Page 54 - Wish Stream 2023 CREST

high winds blasting us, we stood firm, disciplined, waiting.
Chaos came at dawn. Before we knew it, a hoard of ZAB forces charged towards our position, dem- onstrating haste we knew not possible. In seconds, 2 Section was lost, and we needed to withdraw. Luckily, our fearless leader, OCdt Adams, had anticipated such a scenario – we needed to just execute his plan, meticulously rehearsed a day earlier. With the level-headed coolness of a sea- soned professional, Adams bolstered 20 Platoon’s remaining forces with reinforcements from 21 and launched a hasty counterattack. The enemy stood no chance, for three days in this location had taught us our trench system thoroughly. Trench by trench we persevered, arising victorious in the Bat- tle for Minley.
With massive excitement, End Ex was declared, and 80 sleep deprived OCdts, looking about ready to collapse, prepared to board warm buses and return back to camp. However, hopes of finally sleeping were firmly thwarted. “You may have dug your trenches, but you’ve got to fill them back in now,” declared the CSM, and I think a fair few peo- ple looked about ready to cry.
Exercise SLIM’S STAND
OCdt Tomlinson
Despite a large proportion of the British Army’s defence stores being donated to Ukraine, OCdts on Ex SLIM’S STAND still faced the
challenge of establishing Company Main Defen- sive Positions (MDPs) within Battle Group Main Defensive Areas (MDAs), alongside the concurrent execution of various offensive actions throughout. The lack of defensive stores did not detract from the OCdts’ exposure to the construction of con- solidated trenches; with all platoons establishing stage one, stage two and stage three fire team defensive positions.
Ex SLIM’S STAND has evolved from previous intakes, with the initial phase testing our ability to respond to an increase in the Chemical, Biologi- cal, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threat and the subsequent deployment of CBRN weapons by enemy forces. The swift intensification of the CBRN threat tested our ability to operate efficiently in our Company MDP, particularly with regards to con-
tinuing to conduct routine activity and maintain- ing effective communications, despite the frictions associated with CBRN Personal Protective Equip- ment (PPE). We proved our ability to operate from defensive positions and conduct a counter-attack to clear an area of enemy fighters wearing full PPE.
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