Page 17 - QDG 2022

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 15
Squadron, albeit for a day!
The afternoon saw Wales, Ireland,
England and Fiji pitted against each other in the highly anticipated rugby 7s tournament arranged by 4th Troop Leader Lieutenant Alex Allington. After an afternoon of fierce competition, on a dusty, rocky and fairly treacherous pitch/ tank park, Team Fiji were crowned the ultimate winners of the competition, with a strong Wales following hot on their heels in second place. Following a brief pause and some well-earned non-alco- holic beers (living on a German camp had some benefits!), A Coy introduced the LRRG to their famous chariot race, with each Sub-Unit submitting a Mad Max style chariot, (un)willing driver and 4 “war horses” to pull. The start line saw more frothing mouths and eager, keen legs than a Cheltenham Gold Cup. Again, this wasn’t A Squadron’s first rodeo, and sabotage is a key skill when fighting on unfamiliar ground; a few punctured tyres on the A Coy chariot and we were ready to go! What followed can only be described as a mix between a Formula 1 pile-up and medieval battle of epic proportions. Chariots were pitched into storm drains, wagons were set upon by waiting ruffians, a barrage of potatoes, foot powder, water bottles and vehicle chocks flew around the heads like the
Stagging on
arrows of old to slow the troops dragging the chariots around the course. It all made Ben-Hur’s chariot race look like a Sunday drive in the country! Once the chariots and their brave and almost certainly concussed crews limped across the finish line it was decided that A Company were the victors. Post the race all enmity was dropped, and a friendly evening BBQ was enjoyed by all ranks.
After a couple of weeks prepara- tion, vehicle maintenance and planning A Squadron deployed once again on 21st March on the snappily named Op MANKALAN 2a. By now it was getting really hot, with midday and early after- noon temperatures hovering around the 50-degree Celsius mark and it never really dropping below 30 degrees even at night. We were operating back in the Gourma region on the western side of the river Niger. With previous knowl- edge of the ground and the Task Group getting very efficient at travelling long distances, A Squadron travelled over 100 hard off-road kilometres on the first day, with the main body of the Task Group only 15 km behind – remarkable progress given the going and size of vehicles. A Squadron’s junior officers and soldiers once again proving themselves more than capable of complex desert naviga- tion and route selection. Reacting to a recent and deadly Islamic State in the Greater Sahel (ISGS) attack on a Forces Armees Maliennes (FAMa) base in Tessit, A Squadron provided the security as A Coy spoke with the FAMa commander to establish what help might be provided. This, however, was the first prominent example of the higher political difficul- ties reaching the boots on the grounds, resulting in a not so friendly welcome. Further deterioration of this relationship was to continue throughout our tour of operation, exemplifying, on a small scale, the worsening political environment.
Fireworks at New Year
Following the reception in Tessit and having received rapidly revised orders from Task Group HQ, A Squadron re-ori- entated and moving South began to skirt the Soudheri forest, a known insurgent haven. Employed protecting the Task Group’s exposed flank, A Squadron HQ formed up in the saddle of a high and prominent rocky outcrop with the forest to its North. The area selected provided a good overwatch position for the Squadron Leader to observe the Troops tasked with clearing through the dense undergrowth and trees of the forest as well as offering good fields of fire and potential HLS for casevac as required. Once the location was established, SHQ began to move into the routine of control. It was to prove to be the least routine day many had experienced on tour so far.
As the Troops swept through the treeline below chatting to the vast numbers of shepherds and their families, SHQ personnel settled into radio and ground stag. Within 30 minutes explo- sions ripped through the quiet peace of that 50-degree day. Initially thought to be mortar rounds landing amongst the SHQ desert box, the din was pierced by the familiar throb of rotor blades. Whilst most jumped for what cover they could find disbelieving gunners on top cover made their .50 calibre Heavy Machine
Sunset over the desert