Page 21 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

The weeks spent marching around camp were aided by C Squadron’s own Sgt Crate, and Cpls Weir and Chilvers barking timings and doing their best to ensure that the Squadron put its best foot forward marching down The Mile, which turned out to be a splendid day enjoyed by all who were there – as were the great fes- tivities in the respective messes afterwards.
Little could the Squadron blink as three weeks later they had their bergens packed once again and they were on the coaches down to Brize Norton, flying out to Oman to act as OPFOR on Ex KHANJAR OMAN. Due to the imminent arrival of James Champion into this world, OC OPFOR duties were taken up by Capt Walpole (one of C Squadron’s own back in the heady days of CABRIT). The deployment began with a few rather dry weeks of doing acclimatisation PT, which consisted of walking around in circles in different states of dress, and taking over, and camouflaging, our new white pickup trucks. We then started getting our mindset into the world of the insurgency, swapping out
our MPT and doctrine for beige boiler-suits and RPGs. Out in the desert we got to know our AO very well and, like all good insurgencies, were able to use that to our advantage by conducting several good delays and ambushes. The crux of our missions came from defending two compounds that had been constructed out of ISO containers. At each, successful deception and flanking helped delay the advancing western hordes, although the end result was always inevitable. The pipes of Tprs Clarke and McGowan played loy- ally and defiantly throughout, bringing the power of the highlands deep into the desert for the clichéd first light attacks. The final task ahead of C Squadron was to put on a show by dying in a piece of combat theatre for the Defence Secretary and a vast number of Omani dignitaries as they signed off the area as suitable for the training of British Troops. The final few weeks in Oman saw C Squadron conduct various forms of AT and cultural visits before flying home to Brize Norton.
EAGLE AND CARBINE 19
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