Page 54 - Light Dragoons 2022 CREST

After receiving the news that The Jungle Warfare Instructor Course (JWIC) had been officially cancelled, I found myself at very short notice travelling down to the Infantry Battle School (IBS) to attend the infamous Platoon Sergeants Battle Course (PSBC).
PSBC is a landmark career course for the infantry. It is regarded as a tough course designed to qualify individuals as compe- tent Platoon Sergeants and is seen as their rite of passage in an Infantry Battalion. With my place now secure after initially travelling down as a reserve, I looked for- ward to the next eight weeks of experienc- ing how the infantry do business.
The first two weeks of the course is the con- ceptual phase. After meeting my Platoon and Section, the banter started and I was referred to as a ‘Tankie,’ almost immi- nently. What I found amusing was that the armoured infantiers were more ‘Tankie’ than I had ever been. With humour, I cor- rected their misconceptions with a brief description of what the Light Cavalry do and our role at the front, in fact, further in front of any infantry unit. Nevertheless, ‘Tankie’ would remain for the duration of the course. Day one commenced with an opening address, followed by a written mil- itary knowledge test and MATTS assess- ments. After a night navigation, I was truly grateful to be back in the accommodation after a long day for a few hours sleep. The remainder of the week was predominately spent sitting in lectures on Platoon tactics and the Combat Estimate. With the first week nearly over and the hope of being in a tropical environment completely shat- tered, the realisation of being on a winter tactics course quickly sank in as the wind and rain battered against my body whilst crossing the finish line of the Brecon two-miler.
After a short-lived weekend of revision and kit preparation, I was back in the classroom at 0730 glancing out of the window into the darkness. This was going to be another long week. The notorious three miler began with a brutal incline up X range hill that should not be underestimated, as your lungs feel as though they are being ripped out with barbed wire. A challeng- ing event, finishing fourth overall and a bitter pill to swallow for some of the infan- try who had believed they had just been beaten by a ‘Tankie’. With the weekend in sight, Ex Practac was the final summative assessment for the conceptual phase. This consists of two three-hour assessments, to assess your ability of applying the Combat Estimate as a Platoon Commander and ability in producing a detailed Combat
Service Support paragraph as a Platoon Sergeant.
Over the weekend, all individuals had to write a detailed set of orders for Ex Hard Pounding, in the anticipation of being selected at random by the DS for the first command appointment. Week three was the beginning of offensive operations and would assess individuals through a mix- ture of both deliberate and hasty attacks at Platoon level prior to progressing onto a final Company attack at the end of the week. Ex Hard Pounding is aptly named, and my knees suffered the full force.
Week four was focused on urban and live firing. Initially, my Platoon began the week clearing buildings in Cellini village under the direction of guest instructors from Hereford. We then would receive demonstrations of different methods of entry and the different dogs available to an Infantry Platoon. The remainder of the week consisted of an interesting defensive case study on Musa Qala, lessons on clear- ing trenches and preparation ranges prior to conducting LFTT. Ex Green Dragon was a live firing Platoon attack, which I spent the majority of submerged in a river with cold feet, but as the attack was finally coming to an end, the Platoon Sergeant in appointment was consolidating his casual- ties and I was elated when he detailed me off to carry a stretcher. Now out of the river and moving, I was massively content to be getting the sensations back in my toes.
Ex Rock Bottom is the defensive phase on week five of the course and is predomi- nantly spent constructing and living in trenches. I was selected for my Platoon Command appointment for an ambush, and the pressure was now on as time was of the essence to write and deliver a detailed set of orders before the Platoon had to set off. After the final rehearsals and kit
checks, 1 Platoon set off into the cold, wet night to conduct an ambush. Once in posi- tion, and after the ambush being sprung, we extracted back for a debrief from the DS and a swift hand over of command appointments. The DS who had a plethora of experience, would routinely critique after every appointment, providing both sustain and development points. The Platoon Commander and Sergeant would then be grilled on their individual skills and drills. After a long week of sleep dep- rivation, I was relieved when the weekend arrived to get some rest and prepare for the week ahead.
After travelling to Caerwent, week six was the beginning of the urban phase where I conducted my Platoon Sergeant appoint- ment. This week went extremely quickly and before I knew it, I was already on Salisbury Plain. Here began the final exer- cise which was an accumulation of eve- rything that had been learnt during the course. After returning to IBS, the remain- ing days disappeared quickly. Final inter- views were conducted like a scene out of Dragon’s den and after the course photo, just like that, PSBC was officially com- plete. I was now looking forward to getting home for some well-deserved Christmas leave.
Looking back on the course, PSBC was a great experience in which I learnt a lot. I met some excellent individuals and now have a greater understanding of how the Platoon Sergeant and Commander operate within a Platoon and Company context. Although PSBC has a reputation of being a tough course, I believe the key to success is a good pre course, ensuring you are physi- cally robust and with a good attitude you won’t go far wrong.
SS
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Platoon Sergeants Battle Course (PSBC) Tactics 2102
52