In March 2003 an international military coalition force attacked into Iraq.

The First Fusiliers Battlegroup was the Lead Armoured Battlegroup in the British Army and led the strike by the Desert Rats, 7th Armoured Brigade, to cross the border and subsequently secure the Northern half of Basra.

This film is a collection of interviews with a number of personnel who were in the battlegroup at the time and recalls their story and the events which were at that time on the front page of all newspapers.

It covers the moment the Battlegroup was officially notified it was to deploy in Mid January 2003, through the subsequent deployment and move into the forward assembly area in Kuwait. It then describes the battlegroup's role in crossing the border, moving up to the outskirts of Basra before striking into the city on 06 April 2003.

Operations within the city after the 7th April are to be covered in a separate film also on this channel.

The First Fusiliers Battlegroup was based on the 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers with:
B and C Squadrons of the Queens Royal Lancers
W (MSP) Company 1 RRF
Y & Z Companys 1 RRF
X (RECCE GP) Company 1RRF
A Squadron Queen's Dragoon Guards
D Battery TAC Group 3 Royal Horse Artillery
1ST SALT, 3RD ANGLICO USMC
Forward Air Control Party
39 Armoured Engineer Squadron 32 Regiment Royal Engineers
Armoured Medical Section and Ambulance Controller
Battlegroup Echelons

Please note that these interviews are the recollections and thought of individuals often from several decades earlier. They do not represent the official view of the Regiment or the British Army.

The film was produced by Big Ears Productions: www.facebook.com/BigEarsProductions