Q Coy rescue hostage on field ex

James Gurung, 25 July 2010

This weekend a platoon of army cadets from Quebec Company, Oxfordshire (The Rifles) ACF took part in a tactical field exercise at Bramley Training Area in Hampshire. Our mission was to overcome a fearsome enemy force known to be trading contraband items in the area.

We began by setting up section harbours under the cover of darkness on Friday night, and then undertook a number of recces and standing patrols the following day. Observation of the enemy revealed that they were heavily armed and wearing desert camouflage, though their strength was not clear. They seemed to be running operations out of a couple of buildings west of the railway track, close to a helicopter crash site.

The main action started on Saturday evening when our ration drop landed off course. We had to move away from our command centre to locate the food packages, and this left us vulnerable to attack. Just as we finished our evening meal, the enemy found us and our platoon commander ordered a tactical retreat. We discovered that the ground in front of our emergency rendezvous was already dominated by the opposing force, and so we were forced to split up to evade detection. Carrying full kit with large bergens, it was a real challenge to outmanoeuvre the enemy. Only when they eventually gave up pursuit and retreated to a farm complex were we able to reorg and set up harbour.

A few hours later on, unaware of our presence nearby, the enemy patrolled out of their base at the farm and we launched a coordinated recce of their buildings. We identified a bag of contraband which tipped us off that they would be returning. As darkness fell and most cadets settled into their sleeping bags, sudden shouts were heard and cadets at an observation post witnessed the hostile troops returning to the farm with one of our high-ranking staff as hostage.

First thing on Sunday morning, a model was built and the platoon commander gave a set of orders for an assault on the enemy position. Just moments later, the three sections were in position and our attack was sprung. The hostage was rescued. The enemy never even saw us coming.

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An instructor works with senior cadets to plan the rescue

Cadets attack the enemy position from three directions

During the attack, this cadet was asked to open his casualty card

We rewarded them with a barbecue on Sunday morning

A sure sign that the field ex was a success!

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Q Coy rescue hostage on field ex

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