Page 14 - MERCIAN Eagle 2019

Hours in Estonia:
5,760
Estonian meals eaten:
720
Kilometres walked to the vehicle sheds:
9,600
Hours on exercise:
1,680
Average no. of rounds fired per man on exercise:
42,000
Hours of vehicle maintenance:
1,920
Kilometres covered in Warrior:
21,000
Average no. of hours in the Gym:
610
Stairs climbed in the accommodation:
57,600
Steps walked in camp alone:
2,380,000
12
Pl Comd: Pl Sgt: Wr Sgt:
Lt Adam Keenan Sgt Phil Gilham Sgt Richard Doyle/ Sgt Jamie Groom
3 Platoon
3 Platoon began the year at Castlemartin Ranges, conducting their PDT for Op CABIRT which commenced in late February. Op CABRIT was a real challenge for all ranks, not only due to its length of deployment but more so the intensity, complexity and variety of training that was conducted.
Exercises were frequently conducted in Urban, FIWAF and Conventional scenarios, each time stepping up the tempo to provide a constant test for exercising troops. The output from this training saw the soldiers and commanders alike, grow into more confident and capable operators across a range of environments. 3 Platoon took the opportunity to conduct realistic, challenging and diverse training. The training was well resourced, thought-out and progressive, which saw the platoon develop hugely across the eight-month period. Although the tour was long, it had its benefits: the terrain in which we worked and trained in changed drastically over the months. This allowed us to experience how we would fight on the ground we were training on, in pretty much every weather condition. An opportunity that is rare in the UK.
The size and type of exercising troops varied from exercise to exercise, ensuring soldiers and commanders could hone
their skills working at Battlegroup to
Section level, co-operating with the Royal Engineers, Kings Royal Hussar’s, Royal Signals EW Troop, Royal Artillery and foreign nations including: the Estonian Defence Force, French Foreign Legion, Latvian Army, Canadian Battlegroup in Latvia and the American Battlegroup in Poland. Section/ Platoon Commanders had the opportunity and resources to conduct their own training. Exercising at Section to Battlegroup level in Warrior or on light role exercises regularly has seen this Platoon become very well drilled and perhaps the most current Armoured Infantry unit in the British Army today.
Working with foreign nations was not
only great exposure but brought interesting points to the fore. Commanders had the opportunity to discuss low-level tactics, doctrine and principles while soldiers got hands on foreign nations’ weapon systems and equipment. Working with some of our NATO allies brought about key learning points for interoperability, from tactical movement to communication. It was encouraging to see many of the tactics and procedures were similar and refreshing to discuss different philosophies that governed how our allies operate.
3 Platoon has trained extremely hard over the last year in Estonia but also managed to
Sporting success in an Estonian national football competition
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
squeeze in some down time. Soldiers took their opportunities to travel Eastern Europe using Operational Stand Down weekends in Tallinn, Parnu, Tartu, Helsinki and Riga
to name but a few. The platoon spent one weekend in Rummu: an underwater Soviet Prison which was built in a quarry. Being deployed away for such a long time as a complete unit not only meant training could be conducted regularly
These few stats offer some insight into the amount of work 3 Platoon conducted
in Estonia and paint a picture to illustrate the amount of training time the Platoon has had to grow as a unit. Now back in the UK, 3 Platoon are enjoying some well earnt post operational tour leave before beginning its training cycle involving BATUS in 2020 and PDT for Op TORAL, Afghanistan, in 2021.
but social occasions could be organised to greater enhance team cohesion.
The training was well resourced, thought-out and progressive, which saw the platoon develop hugely
A Company’s PTIs
took advantage of this
fact and organised
regular PT and
sporting competitions.
The company and
platoon competed in Section level sporting competitions including Football, Volleyball, CrossFit and Cycling. The KRH Battlegroup also managed to field several mixed
cap badges teams, notably the Football Team winning the Sohvik Cup in a local Tournament.
The variety of training and experiences, whether professional or sporting or social, are hard to quantify. But what is easier to put into numbers are some of the things the Platoon has experienced daily: