Page 16 - Cavalry Regiment

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1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
In late August B Sqn deployed with A Sqn and RHQ onto Ex Wessex Storm 4/19 as part of the OPFOR for 3 Scots Battlegroup. As with Kenya this was a great opportunity to train as a Sqn, albeit outside of our core role. As light infan- try, the focus for B Sqn was to develop and polish our dismounted skill set and develop our junior commanders and senior Troopers while also performing as a team our Command and Control func- tions. The privilege of OPFOR is that, as well as learning from one’s own experi- ence, you learn large amounts from the force you are opposing, both good and bad.
Starting with Battle Exercises we had the excitement of first defending a ‘Shrewton Street’ in Copehill Down Village against the Latvian Company which was attached to 3 Scots. A fast and aggres- sive group that had different tactics to our own and a definite penchant for their machine guns, there was also something
eerie about facing an opposition that had, to the untrained ear, Russian sound- ing accents. Fast forward to the 3 Scots B Company, deceptive tactics, slow and methodical (which made them fast!) and silent a real demonstration to us of how to fight in the urban environment.
The other key battle exercise we rotated into was a rural scenario. An initial bit of acting was required during which Capt Harry Russell showed his promise put- ting in a strong performance that Sacha Baron Cohen would have been proud of. Capt Russell then led the Platoon attack
A fast and aggressive group that had different tactics to
our own...
the following morning on the trench sys- tem. A simple but effective plan, helped significantly by the raw aggression of the Sqn’s junior members, resulted in all but three trenches of the company position being taken and the Field Training Unit Infantry Staff complimenting our junior soldiers and commanders on their skills and drills.
Onwards into the FTX and the Sqn (and Regt) proved what a tough and crafty enemy QDG can be. Great success was had by the employment of stay behind observation posts and the use of 4x4s by Sgts Chater and Petre to harass the 3 Scots Rear echelon. Pte Limbu
I dare you to mention ‘the helmet’