Page 15 - MERCIAN Eagle 2022

3 Platoon
Pl Cmd Lt Arnold
Pl Sgt Sgt Hughes
The last year has been very demanding
for the soldiers of 3 Platoon (‘The Lions’). They deployed on Ex IRON STORM with the rest of the battalion to be validated as the Army’s Lead Armoured Battle Group (LABG). They have also completed their soldiers Individual Training Requirements (ITRs) and conducted a series of freedom marches across the 1 MERCIAN recruiting area. Whatever the situation, The Lions have proved their adaptability and risen to meet the challenge. They can be proud of what they have achieved, and can now look forward to Ex KEVALA GRENADIER, and rounding off the year with the festivities of the Battalion Christmas week and some winter adventure training.
Ex IRON STORM was the final chapter
of the Battalion’s mission to achieve operational readiness, as part of the
LABG. Working alongside the King’s Royal Hussars, Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery in Castlemartin, they were put through
their paces in the harsh conditions of the Pembroke Coast. The Lions completed a series of testing live-fire offensive actions involving dismounting out of their Warriors and destroying enemy positions up close. As an armoured infantry platoon it is
3 Platoon’s role to provide rapid shock effect on to the enemy utilising the Warriors’ speed and firepower before dismounting soldiers on top of an enemy position. It required the Lions to work in unison with each other to maximise the effect they have
A (Grenadier) Company using a pause in the battle to take an ‘ally’ photo
on the enemy; no easy task in a complex environment, but the Lions proved they were up to the challenge. The success on Ex IRON STORM means they achieved operational readiness as part of the LABG; they must now be
designed to assess the soldiers on their core skills. Topics range from the law of armed conflict (LOAC), which tests their knowledge on laws governing operational theatres, to fieldcraft, battlefield casualty
ready to deploy at
a moment’s notice
anywhere in the world.
The Lions can be proud
of their performance
in Castlemartin, they
showed what it takes
to be a member of A
(Grenadier) Company,
and an infantry soldier in the British Army.
Following a summer leave period The Lions returned and completed their ITRs. ITRs cover several different topics and are
drills and navigation. They provided the soldiers of 3 Platoon an excellent opportunity
to get back to basics in a low-pressure environment. The ITR package culminated in the Annual Combat Marksmanship Test
(ACMT); The Lions fired 50 shots at targets from multiple firing positions over distances up to 300 metres. 3 Platoon performed excellently on the ACMT, with many individuals achieving the necessary score to be declared a marksman.
In October, 3 Platoon conducted freedom marches across the Mercian recruiting area. The purpose was to reaffirm the ancient right of our antecedent regiments, that they could carry arms and march through the towns and streets of Chester, Tamworth, and Nottingham. The Lions put on a fine display for the locals who gave the soldiers a joyous welcome. The parades finished with a short reception by the respective mayors and the soldiers enjoying the local pubs and eateries. The townspeople of Chester were so welcoming of the soldiers, that many were awarded fine discounts on popular local drinks; at one point it seemed the Lions of A (Grenadier) Company were going to stay there forever.
3 Platoon now look forward to
Ex KEVALA GRENADIER, a five-day exercise in Tregantle Fort, Cornwall. The exercise will test their ability to operate in complex urban environments; the Fort’s unique design will present the soldiers
with a myriad of tunnels and corridors to fight through. It will take all of the soldier’s initiative to handle this complexity, however as the Lions have proved time and time again, they will always be roaring at the end.
...they must now be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere in the world
3 Platoon soldiers completing their ACMT
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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