Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (1PWRR) are among 4,100 soldiers from 10 different nations currently participating in Exercise Allied Spirit VIII in Southern Germany.
Allied Spirit VIII is designed to develop relationships and enhance interoperability with strategic NATO, Allied and Coalition partners and has seen 1PWRR under the command of a Polish Mechanised Brigade operating alongside a company of Danish Armoured Infantry to deliver the Armoured Infantry element.
In addition to the undulating terrain and dense wooded areas making communications and manoeuvrability difficult, the Battlegroup were up against an opposing force familiar with the ground and given freedom of movement to conduct numerous probing attacks against their defences.
Major Christiaan Stoffberg, Officer Commanding C Company 1PWRR, said: “It has been very a testing exercise where we have had to adapt to circumstances as presented refining techniques and tactics, we are learning a lot and quickly.
“Working in a multinational environment as we have here where we are fully integrated and working through interoperability issues as they arise is, I think, essential, this way you learn how to overcome not just the human frictions but the technical aspects as well.
“The realism of the exercise has been phenomenal challenging us throughout, the training area has been unforgiving with the terrain often making communications difficult for everyone. It has provided a great learning opportunity for us all – particularly in the importance of maintaining battlefield discipline.”
image © Crown Copyright
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