peppering.
Yesterday we told how the forces’ favourite paper made history this week by jetting our world famous Page 3 Girls into the heart of the Taliban badlands to cheer up our war-weary forces.
All the range ... Rhian tries out the rifle
Codenamed Operation Desert Fox, it is the closest that any Western beauties have been to danger in the war zone.
Peta, Becky, Danni, Rhian and Sam were all ordered to wear flak jackets and helmets for the shooting session as the camp’s firing range is outside the base’s perimeter wire.
The girls’ instructors for the day were firearms experts WO2 Tim Prier, 35, from 9 Supply Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, and the Royal Marines’ Cpl James Lane, 26.
As the girls took aim with two guns, soldiers kept guard around them against any surprise Taliban attack.
First weapon up was the powerful SA80 Mk2 assault rifle — the standard-issue gun for all regular British troops. Fitted with a telescopic sight and magazine of 30 rounds, the British-made rifle is deadly accurate up to 300 metres, firing 5.56mm bullets at a muzzle velocity of 940 metres a second.
Trigger-happy Rhian, 22, from Manchester, topped the class with a highly impressive debut blast. From a distance of 25 metres, the blonde beauty put all her ten competition bullets into the centre of her target within 50mm of each other.
And that’s despite her ultra-long finger nails almost stopping her getting her index finger inside the trigger guard.
WO2 Prier told Rhian: “If this really is the first time you’ve ever fired a weapon, then I’m very impressed. Let’s get you down the recruitment office quick.”
She beamed: “Wow, I loved that. I didn’t think I’d even hit the target, let alone shoot accurately. Maybe I will join up after all!”
United front ... Page 3 squad with joker Steve and Boys
Second was Becky, who amazed the instructors by firing accurately with only one arm — her other being too short to reach the rifle grip properly.
Then came Peta and Danni, with Sam narrowly bringing up the rear.
Next weapon to be used was the Sig Sauer P226 – the new standard-issue pistol for all the forces, which recently replaced the ageing Browning.
The hand gun was made famous by Kiefer Sutherland in hit TV series 24 as his character Jack Bauer’s personal weapon of choice.
Used only for close-quarters fighting, it fires a 9mm bullet accurately up to 50 metres, from a magazine holding 15 rounds.
This time it was 21-year-old Essex girl Peta who stole the show, slotting each of her five bullets with precision accuracy into the target, including one into the figure’s upper right forehead.
She said: “The pistols are far cooler. Firing them makes you feel like you’re in the movies.”
Sam came a close second, putting four bullets into her figure. Danni, Rhian and Becky came joint third, all narrowly missing their target figures. Trying to keep our disappointed sharpshooters’ spirits up, Cpl Lane told the threesome: “Don’t worry girls, you scared them.”
WO2 Prier added: “For Peta to hit the target all five times on her first pistol shoot is remarkable. Lara Croft, eat your heart out.
“Overall, all the girls have shown a huge amount of potential. I’m genuinely very impressed. Then again, they had a couple of fine instructors too!”
Among the brave Boys meeting the girls was joker Steve Mepsted — who swapped his combat gear for a Thunderbirds outfit.
The beauties also met Apache helicopter gunship pilots who gave them a tour of their £46million fighting machines, while Harrier jump jet pilots from Naval Strike Wing showed the girls the inside of their cockpits.
Bomb disposal experts from the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group allowed them to try on their ultra-heavy protective suits.
Then RAF firemen showed them how to pull off a traditional fireman’s lift.
As the weary girls headed for home, Royal Marines pin-up Danni, 22, from Coventry, said: “I hope we’ve managed to put a smile on the guys’ faces.
“What they do is amazing and they are so brave — and now we’ve seen that with our own eyes.
“Every single one of them is a true hero.”
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition copy of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The Girls Danni, Becky, Rhian, Sam and Peta visit wounded soldier from the 14 Signals reg, Lance Cpl Ben Lowrie at his hospital bed.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The girls visit the Marines from joint force EOD ( Explosive Ordnance), Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
Dan Charity
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The girls visit the RAF Fire and Rescue Team. Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The girls visit the 32 regiment UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle detachment) Royal Artillery . Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. Page 3 girls Becky, Rhian, Peta, Danni and Sam with the Naval Strike Wing (NSW) . Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. Page 3 girls Becky, Rhian, Peta, Danni and Sam with the boys from 4 reg Army Air cor and 7 Air assault Battalion REME. Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan.
thesun.co.uk
The girls were even taken down to a firing range to have a go at firing some of the weapons and even brought with them a special edition of The Sun for the troops to read....
Topless gun
WORDS: TOM NEWTON-DUNN
PICTURES: DAN CHARITY
in Helmand Province
Published: 29 Nov 2008
The Sun
Hot shot ... Becky fires a pistol watched by Tim
FIVE Page 3 beauties have proved to be bang on target during their mission to thrill Our Boys in Afghanistan.
