30 ROUNDS

I/C Dominic Tillotson Reviews the Exercise: As section commander the patrol was an excellent opportunity to practice leadership and put into place lots of ‘classroom work’ in the field. Due to the tight schedule, my section spent a considerable amount of energy being run up and down the side of the lake to get to various stands (although this served to keep us warm). Despite the time pressure and miserable weather, the senior cadet team did an excellent job delivering four tightly packed training scenarios in the space of an hour. Dedication was truly tested, hunkered down under a basher in the rain practicing fire control orders, but I am pleased to say that all cadets remained motivated throughout. In all it was an excellent sessions worth of training, and I look forward to the next instalment of training the senior cadet team has to offer. I/C Alexander Tillotson Reports on Section 3’s Progress: The primary aim of the patrol was to practice our battle drills, and this feature manifested itself particularly in the deliberate ambush and section attack stands. Section 3 approached the section attack with a simple but reliable manoeuvre to outflank the enemy, in this case a green bin. Charlie fire team leapfrogged up the right flank, whilst delta fire team provided covering fire. Two grenadiers were sent forward to take the enemy position, before the section regrouped to provide all round defence and await further orders. The Ambush was sprung by the path alongside the lakes, the water acting as a natural barrier and cutting off any escape routes. As section commander, I initiated the ambush with the first shot, and the team did its work, rapidly dominating the enemy area. All of the stands in the patrol helped to consolidate our field craft, and despite the rain and cold, the team dynamic had markedly improved by our final stand. RSM Arlen who planned and executed the training said: “ A solid performance on the whole despite the conditions, good effort from all those in A-Coy – Let’s keep this up for March [Field Day] ”