Page 18 - MERCIAN Eagle 2022

Pl Cmd Pl Sgt Wr Sgt
2Lt Salter Sgt Doyle Cpl Williams
16
4 Platoon
2022 has been yet another packed year
for 4 Platoon, B (Malta) Company. A quiet start would soon disappear with a myriad of unexpected tasks and lessons being learnt. Their new platoon commander was also learning new things; not how to operate
out of a Warrior but, instead, how not to fall asleep during freezing orders in the glorious winter weather of Sennybridge Training Area.
The Platoon quickly became one of the UK’s lead training units, demonstrating their comprehension of both basic and complex soldiering skills by passing this knowledge on to Ukrainian recruits on Op INTERFLEX. With only three short weeks to train the partner forces to a set standard, the Platoon certainly had their work cut out. It was mentioned that ‘the ability of
the Ukrainian soldiers was admirable due to their keenness to learn and to, overall, better themselves’. Many of our soldiers found it to be an
The AIPCC course forms up ready for an attack
Lulworth. The skills taught on the Armoured Infantry Platoon Commanders Course (Signals, Driving & Maintenance, and Gunnery) were all completely new. Whilst radios were known, long gone are the days at Sandhurst of blaming the signaller in appointment before you for it not working on exercise. The Signals phase would
them. For most, this is something of a dream come true! Driving a tracked vehicle with a friend in the commander’s chair really shows how much trust is needed between the vehicle commander and driver when operating the vehicle in a combat situation. Following the driving phase came gunnery; the most complicated of the three phases as it really takes the students back to ‘day one, week one’ of training, when recruits would pick up their personal weapon and have no idea which part did what. The instructors needed the same calmness and clarity with the students as the platoon did on Op INTERLFEX due to the nature of learning something so alien but something that would quickly become so familiar.
As the year comes to a close, the platoon reflects on the immense achievements of
its boxers. A fine showing in the ring with many of the Company being represented by 4 Platoon, and both fighters in one final bout coming from 4 Platoon. Outside of
the ring 4 Platoon showed themselves to be great team players by cheering on every member of the Platoon and Company who was brave enough to fight in front of the Battalion and guests.
extremely rewarding experience, being
able to see an almost immediate improvement of the Ukrainians’ infantry skills. Whilst all members of the platoon should be proud of
‘The ability of the Ukrainian soldiers was admirable due to their keenness
to learn and to, overall, better themselves’
teach 2Lt Salter how to operate different radios, fill them, and start up
a Warrior so that he can communicate proficiently with the
rest of the company and battlegroup when deployed with them in the future. Arguably the most enjoyable part of the
their achievements,
particular mentions
must go to Cpl Cox
and Cpl Bray. Cpl Bray has now been posted to ITC Catterick and will train the British Army’s newest infantry soldiers,
Platoon Commanders Course was
the driving phase. With a much more hands-on approach, the new cohort of platoon commanders were taught basic maintenance of the Warrior and what they were allowed to fix (not much...).
Alongside learning how to fix the vehicles students would also learn how to drive
a job not too dissimilar to the skills he developed and During this hectic period, the Platoons’ new commander was being put through his paces at the Armoured Infantry Training Wing in Bovington and
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
2Lt Salter’s camouflaged vehicle... can you spot it?