On Day Two of the girls’ morale-boosting trip, Royal Marine bosses sent them down to Camp Bastion’s firing range to test their trigger skills.
And to the instructors’ amazement, each girl gave their “charging soldier” targets a serious peppering.
Yesterday we told how the forces’ favourite paper made history this week by jetting our world famous Page 3 Girls into the heart of the Taliban badlands to cheer up our war-weary forces.
All the range ... Rhian tries out the rifle
Codenamed Operation Desert Fox, it is the closest that any Western beauties have been to danger in the war zone.
Peta, Becky, Danni, Rhian and Sam were all ordered to wear flak jackets and helmets for the shooting session as the camp’s firing range is outside the base’s perimeter wire.
The girls’ instructors for the day were firearms experts WO2 Tim Prier, 35, from 9 Supply Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, and the Royal Marines’ Cpl James Lane, 26.
As the girls took aim with two guns, soldiers kept guard around them against any surprise Taliban attack.
First weapon up was the powerful SA80 Mk2 assault rifle — the standard-issue gun for all regular British troops. Fitted with a telescopic sight and magazine of 30 rounds, the British-made rifle is deadly accurate up to 300 metres, firing 5.56mm bullets at a muzzle velocity of 940 metres a second.
Trigger-happy Rhian, 22, from Manchester, topped the class with a highly impressive debut blast. From a distance of 25 metres, the blonde beauty put all her ten competition bullets into the centre of her target within 50mm of each other.
And that’s despite her ultra-long finger nails almost stopping her getting her index finger inside the trigger guard.
WO2 Prier told Rhian: “If this really is the first time you’ve ever fired a weapon, then I’m very impressed. Let’s get you down the recruitment office quick.”
She beamed: “Wow, I loved that. I didn’t think I’d even hit the target, let alone shoot accurately. Maybe I will join up after all!”
Second was Becky, who amazed the instructors by firing accurately with only one arm — her other being too short to reach the rifle grip properly.
Then came Peta and Danni, with Sam narrowly bringing up the rear.
Next weapon to be used was the Sig Sauer P226 – the new standard-issue pistol for all the forces, which recently replaced the ageing Browning.
The hand gun was made famous by Kiefer Sutherland in hit TV series 24 as his character Jack Bauer’s personal weapon of choice.
Used only for close-quarters fighting, it fires a 9mm bullet accurately up to 50 metres, from a magazine holding 15 rounds.
This time it was 21-year-old Essex girl Peta who stole the show, slotting each of her five bullets with precision accuracy into the target, including one into the figure’s upper right forehead.
She said: “The pistols are far cooler. Firing them makes you feel like you’re in the movies.”
Sam came a close second, putting four bullets into her figure. Danni, Rhian and Becky came joint third, all narrowly missing their target figures. Trying to keep our disappointed sharpshooters’ spirits up, Cpl Lane told the threesome: “Don’t worry girls, you scared them.”
WO2 Prier added: “For Peta to hit the target all five times on her first pistol shoot is remarkable. Lara Croft, eat your heart out.
“Overall, all the girls have shown a huge amount of potential. I’m genuinely very impressed. Then again, they had a couple of fine instructors too!”
Among the brave Boys meeting the girls was joker Steve Mepsted — who swapped his combat gear for a Thunderbirds outfit.
The beauties also met Apache helicopter gunship pilots who gave them a tour of their £46million fighting machines, while Harrier jump jet pilots from Naval Strike Wing showed the girls the inside of their cockpits.
Bomb disposal experts from the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group allowed them to try on their ultra-heavy protective suits.
Then RAF firemen showed them how to pull off a traditional fireman’s lift.
As the weary girls headed for home, Royal Marines pin-up Danni, 22, from Coventry, said: “I hope we’ve managed to put a smile on the guys’ faces.
“What they do is amazing and they are so brave — and now we’ve seen that with our own eyes.
“Every single one of them is a true hero.”
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition copy of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The Girls Danni, Becky, Rhian, Sam and Peta visit wounded soldier from the 14 Signals reg, Lance Cpl Ben Lowrie at his hospital bed.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The girls visit the Marines from joint force EOD ( Explosive Ordnance), Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
Dan Charity
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The girls visit the RAF Fire and Rescue Team. Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. The girls visit the 32 regiment UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle detachment) Royal Artillery . Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. Page 3 girls Becky, Rhian, Peta, Danni and Sam with the Naval Strike Wing (NSW) . Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan. Page 3 girls Becky, Rhian, Peta, Danni and Sam with the boys from 4 reg Army Air cor and 7 Air assault Battalion REME. Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The Sun’s Page 3 Girls deliver a special edition of The Sun to the troops in Afghanistan.
thesun.co.uk
