Page 23 - Mercian – Year of 2019

Within each team the troops were
given a lot of responsibility. Whilst feeding, driving, keeping fit or buying supplies, their situational awareness had to be of the highest and most professional standard due to the real-life espionage threat that still exists in this part of the world. Wherever possible we took the opportunity for our people to ‘step up’, with NCOs delivering courses which would usually be the responsibility of more senior instructors. All of C Company’s troops did excellent jobs, doing the Company proud. On each team our 1 MERCIAN soldiers learnt as much from the AFU troops as they did from us. The realities of their current war truly hit home; they would tell us stories from the frontline of how the tactics employed by the RLSF and their own routine in the winter and living in trenches for up to 6 months at a time.
The Company’s contribution peaked in November and December, when almost
every deployable NCO and Officer was
part of an STTT. During this period Capt Margetts, OC Recce, led a focussed course for 74 Recce Bn in Starychi concurrently
to Capt Johl, RSO, delivering an Urban Defence Instructors course to the Officers from the Odessa
Military Academy.
C Company was
primarily represented in
the STTT who trained
30 Mechanised Brigade
in Novohrad-Volynskii.
Led by myself and
Maj Michell, this team
delivered the same
courses to those we
had taught in Uzhhorod,
but in a much colder
and flatter environment! 30 Brigade are known as one of the most professional mechanized brigades in the AFU; it showed in their skills, which were already pretty
good before we started. We left them even better prepared to deal with their next rotation to the frontline in 2020.
Throughout the second half of 2019
1 MERCIAN had the privilege of mentoring and advising the AFU to assist them in
their current situation. For C Company, Op ORBITAL has been a welcome task to ensure our permanent cadre
of fully deployable officers and NCOs have kept their military skills and instructional techniques fresh whilst the Company has been structured to focus on rehabilitation.
The experience for all has been priceless and we truly hope we have been able
to help towards the security and future development of Ukraine.
Armoured soldiers getting ready to mentor their Ukrainian counterparts. STTT 30-19 forms up in Novohrad-Volynskii, Ukraine, November 2019. Maj / Edward Michell / Novohrad- Volynskii, Ukraine / 17 Nov 19
The Company’s contribution peaked in November and December, when almost every deployable NCO and Officer was part of an STTT
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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