Page 22 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

Exercise NORMANDY SCHOLAR
OCdt Tindall
Ex NORMANDY SCHOLAR is a significant milestone for all OCdts as it not only marks the end of the ‘hateful eight’ of Intermedi-
ate Term, but also the halfway point of the Com- missioning Course. Ordinarily, OCdts would find themselves on the beaches of Normandy learning about some of the resulting actions from Operation Overlord; however, due to the ‘unprecedented times’ that we are currently living through, the two-day exercise was con- ducted on the grounds of Sandhurst by the War Studies department.
From our marquees located a short distance from Robertson House, our first morning was spent studying the assault of Merville Battery on 6 June 1944 by 9 PARA, and the leadership and chal- lenges faced by their Commanding Officer, Lieu- tenant Colonel Otway. The study was designed to allow us to apply our study of the combat estimate to the scenarios faced by Otway, which proved to be a valuable learning experience for all OCdts involved. After a sequence of smaller case studies, we had the opportunity to plan the attack of the Battery itself, based on the limited resources which were available to Otway at the time. Coupled with the mock-up of the Battery on the fields behind Robertson House (complete with an L118 Light Gun brought in by the Royal Artillery), this provided us an insight to the chal- lenge faced by Otway and his men.
Following this, our next point of study was the immediate aftermath of the British assault of Gold beach on D-Day. Using a detailed model provided by the War Studies department, we were given scenarios and tasked with establish- ing the best course of action for each. Not only did this give us a glimpse of the challenges faced by junior officers on the beaches during D-Day, but it also gave us an insight into the complexity
which we could be faced with as junior officers on future operations.
The final day of the exercise was focused on the defence of St-Pierre village, with an accompa- nying 3D model. This allowed us to consolidate our knowledge of the defensive operations we had learnt a few days prior on Ex SLIMS STAND and apply it to a real event from history. As we worked through the case studies using our com- bat estimate, we were able to see how our plans compared to the events that transpired and adapt them accordingly as we were given more and more information about the events of the day.
For the final part of the exercise, we were treated to a display from the British Military Museum in the Indian Army Memorial Room, showcasing the weapons and equipment which were used at the time. It was a fascinating insight to see how these weapon systems compared to our modern day SA80 rifles, and how the webbing of old compared to our issue VIRTUS – I think it is fair to say that we left the IAMR feeling very grateful for the webbing and combat boots that we were issued with!
The goal of the exercise was to consolidate our understanding of offensive and defensive opera- tions, as well as assess the importance of lead- ership within the tactical scenarios provided. In such proximity to Remembrance Sunday, this was a poignant reminder of the seriousness that the repercussions of our leadership decisions will have in our careers. Given the challenges caused by COVID-19 to training, it is a credit to the War Studies department that they were able to provide an engaging and mentally stimulating learning experience for us all, for whom every- one was able to take many meaningful learning points away from the exercise.
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