antarmike Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Does anyone know anyone in this group, or know how to contact the group? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Listed here http://www.southcumbrianorthlancsmvt.org.uk/Events2008pt2.htm under Hornby castle... maybe contact that MVT area.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Interesting - "Crusader" was the annual 2 week joint NATO exercise in BAOR and "Crusader 80" was the last one I ever did........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Oh come on Neil, Crusader 80 was much more than that! Pull up a sandbag. During the Cold War, the training year started with Ex Snow Queen which allowed individuals to go away on a two-week skiing jolly - I mean learn to survive winter warfare. Regiments would usually spend a week on exercise in the sever winter cold. Then as the weather improved, squadrons and regiments would go out for a week or two at at a time, pretty much every month, on troop, then squadron training. In between these, Regimental and Squadron HQs would also go out on Command Post Exercises (CPX), in which the squadron's Field HQ (FHQ) would feed radio traffic to RHQ (Command Troop) at which point it could be exactly like war without the need to churn up roads and fields with tracks. It was good fun for FHQ because it was all one-way and no stress. Command Troops typically did not get as much throughput as during the FTX (qv) and it could get boring. But from Brigade though Div to Corps, it was flat out. The training year built up and built up to its pinnacle, the divisional Field Training Exercise (FTX) in which the whole armoured division played it for real. We often did two FTXs per year because every division needed its orange (enemy) forces, for which CVR(T) were ideal. On a three-yearly cycle, an inspection team would visit and the FTX would be a lot bigger. This was Eternal Triangle. On a four-yearly cycle, the corps exercised complete. This was Ex Spearpoint. It so happened that in 1980, Ex Spearpoint coincided with Ex Crusader (you'll find the exercise referred to by both names) and the whole 1 (Br) Corps was to exercise as for real. This involved three armoured divisions, two up and one in reserve, with 3 Armd Div (whose GDP role was entirely separate, covering the Hartz Mountains) in its entirety to provide umpire support. The TA was mobilised and most of UKLF got to play. Orange Forces were provided by a German Panzerdivision and 2 US Armored Division (Hell on Wheels) who deployed by Op Reforger, dropping in the combat area direct from bases in Texas and manning dry-clad vehicles held in-theatre for this express purpose. As you can see, it was massive. It was so big that 3 Armd Div had to deploy a week early to practise umpiring such a massive event and familiarise itself with the new Clansman radio range. This was Ex Javelin. The exercise was big. It was the biggest deployment of tanks since D-Day. The downside was that the troops being exercised had a lot of sitting about while other units got exercised. We umpires were as busy as ever. Four years later, ex Spearpoint again coincided with a bigger exercise, Lionheart, which was bigger again than Crusader. Having by now left the cavalry, I had what should have been a quiet job in the Pay Office. However, my radio skills meant that I spent that tour in the back of a Bedford RL Machy Wagon converted to be a radio truck for a REME MRG HQ. Because REME had to be able to do their job as well in the field as they could in camp and because they had to support all brigade exercises, they were rarely in camp. The good news here was that it was easier to indent for parts on exercise and often it was the only way to get scarce items like A vehicle power packs. About six months before Lionheart the OC Workshop received a letter from SACEUR. Corporal Alien was not to deploy on Lionheart. He (SACEUR) had decided he wanted an extra element to Lionheart, that of fifth columnists, etc disrupting the exercise to see how units reacted. All Linguist German speakers were on the list. My name was very near the top. Funnily enough, a couple of months later, when SACEUR cancelled this element, the letter notifying the OC didn't reach him. I was due to be posted out the following year and I really thought it was about time the unit learned to get by without me. After all, my Control Signaller pay had been stopped six months after my transfer, so I had been doing the same job for less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Not for me it wasn't!! Remember that in Sept of '79 the incident occured that left me with epilepsy so from Dec 79 onwards the O/c was fighting the MoD to stop the suits kicking me out on my earhole. So for Crusader 80, instead of being out in the field gaving fun and thus on call-up (21 is a TA unit if you recall) for about 4 weeks all I got was two weeks confined to base as dogsbody. Not complaining as it got me the yearly bounty for 1980 and to be honest most of the time I was sat in the armoury with the Regimental Armourer so it was interesting. Nonetheless it was the end of an era for me as shortly after we got back the O/C lost the fight with the Mod and some spotty little university ****e turned up to ensure I was dismissed the service as "Category P8, unfit for any military service". Mind you - I had the last laugh as the git was smarming about the drill hall and the RSM looked at him and asked if he knoew what the current situation was. Little git said no so the RSM took great delight in pointing out he was now in the same building as a bloody furious psycho case who, thanks to the said little git was now NOT under military regulations and, if he chose to relieve his frustrations by turning said little gits head into meat paste no one there "would see a thing". Never seen a suit run so fast!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcap Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 :rofl:You should've made good on the RSM's comments :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Temptation was there - but it would have caused too much trouble for the Regiment. My detesting all things political stems from about this time.... :argh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I remember it well I was on all those exercises , spearpont I was an umpire for it! we did not have much spare time, I was there when the Hell on wheels droped (umpire with two officers from the Austrlian Army (ASAS regt) what a sight! Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 A friend went on Ex Snow Queen in the late 70s. He didn't come back. Somebody had decided he was suffering from catalepsy or narcolepsy - one or the other. The medics promptly diagnosed him as epileptic and he was gone, medically discharged. He fought for a long time (couple of years IIRC) and involved his MP. Eventually it was agreed that he had been misdiagnosed and he found himself reinstated with his previous rank and seniority. But he was tainted. I know how you feel mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I remember it well I was on all those exercises , spearpont I was an umpire for it! we did not have much spare time, I was there when the Hell on wheels droped (umpire with two officers from the Austrlian Army (ASAS regt) what a sight! Big Al I commanded an RHQ Rebro Ferret (and on this exercise I actually ran a rebro - the only time in my career). The CO was responsible for all the umpiring of Task Force Hotel and kept very busy. We found a new role for me to fill since Rebro never meant any work. Wherever the CO wanted to go, he gave me a grid and I'd set off. The CO's driver simply followed me. Needless to say, the CO wanted to watch Reforger, so I found myself in a ringside seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugly Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I remember it well I was on all those exercises , spearpont I was an umpire for it! we did not have much spare time, I was there when the Hell on wheels droped (umpire with two officers from the Austrlian Army (ASAS regt) what a sight! Big Al I know its an old thread, but as an umpire were were nipping about in a Mk1/1 ferret? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzaw Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Ah fond memories causing havoc as part of the Parachute Regiment Group dropping in and scaring the S*** out of the Sceptic tanks and boxheads hehe those NATO exercises in BAOR were great for us when we were given a long lead and thousands of rounds of ammo. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I know its an old thread, but as an umpire were were nipping about in a Mk1/1 ferret? We were in landrovers s3's Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Our entire regiment was out umpiring in CVR(T)s (except those of us in Ferrets obviously: we were out in Ferrets). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Hope Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I remember Crusader 80 - At the time my father was a REME Sgt and was attached to a Royal Engineers unit. I may have some photos of the exercise. If i find them I will place them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mc Cargo Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Hi. Check out the following;; http://www.crusader80.co.uk Crusader80group@aol.com Good luck. They where at the Durham Light Infantry Museum, 2013 Military Vehicle Show. Sean Mc Cargo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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