Dancon/Irak
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| Established | April 2003 |
| Activated | April 2003 |
| Commander | Colonel Per Mikkelsen (Dancon/Irak 8) |
| Insignia adopted | August 2003 |
| Personnel | ~545 military, including 53 from Lithuania |
| AOR | 20,000 km² |
Dancon/Irak, which may also be written Dancon/Iraq, is short for Danish Contingent / Irak. It is the top formation to which all Danish military forces in Iraq are responsible. However, the individual military units in the formation are subordinate to other coalition forces in Iraq.
Dancon's units are subordinate to Multi-National Division (South East) ("MND(SE)"), which is responsible for the southern provinces of Al Basrah, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna in Iraq. MND(SE) is a British-run division containing units from several other European nations.
Dancon arrived in Kuwait on 2 June 2003, and reached its Area of Responsibility (AOR) in Iraq on 6 June 2003. After an initial setup phase, Dancon/Irak took official charge of its AOR 12 June 2003 during a ceremonial reception in CIMIC-house, Al-Qurna, from the British Joint NBC Regiment.
The formation was initially comprised of 380 men, and 42 more were added in July/August 2003. As of February 2005, the contingent consisted of 545 men. Troops rotate every six months, so each team might have a slightly different composition of units and men.
The 601st Iraqi National Guard Battalion was briefly under Dancon command, as was a detachment of about 130 British troops, which was placed under the Danish Battalion (Danbn) in February 2004 in connection with the much larger AOR they then received.
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[edit] Forces of Dancon/Irak
Total man-count February 2005: 545 (53 of which are from Lithuania)
- Danbn (Danish Battalion)
- Staff & Logistic Company
- Armoured Infantry Company
- Light Recon Company
- Military Police Detachment
- Medical Platoon
- NSE (National Support Element)
- STOF MND(SC)
- STOF MND(SE)
Also attached in the initial phase:
- Jægerkorps detachment (Special Forces)
- Engineer detachment (was briefly attached again in late 2004)
[edit] Camps and locations
[edit] Camp Eden
Camp Eden is located about 8 km east of Al-Qurnah, near Glory Canal. The camp was built in June/July 2003 by the then attached Engineer Company. Covering around 500.000 m², it was built on top of a previously destroyed military installation of Saddam Hussein.
The camp was nicknamed "Ørken Fortet" (Desert Fortress) by locals. During Radio-communication, it had the code-name "Amsterdam".
Camp Eden was disassembled in August-September 2004 when Dancon's AOR doubled in size and outgrew the camp. Dancon moved to Camp Danevang located inside Shaiba Log Base.
[edit] Camp Yggdrasil
Camp Yggdrasil is located on Shaiba Log Base, about 15 km west of Basra. It was built during June/July 2003. Site of the National Support Element (NSE), the camp was later incorporated into the newly build Camp Danevang. Yggdrasil, for which the camp is named, is a mythological tree between heaven and hell in the Norse mythology.
[edit] Cimic-House
Cimic-House, located in Al-Qurnah, is a former Ba'ath Party house. Originally the site of the Danish Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) (beginning in June 2003), it was handed over to the Iraqis in May 2004.
[edit] Camp Danevang
Camp Danevang, located on the Shaiba Log Base, was officially handed over from the construction company on 18 October 2004. However, it had already been in use since September of that year following the disassembling of Camp Eden. It was decided in June 2004 to reposition Dancon to this place, following the doubling of Dancon's AOR (now about 20 km², nearly reaching all the way down to Kuwait). This allowed Dancon to be more centralized in its AOR.
The project leader for the building of the camp was Army Operational Command (Hærens Operative Kommando) and Defence Construction Service (Forsvarets Bygningstjeneste). Department 13 was responsible for the practical side of the project. The base foundation of the camp was built by Danish Camp Supply A/S and the Iraqi Basra Engineering. The actual camp and all the details associated with it, including the transportation of all the material from Camp Eden, was done by Dancon itself with help from an attached Engineer Detachment and the Danish International Logistic Center. Nearly all soldiers of Dancon are now located in this camp.
- June 2003, NSE, Umm Qasar
- June 2003, Danbn Stab, Cimic-house, Al-Qurnah
- June 2003 - May 2004 , CIMIC, Cimic-house, Al-Qurnah
- June 2003 - October 2004, NSE, Camp Yggdrasil, near Al Shaibah (Shaiba Log Base)
- June 2003 - October 2004, Danbn, Camp Eden, near Al-Qurnah
- October 2004 – to date, Danbn & NSE, Camp Danevang, near Al Shaibah (Shaiba Log Base)
[edit] Subordinated
While Dancon is subordinated to "Multi-National Division (South-East)", the British division that runs MND(SE) often changes, meaning that Dancon is switches control between various units.
