42 Commando's 10,000-mile contingency deployment

Three VC10s and seven Hercules moved about 250 members of 42 Commando, together with vehicles, communications equipment, and supplies, roughly 10,000 miles to the New Hebrides. The aircraft routed through Canada, the United States, and Fiji, with the first contingent arriving by Sunday and the deployment complete by Wednesday. The same spearhead formation had recently reinforced Hong Kong and trained in Norway. Its rapidly changing assignments show why a prepared headquarters element mattered as much as the troops and transport aircraft. Long-range contingency response depended on airlift, communications, vehicles, and a unit already designated for the task.