Page 21 - Mercian Eagle Year of 2023

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Cpl Green attempts to FIND the RTR BG
Forests) for a full day. My greatest memory however will remain of the Company destroying four Danish LEOPARD 2 main battle tanks and 14 CV90s during a 4 hour delay. In that ‘battle,’ through an excellent surveillance and target acquisition plan worked up by Capt Barney Blackstone, and well sited positions by Lt Alex Salter and
Lt Pete Millward, our troops demonstrated that (albeit only with lasers) it is the soldier who thinks best and acts fastest who will win.
Our last big task as a Company was to deploy again to Germany, and this time
to Altmark training area to again act as enemy for the 1 R WELSH BG. This time
we were ready from the off. Lt Tom Jarrett, ably advised by Sgts Jeavons and Evans, delayed an entire battlegroup for about 6 hours – they had thought that he had a whole company. He had only 3 WARRIORS. Developed by Cpl Cox, private soldiers stepping up as both section commanders and section 2ICs were directing artillery fire on to the R WELSH with devastating effect. A constant joy on all of these exercises
was hearing Sgt Whitaker on the radio net
– never has a man been quite so excitable to engage and destroy targets as he. Even WO2 (CSM) Coates was driving forward (very slowly in his BULLDOG) to get some NLAW (Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon) action at times. The highlight however was training in the huge town sized urban operations facility at Altmark. There we managed to degrade the R WELSH
BG to as low as 30% combat effectiveness through some particularly clever (even if I do say so myself) strong point defence and
Cpl Stead in the last bound
outstanding mission command from junior commanders.
Somewhere in all of that we also found time to march through Chester – the main driver for this being WO2 (CSM) Coates’ bizarre obsession with foot drill.
In my final submission to the Eagle as OC B (Malta) Company, I must thank those who have served the Company so well. Thanks to Lt Tom Jarrett and Lt Pete Millward who have moved on to command the anti-
tank platoon and to train junior soldiers at Harrogate respectively. Both served their Platoons with the deepest commitment. Thanks to CSgt Saunders, who created a genuine ethos of excellence in 6 Platoon and is now HQ Coy CQMS. Thanks to Sgt Whitaker for his humour when we were challenged and professionalism on the tank park – I’ve no doubt he’ll be press ganging half of the North West to join the Army in his next role. Thanks to Sgt Doyle who has been the quintessential Platoon Sergeant and grafted to the last minute of his service
Major Onion briefs a cunning plan
– we wish him well in Dubai (lucky sod!). And thanks most of all to WO2 (CSM) Coates, WO2 (WSM) Goodwin and Capt Barney Blackstone who have served to lead the soldiers of B (Malta) Company in the greatest traditions of the Regiment.
This role has been a profound joy – I’ve been able to see first-hand the development of our brother and sister Mercians when they are challenged. I’ll leave it to my Platoon Commanders to tell you more.
B (Malta) Company in snowy Sennelager, Feb 2023
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
LCpl Followell trains his gunner on to another Danish CV90