Page 18 - KRH Year of 2021 CREST

16 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
Return to Tidworth and the Sqn was almost immediately into a week of synthetic training in CATT, developing the tactical aspect of training on top of the technical training in Wales. As ever a chance to bring non-trained JNCOs into the turret there were promising signs from Cpls Hunter and Holliday, as the remain- der sharpened Sqn tactics, techniques and procedures. Cpl Hayes proved again that despite the setback of a thick West Country accent, Top Gun in the Sqn can still be achieved. The Sqn were also joined by 3rd Tp from B Sqn, under Lt Tom Maddison and Sgt Kev Murphy, a slick team although somewhat too fond of pres- sel time thanks to Cpls Shaun Robson-Cross and Julie Andrews. This was the last outing for Capt Jack Harcout leaving the role of C Sqn 2IC to become the Adjt at Pirbright, and ably replaced by Lt Will Howlett, who had been waiting in the wings. By now the summer was in full swing with the D’Arcy Hall sports competi- tion fought out keenly amongst the Sqns. Cpl Kay led the team to a resounding victory in the cricket, Lt Kendall found himself lost and ended up in the cross fit team though his efforts were bought out by the likes of the Tiff and Cpl Morell, and it was a real team effort to bring home the Athletics competition, that saw the Right of the Line take a clean sweep of the silverware. The heroes of track field swiftly turned their attention back to Armour as we prepared for our deployment on Ex CRIMSON THUNDER, a 1:1 BG exercise, alongside A Coy 1 R WELSH. This was an excel- lent week in the field, due to the significant resource provided by D Sqn’s irritatingly effective OPFOR and B Sqn’s keen eyed team of Observer Mentors. The exercise enabled the Sqn to roll out fully, with almost always a full Sqn of tanks, despite the Tiff ’s best efforts when he single handedly grounded the British Army’s CR2 fleet in a remarkable flap state over failing hydrogas suspension.
Thankfully the ASM was able to swiftly suppress ‘hydrogas-gate’ and return the tanks rolling gun front, with the Tiff assuring the OC that policy has been re-written as a result. Early Sqn tacti- cal successes, hitting rolling FUPs with A Coy were soon tem- pered with D Sqn slicing their way through the BG defences and ensuring lessons were being identified and learnt in quick time. It was around this time that Lt Kendall experimented with novel methods of felling trees, and swiftly became the Sqn’s Forlorn Hope. This did give Sgt McDonald a chance to redeem himself from ranges. Eventually D Sqns rampant tactical successes were repulsed and firmly reversed with the Sqn becoming proficient alongside A Coy, 3 AES, and Dragon Bty, and ready for the run in to AT packages and Summer Leave.
Autumn arrived and the main event – Ex IRON STORM 2. The 1:1 BG were deployed back to Castlemartin, this time within the setting of Atropia and conducting an RSOI package ahead of offensive operations. In reality this meant leaguring up in the pouring rain at the back of Range 4, before shifting location to the back of Range 9 and remaining equally wet. The live fire pack- age turned our normal experience of the range 90 degrees, with assaults and delay actions taking place on an West-East axis away from routes and off the beaten track. Best conducted at Tp and Coy level due to the tight arcs, the Sqn did attempt to manoeu- vre, however there were pit-falls in doing so – as the Sqn 2IC dis- covered. During a routine night move Lt Will Howlett moved through a bush but found himself perched precariously on the edge of a sink hole with the base of his hull the most visible part of the tank. Self, and Tp level recovery was unachievable, and a mammoth recovery began that saw Cpls Elliot, Morgan, and
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