Page 62 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

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Anti-Tanks 2018
2018 has been a varied year for The Anti- Tank Platoon, from evading the hunter
force during escape and evasion, through to conventional Anti-tanking on the cadre, right up to a short notice deployment on Op TORAL.
and sheep shearing, the farmers would provide the patrols with a hearty meal and a comfortable night’s sleep.
Onion Ranges was an excellent opportunity to do some platoon level training in preparation for the Company exercise; as well as fire HMG, GPMG SF & NLAW, which can be difficult to do back in the UK. The Company level exercise was
on the very remote and uninhabited Weddle Island, which was a great experience, with a chinook pick up after the final position had been taken.
LFTT gave a chance to really hone our basic skills. The first
The Anti-tank (Javelin) cadre, was spread over 3 weeks. It started off teaching Javelin basic handling before advancing
on to simulated firing on the indoor trainer and more continuation under the Section Commanders. PT played a big part of the cadre, particularly ‘Heavy Carries’; as a missile and CLU weighs in at 24kg. The AFV (armoured fighting
vehicle) recognition
test came before the
final exercise, where
each detachment
conducted an ambush
and operated within the
platoon context.
The deployment to The Falkland Islands (Op FIRIC) was not only a great experience but allowed a few people to tick somewhere else off their travel list!
There were three main tasks: QRF, patrols and platoon level training. The patrol tasking was the most interesting as sections got
to go out, meet locals, visit land owners
and really experience the Islands. In
return for doing a few small jobs such
as: building fences, cleaning cattle barns
week saw the Platoon work up from pairs fire-and-manoeuvre to section attacks. The snow came in
to provide a testing
environment particularly for the AFT, nevertheless the platoon dug
in blind to top off what was a good week of training.
The Escape and Evade exercise saw members of the Platoon having to get to a designated location and complete several tasks, without being detected.
Pairs were allowed a daysack containing: food, water, warm kit and a letter explaining the exercise. No mobiles or money were permitted on the exercise. Everyone was
LFTT gave a chance to really hone our basic skills.
Taking in the stunning Falkland Islands scenery whilst out on patrol
Testing conditions during LFTT in Brecon
Gunner’s eye view waiting for the enemy armour
dropped off in Sheffield at 0730 and told they needed to be in Kidderminster at 2200. Having visited three other locations en- route: Chesterfield, Derby and Stafford.
Public transport was the easiest way
to move around and most of the drivers/ conductors where happy to help. But having no money did prove to be quite challenging at times, meaning people had to think outside the box. Each location had a series of tasks, ranging in difficulty: from getting a local newspaper or a free meal, to taking a picture with someone and get them to text it in; they were all worth points towards the overall competition. All the while being chased by the hunter force.
Every group made it to Kidderminster, but no team manged to complete every challenge. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, which was both tiring and challenging, but very rewarding.
All of this variety was great preparation for the Platoon to deploy at short notice
as part of the Lead Company Group on
Op TORAL to provide the NATO General Officer Personal Security Detail in Kabul. A tour on which they gave a superb account of themselves. A good year for the platoon, now ready to make the most of their time in Cyprus.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE