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9th-12th-Lancers - Year 1986 - Page 0019

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Regiment 9th/12th Lancers
Year 1986
Transcription Team had the pleasure of winning the
Indoor Small Bore Match against all-
comers. The main entertainment of the
afternoon took place after the Prize
Giving Ceremony when a visiting SIB
Photographic Team (investigating a
fire in the POL Compound the previous
evening) were hijacked to take the B
Squadron Team Photograph. The
winning “lags” had the photographs
taken in true RMP fashion]
Autumn Manoeuvres
On A October. B Squadron deployed
on Exercise GRAND CANYON, a
Corps Recce exercise lasting one week
as a prelude to the 4th Armoured Divi-
sion FTX Exercise QUARTER FINAL.
which was to last the remainder of the
month.
For Exercise GRAND CANYON, B
Squadron formed part of a large Orange
Force consisting of B Squadron 9/12L.
No l Squadron RAF Regiment from
Laarhruch, Close Recce Troop and
GW troop 2 RTR, and a LUCHs Reece
Company from our German ”Boeae-
lager" friends at Braunschweig, Panz-
eraufklarange-batallion 1. Major Bur-
gess also had the services of a German
"Pysops" detachment with loud-
speaker truclts. an Electronic Warfare
(EW) detachment with Jammers, plus
a Gazelle helicopter and a flight of
Lynx ATGW helicopters on calll
Theaimoftheatercisewastopractise
Corps Recce in all phases of war and
the Orange force was therefore initially
directed to observe the Blue Force ob-
servation line across the “inner State
Border" (ISB). Our task was then to
break through and advance rapidly on
1 thrust lines until the screen was forwd
to break clean. Making great use of the
EW and Pysops detachments, we man-
aged to create considerable havoc and
confusion with a fictitious column of
LUCl-IS armoured ears being reported
by C Squadron moving towards RHQ
9/121. at a great rate of knots. Never
has RHQ been known to move so fast!
The breakthrough was quickly achieved
and such was the speed of penetration
THE 9TH/IZTH ROYAL LANCERS REGlMENTAL JOURNAL
Major Burgess receives medical attention from his acting 21C. Captain Reed
through both NHL and 13/181-1 lines
that all Orange movement was stopped
for nearly 8 hours at one stage, to allow
9/12L and 13/18H to regroup. Con»
siderable sport was had in the next
phase covering Rear Area Operations.
notably the infamous “Muppet Ridge"
raid on C Squadron lines. It was during
this phase that Mr Bailey was invited to
put his knowledge of helicopter hand»
ling into practice, and a CVR(T) ScimA
itar containing “Mr T" was airlifted
hy Chinook across the River Weser
behind enemy lines to observe a Blue
Force river crossing operation.
in the final phase Blue Force were
ordered to advance again. While No l
Squadron RAF Regiment and the 2 RTR
element withdrew Northwards before
lJ/lflH. B Squadron and the German
LUCHS Company conducted a succes-
sful fighting withdrawal in front of
9/ 12L back towards the River Ieine.
At the end of Exercise GRAND
CANYON B Squadron said goodbye
to their allies and motored off towards
Einheck to join 4th Armoured Division
for Exercise QUARTER FINAL: For
the first week of this FTX we were de—
ploycd independently under 11 Arm-
oured Brigade commanded by Brigadier
Wheeler for a brigade work-up exercise.
Once again we were to be enemy. this
time under command 47 Fd Regt Op.
manoeuvring primarily against 3 RTR.
The yellow identification squares were
painted out and replaced by red ones.
The motto for 11 Armoured Brigade
was "No problems....only solutions"
and this suited B Squadron well! By
this time SHQ and the reece troops
were adept in acquiring fast and accur-
ate information through a variety of
deceptions and disguises. We manged
to get our TA Liaison Officer into an
enemy regimental ‘0' Group. SSM
Gardner crossed an enemy ferry over
the River Weser at night and managed
to reverse his Ferret into a manure
heap within 15 metres of the ferry entry
point to give a blow by blow account
of the Brigade crossing, giving details
of vehicle registration numbers and
tactical signs of each vehicle as it cros-
sed. At one point Brigadier Wheeler
got so close to the hidden 01’. whilst
observing the crossing. that W02 Gard-
ner was tempted to cut the hackle from
his Corbeen with a pair of wire cutters
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