Page 31 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

Ex Mayan Warrior – B Coy May-June 2017
In early May, 150 Rfn based around B Company deployed to the jungles of Belize for Exercise MAYAN WARRIOR. The exercise started with a week-long RSOI package at the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) in Price Barracks. This phase covered the basics of living and ghting in the jungle from putting up a hammock to jungle contact drills. Furthermore, it allowed the Ri emen to acclimatise to the humidity and heat which was rarely below 30 degrees. After a few days of cultural visits to Mayan ruins, the Belize zoo as well as a day of community engagement at a local orphanage, the Company completed RSOI with the crossing of a croc-infested lake!
The basic phase took place in Manatee training area and was centred around navigation, tactics and survival. The carrying of heavy bergans, attacking at the crawl and the searing heat proved a shock to the system for many Ri emen. The slaughter of a pig on survival also proved a bit too much for one of the Platoon Serjeants! However, this initial arduous phase set the Platoons up well for the next part after a brief admin day back in Price Barracks. The Platoon exercise phase came next, involving close target recces, an ambush along a riverbed, a meeting engagement, and a camp attack onto an area known as Jurassic Park. This was without doubt a highlight of the exercise as the attack involved an advance through a bat-inhabited cave system to an FUP, huge pre-H hour res, tree sentries and a booby-trapped bridge.
The second half of the exercise commenced with Live Firing Tactical Training. The ranges were built up from instinctive, CQB and individual shoots to four-man contact drills and Section attacks. These proved invaluable for improving low level skills and marksmanship, as well as command, commu- nication and control for junior NCOs. The live re phase culminated in a Platoon camp attack, which itself had tree sentries and a shoot-through building involving judgemental shoots to avoid shooting hostages – proving a worthy challenge for the Ri emen. With the CO and RSM looking on, the phase proved what a physical and mental challenge the jungle can be to operate in, and certainly tested Ri emen to their limits.
After almost three weeks in the jungle, the nal exercise was upon us. For this phase, we
deployed to the 1963 Line training area, which can be best described as the Brecon of Belize due to the sheer slopes and unrelenting rain. These factors made a long-term ambush particularly unpleasant and had Ri emen longing for RnR, especially so when one Platoon was contacted whilst lling up water from a river, which only led to more tabbing. Finally following some intensive recces and a night on overwatch, a platoon sequential attack on three enemy camps proved a worthy nal attack before a TCV to some river pools for a wash and an exercise photo.
2Lt Charles Bromhead, B Coy
THE SLAUGHTER OF A PIG ON SURVIVAL ALSO PROVED
A BIT TOO MUCH FOR ONE OF THE PLATOON SERJEANTS!
THE RIFLES
FIRST BATTALION 29
Sjt Pascoe and team conduct river crossing in Belize
Cpl Cave and his Section suppress enemy during a jungle camp attack
B Coy in Belize at EndEx