Page 12 - MERCIAN Eagle 2019

Pl Comd: Lt Tim Moore
Pl Sgt: Sgt Angus/Sgt Dan Hutton Wr Sgt: Sgt Tristan Gardner
10
2 Platoon
The platoon started the year with the well-trodden armoured-infantry pilgrimage to south west Wales to complete pre- deployment training for Op CABRIT 4.
With many new arrivals from around the Battalion, and beyond, it was an excellent opportunity to break down barriers and get to know each other. Thanks to a shared loathing of Welsh winter weather and mashed potato in container meals, the platoon was quickly getting on like a house on fire. This came in handy as in no time
at all training escalated from ACMT’s, to dismounted company live fire and combined platoon attacks with Warrior. Three weeks later, with all training completed, the platoon took the journey back over the border for some well-deserved leave.
The end of February saw the first flights depart for Estonia. The excitement of deployment was dampened only slightly by the nightly lows of -12 degrees Celsius and the occasional
from the King’s Royal Hussars. Next into the fray were the Estonia Scouts Battalion in CV90’s. This IFV on IFV battle gave the crews a unique opportunity to put all their training into practice, and they did not disappoint. The next day brought a move 30 km to the west to defend just south
of the town of Johvi. This brought new challenges in the dense foliage quickly changing to open fields. The highlight of this phase was when the Platoon managed to find a Latvian Company still asleep in their sleeping bags. Suffice to say they were rudely awoken by the sounds of chain gun fire.
At the end of the exercise the platoon could look back with pride. In a challenging and ever-changing environment, they had bested opponents far greater than their number. They did themselves, the company and the battalion proud. Although it’s doubtful anyone will ever forget several farmers walking through a heated section attack, the ability to train on public land brought a whole new level of realism to what was a very enjoyable exercise.
Training opportunities were plentiful in Estonia; Ex URBAN
over two miles. The experience gained
on previous exercises proved vital in the disorientating landscape, but it’s fair to say that after the week many in the platoon didn’t want to see a tree for some time.
A great positive for the Platoon from Op CABRIT 4 was the ability to interact and
get to know our foreign colleagues. The Estonians are not the warmest of people and struggle with small talk which for a group of chatty Midlanders came as a bit
of a culture shock. However, courtesy of vehicle and equipment stands that we put on, we were soon able to break down those barriers with a good dose of kit perving.
For most of the Platoon’s time in Estonia our partners within the Battlegroup were French. The first opportunity to work with, what was then the French Foreign Legion, came on Ex GRENADIER SURVIVOR. Here the troops mixed in multinational groups, and after lessons, survived the night in
the wilderness with just their bivi bags. Here some important facts were learned: The Legion were better at killing chickens however were surpassed by far in the Mercians’ ability to smuggle in morale.
A great opportunity to learn more about our francophone friends came when the platoon was tasked with running British LFTT for a platoon of French soldiers. A handful of members from the platoon duly joined the Legion on the ranges, and while Cpl Browning struggled to translate “You’ve got a grouping the size of a bus” during zeroing, it ran smoothly. Those present learned a lot about the Legion’s famous ethos and professionalism while the French got to experience a more realistic shooting package than they are used to.
“All work and no play makes Batch a dull boy” and the platoon certainly took that to heart this year. While deployed every soldier went on some form of AT, be it kayaking on Estonia’s many lakes, biking through the forests or sailing around the islands. Trips included visits to Tallinn and the national war museum. A very interesting battlefield study at a WW2 battle site proved an opportunity to learn about the country’s turbulent
slip on the way to the
DFAC. Everyone was
pleasantly surprised
with the quality of the
facilities there with “Op
MASSIVE” and “Op
NETFLIX” becoming
viable alternatives to
going outside for the first few weeks.
Once all the platoon had arrived it was time to hit the ground, or more specifically the ice, running with a shakeout exercise on South Tapa Training Area. About 15 minutes into the training, after we had fought our way through the first Estonian wood block, we realized that Estonia was certainly different to anything we had experienced before.
The highlight of the exercise year, both for the Estonian Defence Forces and the men of 2 Platoon, was Ex SPRING STORM. This brought together over 16,000 troops from 18 nations to tussle it out over 100km of Estonian countryside to see who would be victorious. 2 Platoon’s role in the exercise, as part of A Company’s combat team, was to form 1st EST Brigades DELAY back westwards. Day one, the company was held in reserve as we all waited patiently to be called forward. Our Belgian colleagues were getting stuck into a combination of Estonian 2nd Bde and Polish Recce to
the south and so we were not required. Our first real day of action came on Day 2 where we were tasked with holding a vital crossroads to the south of Sinammae. Soon the Platoon was in the thick of the action, holding a narrow stretch of land from a Latvian Company Attack. The crews and dismounts worked in conjunction excellently and with the assistance of tanks
GRENADIER was
up next, which had
the Platoon travelling down to the south of the country in order to sweep up their OBUA skills. Serials included EMOE, simmunition and
live fire trench clearance although perhaps the most challenging aspect of the week was fighting off the mosquitos.
Next up was Ex GRENADIER SURVIVOR: a shared opportunity with the French Foreign Legion troops to practice some survival skills. Lessons in foraging, fire making, shelter building and trapping culminated in the main event. Dinner
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
Estonia was certainly different to anything we had experienced before
time meant chickens, and after an expert demonstration from an Estonian colleague in how to prepare the animal it was the Platoon’s turn to get amongst it. Performances varied from LCpl Lum and Gurung’s expert one
swing decapitation to
more novel approaches.
Fortunately, it turns out
the killing of poultry is
a great way to break
down barriers and the
platoon were soon
getting on famously with their French counterparts. After a refreshing night in a bivi bag it was time to bid a Brummy ‘au revoir’ to new friends and make our way across the area to the slightly less anticipated CBRN phase.
Ex GRENADIER LUMBERJACK had the platoon back in the forests this time to work on their FIWAF skills. The blank fire phase started small at section and individual level before culminating in a company clearance
history.
Sport also played
a big part in the Platoon’s year with many playing on behalf of the battlegroup. Several soldiers made significant contributions football team and Cpl
“All work and no play makes Batch a dull boy”
to the Battle Group
Goody trained Pte Noone and Pte Greener to impressive performances in the boxing team.
Away from camp many in the Platoon took it upon themselves to visit the region. There were trips to Finland, Tartu, Parnu and Latvia. Alongside this, many took the opportunity to hold stands in local towns. A great opportunity to meet locals and always treated with a Mercian smile.