Page 12 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

10 EAGLE AND CARBINE
Sqn QDG to the US Army Joint Readiness Training Centre at Ft Polk, Louisiana for Ex RATTLESNAKE. He was able to assist them in their development and training as an Observer Controller and brought back a number of valuable lessons that would assist us in our own training.
After some well-earned Easter leave the preparations for Ex WESSEX STORM ramped up with final checks of equipment and top up training taking place before the Regiment deployed at the start of May. SHQ sup- ported BGHQ in their CAST whilst a party led by the Tiffy and Tech Sgt deployed to Warminster to col- lect additional Jackal and Coyote platforms from the Land Training Fleet. The remainder of the squadron deployed under the control of 104 Log Bde, the first ele- ment of their validation as part of a WESSEX STORM simultaneously training 3 battlegroups from different brigades. The SCOTS DG Battle Group formed up at Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Norfolk ready to begin the BG-led training phase of the exercise. In amongst live firing and fine tuning our low-level skills, the squadron undertook an ambitious exercise to recce a 30km wide corridor from Norwich back to STANTA, seeking out viable routes for follow on forces in a ‘real world’ environment. This exercise demonstrated that movement cross-country can’t be achieved, civil- ian traffic has a vote in maintaining troop balance, and comm’s range is often truly stretched. It proved incredibly demanding, particularly from a command and control perspective, but identified a number of areas in which we were able to apply attention to prior to the validation of the BG on Salisbury Plain.
The culmination of the STANTA based phase was the Regimental Troop Test which saw Lt Beatty and Sgt Williams’ Second Troop clinch the title of ‘Best Troop’. The sight of Lt Beatty and newly badged sniper LCpl McCarthy appearing from a river bottom caked head- to-toe in thick black mud having completed a fire mis- sion onto an enemy objective typified the efforts put in by all of the troops and we were fortunate to be able to celebrate with a squadron smoker prior to our depar- ture to Salisbury Plain.
The early force-on-force missions and the CALFEX of Ex WESSEX STORM were perhaps the highlight of the exercise for the squadron, operating at reach and pace with tangible results. Hard lessons were learnt at every level and we moved into the BG validation con- fident in our ability to support BGHQ. The pace of the exercise was, understandably, somewhat slower than the independent sub-unit missions as the BG found its feet and wrestled with the complexity of operating in a brigade context alongside 1 R IRISH. Once valida- tion of the BG had been achieved the complexity of the missions stepped up, fully integrating the actions of both units in a demanding brigade defensive opera- tion. Following a helicopter insertion, A Sqn deployed six OPs along the forward edge of the brigade battles- pace to provide an indication of the enemy force’s axis of advance towards the main defensive area. Notably Lt Snowball, guided by Cpl Blair, managed to get into a position some 5 metres from the Comd Offr of the OPFOR and relay his orders back through SHQ to BGHQ and the Bde; stellar concealment draw- ing much praise from the Bde Comd. Ex WESSEX
Cpl Sokia & LCpl Merrick fire JAVELIN