Page 87 - Journal Compilation

B SQUADRON
B Squadron has had another intense and busy year. It may be a new role and a new location but some of the old constants remain; chief amongst which is the age old aversion to white space in the Forecast of Events, which de nitely survived the move from Fallingbostel and is well settled in Leuchars!
This year the squadron has concentrated on prepar- ing itself for the up coming training year and so the focus has been on completing individual courses and improving our low level Light Cavalry skills whilst enhancing troop cohesion. This has meant that since our arrival in Leuchars, we have completed in excess of 50 individual courses. These have ranged from the new Squadron Leader, Major Erskine-Naylor, under- taking his Jackal and Panther Commanders’ courses, through to Team Medic courses; Javelin Detachment Commanders; Heavy Machine Gun, GPMG and Grenade Machine Gun courses; signals courses; pre sniper cadres with 3SCOTS and the usual array of career courses such as Command Leadership and Management, Schools’ instructor courses and NVQs. The squadron is now well set to move, shoot, com- municate and survive as the Light Cavalry sub unit of choice.
The foundation for this success was set by the pre- vious command team of Major Walters, now safely
ensconced in the Combat Directorate in Army HQ, and SSM Smith, now the RSM. They oversaw an intense period of dismounted training and the rst steps of mounted training as the squadron began to master their new vehicles.
Unfortunately after the searing heat of Cyprus in 2014, it was a freezing winter in Bergen Hohne that greeted the squadron for its rst run out in the open architecture Jackals. The squadron proved to be more than up to the challenge presented by the weather and crew drills were quickly enhanced into troop level and upwards to squadron manoeuvre. B Squadron was now a Light Cavalry Squadron and progressing rap- idly to achieving the levels of knowledge and under- standing which has for so long been the hallmark of the SCOTS DG.
The new skills were tested fully in a Regimental Battle Camp held, for the last time, in Sennelager. Polish Barracks, The Lancashire Hot Pot and the NATO Mess with its mind bending red pump will soon only be spo- ken of in association gatherings but for one last time B Squadron charged around Sennelager Training Area, defeating the Queen’s (imaginary) enemies. Squadron company group attacks may have been replaced by observing and understanding an enemy, cuing strike assets onto targets and conducting lighting raids into
EAGLE AND CARBINE 11
B Sqn Tug of War team during the Coming Home Weekend Highland Games