- June 2003 – ?, British 7th Armoured Brigade / 1st UK Armoured Division
- September 2003 – ? , British ??? Brigade / 3rd UK Mechanized Division
- February 2004 – ? , British 20th Armoured Brigade / 1st UK Armoured Division
- ? – May 2006, British 7th Armoured Brigade / 1st UK Armoured Division
- May 2006 – date , British 20th Armoured Brigade / 1st UK Armoured Division
[edit] Commanders
The Commander of Danbn/Irak is also the commander of Dancon/Irak
- Dancon/Irak1 (May 2003 – October 2003) – Colonel Niels H. Bundsgaard
- Dancon/Irak2 (October 2003 – 13 February 2004) – Colonel Henrik Højris Friis
- Dancon/Irak3 (13 February 2004 – 4 August 2004) – Colonel Henrik Flach
- Dancon/Irak3 (4 August 2004 – 23 August 2004) – Lieutenant Colonel Poul-Erik Andersen
- Dancon/Irak4 (23 August 2004 – 18 February 2005) – Colonel John Dalby
- Dancon/Irak5 (18 February 2005 – 20 August 2005) – Colonel Henrik Lyhne
- Dancon/Irak6 (20 August 2005 – 16 February 2006) – Colonel Flemming Toft
- Dancon/Irak7 (16 February 2006 – 20 August 2006) – Colonel Henrik Berg
- Dancon/Irak8 (20 August 2006 – to date) – Colonel Per Mikkelsen
[edit] KIAs in Dancon/Irak
Since 2003, five Danish soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq.
- August 16 2003, Lance-corporal Preben Pedersen, from The Jutland dragoon regiment(Jydske Dragonregiment), was killed by friendly fire.
- October 1 2005, a Danish army reserve officer, from The Jutland dragoon regiment, First lieutenant Bjarke Olsen Kirkmand was killed by a roadside bomb.
- March 23 2006, a Private from the Royal Guard (Den Kongelige Livgarde), Jesper Nielsen, was killed by an IED.
- June 6 2006, a Pfc Dennis Ove Hansen, was killed in a vehicle accident.
- September 23 2006, Lance-corporal from the Royal Danish Air Force, Kim Wadim, was killed by an IED.
- October 6 2006, a Private from The Jutland dragoon regiment, Martin Hjort was killed during combat.
[edit] Awards
Every Danish soldier who has participated in Dancon/Irak has received The Defence Medal with an inscription spelled OIF (abbreviation for Operation Iraqi Freedom).
The Defence Medal for participation in Iraq has been awarded posthumously to 1st Lieutenant Bjarke Kirkmand's parents. Kirkmand was citated for "Very deserving efforts in Dancon/Irak". First Lieutenant Kirkmand was seen by friends, soldiers under his command, and superiors as an exemplary reserve officer. In spite of the situation in Iraq and the fact that he was a very young officer, he wanted to "fight for justice in Iraq."
Each commander of Dancon/Irak has also been awarded the Order of the Dannebrog for his service as a commander in Iraq and the Danish Army.
Soldiers at Dancon/Irak who have been killed or wounded during their duty have also been awarded The Medal for Killed and Wounded in Service.
Furthermore, in May 2005, two Danish soldiers received The Defence Medal for heroic deeds during their tour of duty in Iraq. They were both from Den Kongelige Livgarde. One of the two soldiers, Sergeant Ole Gretlund, was awarded the medal when he saved the live of Lithuanian soldiers in Al-Qurnah. They were under the command of DANCON/Irak and captured in a firefight with insurgents: he saved the life of the soldiers by his exemplary leadership and personal valour. After some hours, the insurgents withdrew their positions and the Lithuanian soldiers were evacuated with no Danish or Lithuanian casualties.
The other Danish soldier, Pfc. of the Danish army reserve, Thomas Huusmann, was awarded the medal because he had saved the lives of both Iraqis and Danes in two firefights in Iraq. In the first, he saved the lives of an officer, an interpreter, and a sheikh while under heavy fire from local tribes in Al-qurnah. In a second firefight in August 2004, he protected a Danish soldier's life while under rifle and RPG fire from insurgents. In spite of the directed intense fire against him from the insurgents, he remained calm and continued firing against the insurgents. No casualties of other coalition soldiers happened in either fire fight.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- [1] Memorial page for fallen coalition soldiers.
- [2] In Danish. With pictures of first lieutenant Kirkmand.
- [3] Press release from the Danish defence, about the award of ``The medal for heroic deeds.´´ In Danish.
- [4] Picture with Sergeant Gretlund and Pfc. Thomas Huusmann with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. Sgt. Gretlund and Pfc. Huusmann was also awarded a reward from The Anders Lassen-foundation (Named after VC-recipient Anders Lassen).
- [5] Article about a memorial service with military honors to 1st Lt. Bjarke Kirkmand.
- [6] Video of the military funeral with Lcpl. Preben Pedersen.
