A PRETTY Army medic dubbed the Angel of Helmand has told the astonishing story of how she survived the toughest combat mission EVER given to a woman.

Heroine squaddie Caylie Hornegould revealed that the attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan was so dangerous she first had to fight top brass to INCLUDE her.

But she stunned hardened Paras with her bravery under fire during a ferocious 17-hour battle, CRAWLING on her stomach DODGING a hail of bullets to rescue their wounded Sergeant Major.

Back home and dressed up for a night out with her girl pals, plucky Caylie, 23, vividly described how the drama erupted as she flew right into the enemy's backyard in a Chinook helicopter packed with Paras and Irish Rangers pumped up for action.

Within minutes of her platoon charging down the tailramp a message crackled on the radios: "Man down! Man down!" Sgt Major Michael Williams had been shot.

Gutted

Caylie told us: "We were about 150 metres away from him. He was part of a section fighting its way onto high ground and we were following.

"We struggled to get to his position because the incoming fire was so intense. It was down on your belt buckle and trying to keep in cover as you moved. Rounds seemed to be coming in from everywhere.

"We made it as fast as we could. The Sgt Major had a serious chest wound. I had some excellent medical kit and I tried everything I could to save him. But we were too late. I was gutted but there was no more anyone could do." Still under fire, Caylie helped remove the 40-year-old victim's body so it could be airlifted out.

But, armed with an SA 80 rifle, her battle had only just begun.

Caylie's elite platoon from the 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment were fighting alongside 2 Para in the massive helicopter assault on Taliban stronghold Sapwan Qala in June.

Soon she had to DUCK sniper bullets as an enemy marksman picked out her position; DASH across open land under a withering hail of machine gun fire; and WATCH in horror as a rocket-propelled grenade smashed into the ground just yards away.

"We were drawing a lot of fire but it helped the Para platoons locate the enemy and hit back," Caylie recalled.

"Moving was very difficult. Our objective was a compound 1,500 metres away. It took SEVEN HOURS to reach it.

"We had a couple of close escapes. We were in a three-sided compound when a sniper started firing on us. You could see the rounds impacting into the walls a few metres away.

"We then had to sprint across 25 metres of open ground exposed to enemy fire. You just had to get your head down and go for it.

"The closest call was when an RPG went flying past within a few metres. I saw it go by but luckily it was a dud and didn't go off. The adrenaline got me through it. You just concentrate on your job. There's no time to be scared. It's only afterwards you think, 'That was close!' I was just upset I couldn't do any more for Sgt Major Williams. But you musn't dwell on it, you've just got to do your very best then move on."

After 17 hours in some of the toughest fighting since World War Two, Caylie's exhausted unit was ordered to pull out. And the Paras' commanding officer Lt Col Joe O'Sullivan was one of the first to praise Caylie's efforts.

The mission was O'Sullivan's idea-to goad the Taliban into battle with the most provocative assault.

Action

But casualties were expected and, following the death of intelligence officer Cpl Sarah Bryant a few days earlier, Caylie was initially refused permission to join the mission.

However, angry Caylie was so insistent that the decision was referred back to military chiefs in London. Moved by her courage and professionalism, they granted her wish. And in action she proved she was right.

Caylie, whose unusual surname Hornegould earned her the saucy nickname 'Randy Silver', recalled: "The Lt Col came up to me on the helicopter back and made a point of saying 'thank you' for trying to save the Sgt Major." There was high praise too for another hero in the platoon, Cpl Matt McCord. He has now been recommended for a top gallantry medal after leading an astonishing charge at the Taliban-to clear and then hold a helicopter landing site long enough for a Chinook to drop supplies and pick up Sgt Major Williams' body.

The fire was so intense that some soldiers expected Cpl McCord, 26, to refuse the order. But he and his three men "fought like tigers" to secure the clearing.

Caylie is now back home in Colchester, Essex, where she is planning to marry fiancé Pete, a soldier in 3 Para, next August.

In her exclusive interview she added: "Pete was in Afghanistan at the same time as me and he wasn't happy about me going on this op. Lots of the lads thought it was no place for a woman and that I shouldn't be there.

"But I've trained to do the job and I proved that I was fit enough, strong enough and had the skills to do well.

"If any of my platoon had been injured and I'd not been there to treat them, I couldn't have forgiven myself."

Nimrods grounded

BRITISH forces in Afghanistan had no airborne surveillance cover for TWO WEEKS after fuel gauge faults grounded two 30-year-old Nimrod planes last month.

Senior officers believe it compromised safety of our forces on the ground.

An insider said: "Bosses claim unmanned aerial vehicles covered them. But RAF Nimrods have specialist crews who listen in, observe targets and direct ops. The Taliban rightly fear them."

An MoD spokesman said aircraft were regularly sent to the UK for maintenance but added: "We do not comment on the detail of operational deployments."

The MoD already faces £20m lawsuits after a Nimrod crashed in Southern Afghanistan, killing all 14 on board two years ago-after a fuel leak.

Hol lot of scandal

BRITISH civil servants in Iraq and Afghanistan get FOUR TIMES the leave given to hero soldiers FIGHTING the war.

And fury erupted as the scandalous injustice was revealed in reply to a Parliamentary question.

Minister Gillian Merron boasted how Foreign Office staff in the hotspots get a fortnight off for every six weeks served. But the troops are given the same amount off every SIX MONTHS.

Tory MP and former Army officer Patrick Mercer called for action and said: "The civil servants ought to be given the SAME time off as our soldiers."

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