B Squadron
B Squadron Throttles Calgonians
by Lt Thomas LaCroix, 2nd Troop Leader
Jun 04
B Squadron, Western Canada’s premier tank squadron, took to the field for the first time this year for Ex STRATHCONA PHOENIX. The aim of the exercise was to conduct valuable troop-level training to help many of the soldiers in the Squadron gain practical experience.
The exercise started off with a gun camp to conduct continuation training for crews. The gunners and crew commanders of each tank received main-armament rounds and co-ax while echelon crewmembers got to fire vehicle mounted C6 machine guns. Third Troop received the nickname of "Misfire" Troop after two vehicles had mechanical and ammunition-related misfires respectively. The final portion of the gun camp was a stab run done by each vehicle against moving and stationary tank and infantry targets with the coveted “Blue Whale” at stake. The competition was fierce and almost too close to call!
Once the gun camp was complete, the Troops rolled track to their own hides and began their own training. The first surprise of the exercise was the lack of blue rockets! Since cat sanitation was forbidden it was not uncommon over the next few days to see a troop of tanks attack a "blue feature" as they were known, and consolidate around the objective in box formation. Once the first hides were occupied, those unfamiliar with putting camouflage nets over vehicles quickly learned to curse the "C" in the hide-priority of work. Needless to say, some of the soldiers are hoping that the MGS will be smooth and without things for the nets to become tangled on. Upon returning to the hide from night operations, one crew was missing a cam net and blamed the theft on some reservists a few hundred metres down the tree line. Equally confusing was how these thieves put little pieces of cam net in the sprocket before first light.
Over the course of a few days the Troops conducted training in accordance with the Armour Battle Task Standards (BTS), carrying out attacks, advances, withdrawals, and check points to name a few. Though tank tactics were a bit rusty for all, most of the crew commanders had the opportunity to break in new drivers. On several occasions the din of the open prairie was broken by the cries of, "No, your other left!" or "Slow down!" After some rough periods the crews started to work together and skills became more refined.
The Troops then joined up and began to train with each other in a squadron context. The curse was then passed to Second Troop when three vehicles broke down during a single trace. Alpha, commanded by Sgt Kevin King, was infested with radio gremlins, and 22, commanded by 2Lt Thomas LaCroix suffered a disconnected accelerator linkage. Not to be outdone by his superiors, Charlie, commanded by MCpl Scott Schall, tried to exact revenge on an old anti-tank ditch with the mine plow - to unfavourable results. One of the most memorable moments was the occupation of a tactical leaguer with 200m spacing between vehicles. There weren’t many people who made their way to the MWO Dorrance’s ‘29 Canteen’ carrier that trace. After several more operations we were ready for the final phase of the exercise.
The culmination of our training was the execution of a dry troop battle run, followed by a live fire battle run on the range. With the CO, RSM, and OC intently watching, the pressure was on. Everyone was excited to have this valuable training opportunity. Once the crews were done marking their 45’s (a safety measure when firing live ammunition to prevent crews from firing too close to other vehicles) the remaining chalk was used for other purposes. Drawing teeth on the mantlet may not be very tactical, but the enemy never knew what hit them.
In the end, it was a fast-paced exercise that the soldiers of the Squadron benefited from. During the exercise, senior soldiers were heard regaling their juniors with tales of various RENDEZVOUS exercises that lasted for months on end. This exercise may not have been as long but it was packed with activity. It is certain that everyone came home with sharper skills, and maybe a few funny stories about what happened along the way.
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