Page 74 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

72 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
Ex CENTAURE CHALLENGE 2022
First mooted in early February, Maj Lambert recruited a cross regimental team based on the requirements gleaned from a ‘google translate’ of a previous year’s French exercise instruction:
a method of preparation he will not be using again. A brief train- ing camp consisting of abseiling, rope climbing, combat PT and various cardiovascular exercises narrowed a squad of 25 down to the competing team of eight, plus two reserves who would act as drivers during the competition.
As the Regiment thankfully extracted itself from DEFENDER and the dusty embrace of TAA Alligator, the team drove 1,500km south to the small mountain village of Modane, home to the Groupement Aguerrissement Montagne (Mountain Warfare School) of the French Army to compete in Centaure Challenge: a French mountain patrols competition. Tantalisingly close to Val Thorens, but with none of the creature comforts, the team were issued a full suite of French climbing equipment and, thanks to the hard work of Cpl Cebula – a fluent French speaker, were instructed in its use.
After a nervous night, the team lined up to complete the seeding event: a circuit of various activities around the camp which would dictate our starting time that afternoon. Full of enthusiasm we set off, completing squats, burpees, a log run with the largest log any of the team had ever seen and a rope climb, all set around a 1km course within the barracks. Despite some linguistic frictions the team excelled, placing third and securing an early start: ensuring more daylight for that afternoon’s activities.
Arriving at the start point the team was kit checked, and duly dis- patched off into the mountains. Self-navigating (sans GPS) from a French map (without a scale or grid lines) the checkpoints were rapidly ticked off, and the team arrived at the biathlon range in high spirits. Here the dangers of Google translate were discov- ered: instead of penalty laps for each missed shot, the firer would spend a minute in the ring “kicking fists or English boxing”. 2Lt Susy Watts took the opportunity to land a cracking right hook on the jaw of a French 2* General, Sgt Kingston was repeatedly kicked in the head by a French national team kickboxer, Capt Will Barrell repeatedly apologised to his opponent each time he was punched and Tpr Whyte suffered through three agonising minutes of pain. Maj Lambert, SSgt Feeney and LCpl Lawrence had never been so relieved to score 100% on a shoot.
Walking away from the range the team were nursing bruised jaws, ribs and egos. However, spirits were high: we had accounted for ourselves well, with 2Lt Watts’ violence being noted by all who witnessed it. It was at this point that Sgt Kingston remembered he’d been tricked into completing Cambrian Patrol in 2011 by
The team: Capt Barrell, our French LO, Cpl Cebula, SSgt Feeney, Sgt Kingston, Tpr Whyte, Maj Lambert, 2Lt Watts and LCpl Lawrence
Poor life choices
2Lt Watts fighting a French General
(then) 2Lt Lambert, and loudly remonstrated against this “con- tinental reshow”.
Moving up into a (closed) ski resort, the team worked through more military stands: Rappelling off a cliff whilst carrying a full bergan, climbing back up the cliff under via-ferrata style arrange- ments (still with the bergan on your back), a French military knowledge (not our forte) and finally a map reading assessment. The team were quite simply superb: scoring 100% on the map reading, although it must be said that our knowledge of the 7th (Mountain) French Brigade was abysmal.
By the time we bivvi’ed up for the night we’d covered around 30km up and down some stunning scenery, and gratefully tucked into our rations. The jury is still out on if the French or British rations were preferable.
French logs are somewhat bigger