Page 32 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022 CREST

CC213 Exercise
NORMANDY
SCHOLAR
OCdt Hall
Having been long-awaited by OCdts as a dif- ferent way to spend the end of the week, Ex NORMANDY SCHOLAR began. The open-
ing serial commenced with a problem based on the attack on Merville Battery on D-Day: where do we drop? Using maps of the area, defences at the time, and the historic orders, we used the information to plan out the opening stages of the operation in syndicates, intent on landing our paratroopers and kit in what we believed was the ideal location. Inexperience in planning air- borne assaults aside, it was interesting to see that most groups picked the same location as was used in real life, demonstrating the lack of choice planners had in this operation.
Unspoken dress code of Barbour donned, we travelled to the South coast for the field por- tion. The first serial of the exercise focused on the attacks of 9 Para on the Merville battery in the early hours of D-Day. We began with a trip to Portsmouth to look at the mock battery posi- tions that had been created as a replacement for the usual trip to France to see the actual battery. This first day posed a variety of differ- ent problems that were faced by commanders during the operation. These problems came in many forms and focused on all areas of fighting power. Again, it was interesting to see that the decisions made by the OCdts, when faced with these complex issues, were the same as those made by commanders on D-Day. This gave reassurance to the OCdts as they could make a comparison between their training in current day, to those of junior officers in 1944. It is clear to see that the framework regarding leadership and making decisions as junior officers has not changed since the Second World War. The serial was of particular use to the OCdts as it not only gave them a chance to face actual problems that their predecessors have overcome. It was also a chance to reflect on the hardships of leadership and difficult decisions when operating in a com- plex and diverse battlefield, such as Normandy.
The second phase examined the landings of the XXX Corps on Gold Beach on 06 Jun 1944. The OCdts followed the path of a British infan- try battalion from the immediate landing all the way up to securing the first objective. This action was broken down into several problems where the OCdts considered what one could do when faced with such critical decisions. The first phase covered the initial assault on the beach bunker and the final problem covered clearing occupied houses to the rear of the beach position. The OCdts also received a brief from 17 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC on the logistics of beach landings. This proved to be extremely interest- ing, and the OCdts went away with a good understanding of what is required to enable such a complex operation. The OCdts also received a brief from an academic on British amphibious landing doctrine which involved some interesting discussions on the South China Sea.
The next day we were based in Southwick House, which is within the grounds of the Defence College of Policing and Guarding, where the first serial was based around Hill 112. Hill 112 was the name given to an important area of high ground that was located near Caen in Normandy. Recapturing this hill from the Ger- mans was an important part of Operation Jupiter, which took place between 10th-11th July 1944 due to its strong advantage of overlooking Caen. On the evening of 10th July 1944, around 380 soldiers from the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infan- try (DCLI) launched an attack up Hill 112. The fighting was vicious and after eventually reaching the top of the hill and gathering in a wood (later known as Cornwall Wood) faced 12 German counter attacks going on through the night. After 19 hours of fighting, 250 soldiers from the DCLI
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