Page 44 - Wish Stream 2023 CREST

insight into the mythical world of what the field army would be like, though it was rightly pointed out that it would probably not be as relaxing when we were having to organise all the administra- tion and logistics that were happening around us seemingly seamlessly.
Day three, was no less enjoyable, as the OCdts tried their hand at shooting whilst donned in a General Service Respirator, dropping targets up to 200 metres with limited vision and awkward firing positions. While the standard was high throughout, most present agreed that of all the shoots, this was the one they never wanted to put into practice! The final shoot of the day, was a Limit of Night Visibility (LNV) shoot, where OCdts shot in near darkness, once again increasing the difficulty of the shooting, and giving all those present a different skill set to take to their regiments in the coming months.
The final day was arguably the most challeng- ing, yet most enjoyable. With three difficult serials to complete, the first focused on individual firing whilst moving through different objects mimicking an urban environment, followed by quickly moving into an aggressive pairs fire and manoeuvre, a first
for many, made easier by excellent range staff. This was followed by a section in defence, where OCdts crawled out into pre-dug entrenchments and defended their position against an enemy attack. The poor section commanders were forced to deal with the added complexities of radios and requests from Headquarters as their sections emptied tar- geted and devastating volleys into the metal figure 12s, with many coming off claiming it was the best serial they had done since entering Sandhurst. The day, and exercise ended with the course’s first offi- cial introduction to automatic fire, at short range, and the crucial necessity of controlled burst fire. While the least challenging of the shoots on the day, it presented physical proof of the potency of the weapon systems we used, and how best to uti- lise them.
On finishing the exercise, and being cleared off for the final time, as the coaches departed back to Sandhurst, the thought of an intense two weeks of drill hung over the intake with solemnity. Most pre- sent could at least take some solace in the brilliant few days we had just had, and could look forward to the next step in our live fire training when we embark on Ex DYNAMIC VICTORY in Senior Term.
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