Page 87 - The Bugle Autumn 2016 Issue 12

Battle eld Tour to Normandy
Over two days in late October 15, the battalion conducted a battle eld tour to Normandy, following the progress of two of our antecedent regiments, 4th Battalion The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and 8th Battalion The Ri e Brigade through the 1944 battle eld of Op BLUECOAT. Through a series of tactical discussions standing on the Normandy battle elds, we considered the tactical problems that had been encoun- tered during the break out from the beaches and then discussed how we would operate today. At the end of each stand, with the support of the Defence Academy historian Dr Jonathan Fennell, we listened to how it actually happened and learnt from the actions of our predecessors. The study was organised by Bertie Basset and was attended by formed teams drawn from across the battlegroup, one made up from the battalion headquarters (with attached personnel from the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers) and one from each company involving platoon commanders, serjeants, section commanders and a handful of senior ri emen. As a battle- group ahead of Exercise WESSEX STORM,
the study gave us a very useful opportunity to re ect on the considerable challenges faced by our antecedent regiments during Op BLUECOAT, to really think about our modern day mechanised infantry tactics, and also to conduct some valuable development of commanders at all levels.
Maj Bertie Basset, OC R Company
Analysing the defence on Dickie’s Bridge, Normandy
Ex WESSEX STORM 5/15
The culmination of the battalion’s conversion to the Mechanised Infantry role through 2015 was the deployment of 4 RIFLES Battlegroup on Ex WESSEX STORM over Nov-Dec 15. Having conducted months of driver and crew training, including deployment on platoon and compa- ny-level exercises, live re ranges at Castlemartin and simulated training in Warminster, the battalion headed up to Northumberland in early November for the live re package. The two week dismounted live ring package on Otterburn training area, saw the Ri emen go through an excellent series of live ranges under some pretty challenging weather conditions.
On completion of this phase, the whole battalion returned to Salisbury Plain and mounted their vehicles for two weeks of mounted operations, augmented with Challenger 2 tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles and against a free-thinking enemy. With a nal phase overseen by the brigade headquarters and culminating in Battle Group attacks onto Copehill Down Village and subse- quently Imber Village, the exercise certainly nished on a high before the Battalion returned to Aldershot and its nal equipment preparations before a well-earned Christmas Leave. Though undoubtedly a lengthy and demanding process, the battalion has developed considerably as a mechanised force over 2015, and now stands ready to deploy as part of the Vanguard Armoured Infantry Brigade, if required, in 2016.
Maj Andy Boardman, OC B Company
THOUGH UNDOUBTEDLY A LENGTHY AND DEMANDING PROCESS, THE BATTALION HAS DEVELOPED CONSIDERABLY AS A MECHANISED FORCE
MASTIFF being used to assault Copehill Down Village
THE RIFLES
FOURTH BATTALION 85