Page 44 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022

Exercise DYNAMIC VICTORY Spring Term
OCdt Dowley
Exercise DYNAMIC VICTORY is the cul- mination of everything OCdts have learnt throughout their time at Sandhurst. Con-
ducted in Germany, the two-week package starts with Live Fire Tactical Training (LFTT), before transitioning into the main exercise which consists of both rural and urban phases.
Our introduction to LFTT started with an Individual Close Quarter Battle lane, which involved mov- ing through a woodblock whilst firing at targets which popped up along the way. It was exhila-
DYNAMIC VICTORY. It was during this stage that we would face the American OPFOR, in role as South Ostremek Separatists. Infamous tales about the Americans outflanking and killing off entire platoons made us apprehensive, but we were willing to take on the task. Broken down into three phases, two rural and one urban, Blenheim Company were thrown straight into the exercise, starting with an eleven hour advance to contact. It was during this action that we started to under- stand how difficult the terrain was compared to places we had trained before. Steep hills slowed our section attacks and made it more challeng-
rating to live fire on the move for
The lane ended with what felt like
an enormously long (probably only
ten metres) leopard crawl up to the
final position; from there we fixed
bayonets and posted grenades.
This was an excellent start to the
week and excited us for the next
stages of live firing. We spent the rest of the few days conducting fire team and section attacks, which focused our skills and brought home the importance of situational awareness when firing and manoeuvring. We were fortunate enough to undertake night shoots as a section with GPMG fire simulating fire support. Watching the red tracer and illum go up at night added an element we had not yet experienced and impressed upon us the realities of fighting at night.
After conducting extensive live to blank checks, we transitioned into the exercise phase of Ex
the first time.
ing for commanders to gain accurate battle pictures. Although faced with these new difficulties, we success- fully cleared kilometres of woodblock and secured the area. The following few days consisted of tight planning cycles, putting OCdts under con-
siderable time pressure whilst delivering their plans. Our company actions throughout the rural phase involved ambushes, deliberate attacks, and raids to name a few, and it was great to see the dynamics of a company attack at play. Our final attack in the rural phase involved a brutal assault up a very steep hill which saw the com- pany becoming ineffective as sections were suppressed by GPMGs. The assault on the final position was saved by OCdt Bowler who, along with the only remaining member of his section, leopard crawled through a gorse bush and up
It was exhilarating to live fire on the move for the first time.
42 SANDHURST