Page 11 - 1RHA 2024

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
B Battery Lieutenant H Knight RHA
BBattery has had another extremely busy year, having spent most of our time deployed on Op CABRIT 13-14. The Bat- tery’s recent return to the UK marks the culmination of a
challenging and rewarding nine-month deployment in Estonia.
With our six-month tour on Op CABRIT extended to nine months at relatively short notice, the Battery followed on from successful pre-deployment training in Germany last spring. We deployed to Estonia in September 2023 alongside the 1RRF Battle Group as part of NATO Forward Land Forces aligned to the 1st Estonian Brigade. The Guns would be in for the long haul, bridging the gap between the 1RRF and 5 RIFLES Battle Groups, covering the first three months of Op CABRIT 14 before handing over to the Chestnut Troop Gun Group in June 2024. B Battery and Chestnut Tac Groups would conduct their handover in March 2024, with B Battery Tac returning to hold the fort in the UK for what would promise to be an equally busy time.
After some much-needed summer leave, the time had eventually come to deploy on what we had been training for—Op CABRIT 13 and the crucial role of reinforcing NATO’s deterrence posture on its Eastern flank. Upon arrival in Estonia, the Battery settled in quickly, taking over accounts, guns, and vehicle fleets with typical speed and professionalism. Over the ensuing months, the Bat- tery deployed on numerous exercises—mostly in intensely cold weather—testing us in various ways: fighting alongside foreign nations, manoeuvring across unfamiliar and demanding terrain, and providing effective close artillery support to the Battle Group. Throughout the deployment, the troops faced diverse and rig- orous conditions. From the biting cold of the almost permanent Estonian winter to demanding live-fire exercises, B Battery dis- played incredible resilience and adaptability. The Battery par- ticipated in multinational training operations requiring seamless integration with allied forces as well as demanding the effective- ness of our capabilities.
After a brief settling-in period—a whirlwind of G4—the Battery was eager to get out onto the training area for the first integra- tion exercise, Ex BOLD FUSILIER. The goal was to test the Battle Group’s readiness and ability to fight in Estonia’s densely forested terrain. For the Battery, it was a chance to put the hard work and preparation carried out back in the balmy German Spring to the test. The exercise went very well and the Battery performed to a high standard alongside over 900 troops and 250 vehicles from the French Army and the 1st EST Bde.
November saw the winter drawing ever closer. The nights drew in, trips to the cookhouse became ever the more perilous and berets were swapped for extreme cold weather hats. Most importantly, we continued to build on our training for the colder months ahead. Soon enough the Battery carried out its first live firing since Castlemartin on Ex CHEQUERED STRIKE, a live-fire exercise conducted with great enthusiasm despite the freezing conditions. Additionally, members of B Battery Tac Group were
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