Page 99 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

Ex SLIM’S STAND holds a particular place in Sandhurst lore as being one of the most mentally testing and physically demanding
exercises of the course. The culmination of the series of ‘Hateful Eight’ exercises during inters; it saw Officer Cadets from CC182 tested in defen- sive operations ranging from the initial digging in, standing patrols, and counter attacks against enemy positions.
OCdt Heath
Patrols’ to identify any enemy approaches in the Coy’s defensive blind spots. Monday night also saw enemy probing of our trenches. Other task- ing included the establishment of barbed wire defenses and a CBRN sentry position to give early warning of chemical attacks; the unlucky individual on sentry here was required to be in ‘4 Romeo’ i.e. full CBRN kit and respirator until relieved. Due to a miscommunication in stag
rotas, one particularly unlucky sen- try found himself in 4 Romeo for four hours straight!
The Tuesday saw us finish off the last defensive positions and a chance to get into some form of routine. That night we were given orders for a raid on an identified enemy position. Sleep depri- vation and fatigue began to kick in and
in darkness the raid was chaotic; however, over- all it was successful. Following the raid, we were given warning that we would be withdrawing the next day. However, the enemy pre-empted this with a chemical artillery attack simulated by loud explosions and DS menacingly patrolling with CS spray. As smoke grenades began popping
We departed Sandhurst early
Sunday morning and headed to
STANTA training ground in Thetford.
Having disembarked our coaches,
we tabbed to the area we would be
defending and began the laborious
process of digging all the required
trenches to Stage 3. The company
dug throughout the night into the
next day and once the correct depth and width had been dug, we installed the metal panels and wire that would keep the trenches from collaps- ing in on us and protect us from enemy mortars and artillery. With the lack of sleep beginning to set in, progress began to slow; this was made worse by the requirement to send out ‘Standing
Exercise SLIM’S STAND
That night
we were given orders for a raid on an identified enemy position.
The platoon commander assesses the best arcs of fire as he places his trenches
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