Page 27 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Exercise LEVANT GAUNTLET
Four crew commanders and a troop leader escaped the misery of Catterick in mid-November for the warm weather of Is- rael in November for Exercise LEVANT GAUNTLET, an RAC
led battlefield study. The main objective of the exercise was to improve the students’ understanding of the realities of war as seen from the point of view of mounted combat in the all-arms land – air battle. Examining selected actions from the Yom Kip- pur War of 1973, the trip led by Lt Col Nick Woolgar saw forty personnel from across the RAC visit a range of fascinating sites across Northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
This was a unique opportunity for our junior leaders to exam- ine real life offensive and defensive tactical actions. We were privileged to hear from veterans whose fascinating and harrow- ing first-hand accounts of some of the most ferocious armoured fighting since the second world war gripped the audience and sparked genuine professional curiosity.
One of the most captivating stands was on the Syrian border of the Golan Heights where three hastily assembled Israeli ar- moured brigades had withstood a combined arms assault from three well-resourced Syrian armoured divisions. What resonat- ed particularly for our crew commanders was the importance of fighting spirit, initiative and clear and simple orders in the face of overwhelming numbers, and the importance of maintaining
depth and an offensive mindset in a defen- sive battle. Amidst the chaos of war, the im- portance of deception, exploiting opportu- nity and inflicting decisive blows against an enemy through aggression and manoeuvre was not lost.
Exercise LEVANT GAUNTLET has strengthened our understanding of the dif- ferent tactical actions an armoured unit can expect to undertake. By focusing on the unit, sub-unit and troop level, our com- manders were able to take away invaluable lessons in combat leadership, low level
Overlooking the Quneitra plain of Syria from the Golan Heights
Latrun Tank museum, home of IDF Armoured Corps
tactics and the intricacies of combined arms warfare. I have no doubt the five Lancers have come away with a developed tactical understanding which will serve them well in their future careers.
An Israeli strongpoint on the Golan Heights. LCpl Pennington, Cpl Christie, Cpl Allen, Lt Titcomb, Cpl Monk, Cpl Hartley
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