Page 54 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

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Ex THUNDERSTORM – Pte Mountford
When we were first told about Lithuania, we were all looking forward to it. We were looking forward to getting out into the field to do some soldiering, especially against an American active enemy force. The lessons beforehand were well structured so we had a good level of knowledge as to what we would be doing when we deployed. It was good to know we could put everything we learnt into practise.
In Lithuania, we got settled in quickly
to the tented accommodation which was already set up for us. It was good for exercise accommodation! However, once we visited the cookhouse it quickly became obvious that we were on Eastern European soil; none of the cooks spoke English and the food was interesting to say the least!
Once the exercise got going, we had many lessons to go through and a fair
bit of PT, which was run by our company PTI, who put us through our paces. The Corporals prepared and delivered lessons from packing kit to the defence of harbour areas, which were a good refresher for all of us taking part in the exercise.
The exercise was a good experience for us all. We started by tabbing out 12km in marching order to occupy our first harbour area, which tested our physical ability and set in our minds what would be expected of us for the days ahead. Once inside
the woodblock we carried out our drills
as taught and occupied the harbour area before settling into routine. It was more enjoyable knowing there was an active enemy trying to find and attack us.
Ex THUNDERSTORM, Maj Ballard delivers orders to a multi national team team in Lithuania on Ex THUNDERSTORM
This led us into the
defensive phase where
we would defend
two buildings, crucial
to the main effort of
defending the air strip.
4 Platoon occupied the
northernmost building
and 5 Platoon occupied the southern. We built up the defences inside and dug more dummy positions around our building. We then built a model pit that gave us a good overview of the ground and allowed orders to be delivered for the mission ahead.
Late in the night 4 Platoon’s position came under attack from dismounted American forces and each assault was successfully repelled. These attacks included us luring the Americans into our
killing areas before engaging in intense close quarter fighting. 5 Platoon came under attack by a Stryker squadron along
with dismounts and
eventually we were ordered to withdraw to the main defensive
position. The wider battalion successfully repelled enemy advances and knew it would soon be our turn to strike back.
The next day we prepared for a counter attack on the airfield and once the recce section had prepared the route and
identified enemy locations, we advanced through the night to the FUP. Once H hour arrived, we quickly moved from our position and re-secured the airfield.
Overall the exercise was a good experience and a good opportunity for the lads to get to know each other better and bond a little more. It was the first overseas exercise for some of the soldiers and an invaluable experience. There was a large parade on the airstrip after the final attack ended where the Lithuanian Commander thanked us for fighting alongside their forces and the good job we had done.
After the post exercise admin had been completed, we went in to the local town to grab some food and have a local beer or two which was a great way to wind down from the last couple of weeks. We could now prepare to move to Cyprus.
Ex THUNDERSTORM, Multi- National Parade in Lithuania
The exercise was a good experience for us all.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE