Page 126 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Ex VIKING STAR - Denmark
In October 2013, Copenhagen Company, 7 RIFLES deployed to Denmark on Ex VIKING STAR for a
fortnight of joint training
period - a cartridge round with a paint head and if it hit on thin material it could draw blood. As a training
aid it soon made the troops appreciate the term ‘on your belt buckle’. Before the exercise, every member of the Company had
to appreciate the
effects of these rounds, gallantly led by the RSM shooting the CO!
The Company made heavy use of the local training area; OKSBOL, a large wooded area for infantry and
tracked exercises
Ex GOLDEN GRIFFIN, a civil contingency exercise around strategically important infrastructure locations that maybe under threat. The Company was split into platoons and sent to three different locations in Denmark. In one case this involved a
ferry and a light aircraft move. During
the exercise, command was devolved
to these dislocated elements, requiring junior commanders to respond to events with decisive action. Toward the end of the exercise, Copenhagen Company had the opportunity to visit some of the WWII Atlantic Wall bunker systems in the area
with the Danes on the
Battalion Overseas
Training Exercise (OTX).
7 RIFLES headed to
Nym in West Denmark,
a WWII German
Luftwaffe Anti-aircraft
(FLAK) training establishment, used by the Danish Home guard since 1949. The Coy, commanded by Major Larry Davis with WO2 Sean Shanahan as CSM, set the Coy to administration, preparing the composite platoons of regulars and reserves for the Ex. It quickly became apparent that a number of the Riflemen, Regular and Reserve, had served together on recent operations, and a common basis was soon established. In the initial week Copenhagen Coy conducted blank and ‘simunition’ training in FIBUA, FIWAF, and trench clearance drills. The ‘simunition’ was a highlight of the training
...a cartridge round with a paint head and if it hit on thin material it could draw blood
containing a number of trench systems from section level to Platoon strength used to simulate fighting
...led by the RSM shooting the CO!
built by the Germans to guard against allied landings. We visited
a fascinating series
of installations with a presentation explaining how Denmark was reinforced under
a defensive battle in
the Cold War and fantastic for ‘simunition’ Platoon attacks.
The middle weekend was devoted to
General Rommel’s plans for Fortress Europe.
Captain Neil Perriton, Training Officer.
124 SEVENTH BATTALION
THE RIFLES