'I parked my tank in someone's back garden - and they didn't mind at all'

[Mike Nelson]

When British Challenger 2 tanks rolled into Estonian villages in
recent weeks, they were greeted with open arms.


Estonians know all too well what life under Russian occupation is
like, having lived through it from 1940 until the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991. Families were subjected to mass deportations to
Siberia, thousands of people were murdered and a culture and
language stunted.


“I parked my tank in someone’s back garden, plus they had two
Wildcat helicopters landing in the paddock next to their garden.
They came out and were pretty curious, so the troops showed the
family’s kids around the tank. They were receptive because they are
acutely aware of the threat that sits on their eastern border.”

As part of Exercise Spring Storm, which involves 14,000 troops from
Nato nations, of which more than 1,500 troops are British, ground
units have been tested on realistic battlefield scenarios including
trench assaults, reconnaissance missions, and light infantry
tactics.

Lt Col Wilson explained that as the war in Ukraine rages on,
Exercise Spring Storm had a more “pertinent” feel than previous
exercises. “The Estonians are living with the Russians on their
doorstep, so it does feel real, particularly with the events that
have happened in Ukraine and the UK’s commitment to supporting
Ukraine,” he said.

He added that in his more than 20 years serving with the British
military, he has never exercised outside a Central Training Area
(CTA), having to stick to Salisbury Plain in the UK or Sennelager in
Germany. “Over the course of Spring Storm, we’ve not been
constrained to the CTA, we’ve been out and about the local area,” he
explained.

“We’ve been training beyond the constraints of traditional training
grounds. That [has] meant tanks on roads going through private and
public land. That adds gravitas to the training, but it’s also
exercising on the land we might have to defend.”

Of particular interest has been showcasing the Challenger 2 tank, 14
of which the UK gifted to Ukraine earlier this year, with a number
taken from the QRH stockpiles. The tanks on exercise have additional
armour on the sides, having been upgraded in order to show “we mean
business”.

“We know that our adversary only respects strength,” Lt Col Wilson
added. “We want to show the British army’s capabilities to its
absolute strongest.”

Just recently, the Challenger 2 won an international tank
competition in Latvia, beating the US main battle tank Abrams. “It
shows our main battle tank is still current and reinforces the
strategic narrative that we are sending that tank to Ukraine. It
demonstrates that it is an incredible front line main battle tank,”
he said.

L-Cpl Harry Bloomfield, a 23-year-old tank driver, added that the
Challenger 2 was “famous for a reason”.

“It’s the best in the world, everybody knows it. It’s why we gave 14
to Ukraine,” he said. “It’s unfortunate what’s happening in Ukraine
but as long as we keep giving the Estonian Army peace of mind to
know they have Nato at their side, they know they aren’t alone
living on the border with Russia. We are here to show that we’ve got
the potential of helping Estonians out, that we have the force and
overall capabilities of the battle group.”

The UK retains a continuous deployment in Estonia as part of its
Nato commitment, known as the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). At
last year’s Nato summit, it was agreed that the UK would increase
the size of its eFP commitment. As such, this year’s exercise has
marked the first time the UK has conducted a brigade-sized
deployment to Estonia, involving hundreds more personnel than in
previous deployments.

As part of the exercise troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade
parachuted into Estonia, while around 100 Royal Marines took part in
a night-time beach raid, deploying from the Royal Navy amphibious
assault ship, HMS Albion. Members of 45 Commando manoeuvred their
Inflatable Raiding Craft, which can travel at speeds of up to 20
knots, through the waves to close in on the beach at Kaberneeme, on
the north coast of Estonia, before facing off against Estonia’s
Armed Forces, with an Estonian naval missile unit acting as the
marines’ target. Meanwhile two RAF Typhoon fighter jets were on
station to provide close air support, information, surveillance and
reconnaissance during the exercise, enabling integrated training
between land, sea and air.

With Tapa Camp just 160km from the Russian border, in years gone by
troops have been forbidden from working with live fire because it
“sent the wrong message”.

Lt Col Al Rivett, of 1st Army Air Corp, said “we were previously
told not to do so because it would be seen as sabre rattling”.

However, today, with Russia a pariah state, Nato’s tune has changed.
As Spring Storm nears its final section members of the RAF will
carry out training exercises in reconnaissance and air-land
integration, with the air exercises supported by four Wildcat and
five Apache helicopters, as well as three RAF Typhoon fighter jets.


https://news.yahoo.com/parked-tank-someones-back-garden-
100349058.html