Page 28 - Journal Compilation

14 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
SSgt Bain talks the Sqn through his plan for the burger wars
the tanks when ring – the large viewing screen, a laptop, several parked staff cars and numerous ear drums all falling foul to their proximity to Sgt Daisley’s tank at action.
Those who hadn’t been perusing the forecast of events may well have thought that a brief spell in camp was deserved at this stage, however the return from Ex TRACTABLE saw the Sqn having a quick turn around for a 10 day deployment to Sennelager for BG CATT alongside the YORKS BG, with 3rd Tp detached to bolster (and deliver some lessons to) A Sqn on Ex LION’S STRIKE. The return from these exercises was xed by a combination of gunnery and MATTS as we prepared to take the tanks to Castlemartin for our annual ranges. In May the Sqn again bene tted (for the third consecutive time) in being able to deploy to CMR as a single sub unit, with experienced and well trained crews, having red in January. Despite being con ned to a single range four crews passed ACT in the rst week and 17 of the 18 crews had rst time passes at ACT; testament to the relationships that had been built at crew level over the previous 12 months.
The return from ranges could have saw the Sqn start its prep- arations for the Tercentenary parade. After something of a Regimental debate over who would be the Escort to the Guidon for the parade, due to the Sqn being someway behind the power curve on drill (apparently we hadn’t been around for the train- ing), the Sqn was reinstated as the Senior Sqn, in line with its 11H af liation and a couple of hundred years of history. Hard work and signi cant tutelage under the SQMS and an on loan 1 SCOTS GUARDS Company Sergeant Major paid off; come the parade The Colonel of the Regiment stated that the Sqn had rightfully proved that it was worthy of escorting the Guidon at both the Freedom of Winchester and at the Tercentenary Parade. It should also be noted that all of the CR2 had to be hand painted by the Sqn to act as the back drop for the parade, no small feat in these austere times – Mr Briscoe managing to acquire the last 12 drums of green paint held by the British Army.
The leaguer at dawn
Target inspection
The joys of the Tercentenary were swiftly put behind us as the following morning we deployed back onto Salisbury Plain for LION’s STRIKE for a further week on exercise, before saying goodbye to the CR2 as they headed to Marchwood to be shipped to Poland for Ex DRAGON.
A short spell of summer leave was the precursor to 8 weeks in Poland, a logistic feat that saw the Battle Group deploy to DPTA via Stettin for a month, before moving by rail across Poland to OTA as part of a NATO reassurance exercise alongside US, Canadian, Polish and German elements. Some attention had to be given to verbals after the rst mission, a sitrep had noted “3 x T72 and 8 x BMP engaged and destroyed” – the very vehicles our Polish allies were using, but the same as we had been training to destroy for the last 40 years! DPTA allowed a fantastic opportu- nity for Tp and Sqn / Coy group training. The challenges of ter- rain took some getting used to, with the somewhat boggy ground ensuring that all had to remain focused. A number of open days were held with military, civilian and the odd (presumed) honey trap all having been on the list of guests.
OTA saw the Sqn train alongside Polish and German elements, in front of numerous dignitaries, including the Polish Prime Minister, who viewed one of the most extraordinary Battle Group attacks ever delivered – radio communication between NATO allies it turns out, might still need some work as something of a meeting engagement between a Warrior and BMP Company in the middle of an Obstacle Crossing would have been hilarious if it hadn’t been so dangerous.
The nal pieces were a live re demo, where the main focus was the impending “competition” between Polish and German Leopard Main Battle Tanks and Challenger 2. Fortunately the crews of Cpls Fawcett and Rymer delivered, hitting with every round and maintaining a two to one shot ratio over the Leopards and no mis res! The nal phase was a dry battle group phase that