Biggest ever?
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Biggest ever?
UK-led Exercise Joint Warrior to be 'biggest ever' - BBC News
I can't remember how long it's been called Joint Warrior, and it might possibly be the "biggest ever" JW, but it's still a shadow of the exercises of the past. I seem to remember flying on a JMC that had 9 NATO submarines alone...
I can't remember how long it's been called Joint Warrior, and it might possibly be the "biggest ever" JW, but it's still a shadow of the exercises of the past. I seem to remember flying on a JMC that had 9 NATO submarines alone...
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In 1968 I was in 604 FAC section (RAF), attached to 24 (Air Portable) Brigade in Plymouth when we embarked on Fearless and a couple of LSLs for an amphibious assault on Faraid Head. Umpteen other things going on with 45 Cdo, 3 Royal Anglian
79/80 time there was a massive outload exercise (Lionheart?) said to be the biggest movement of troops since D-Day. There was also a very big home defence exercise in UK in about 86 that involved just about every military unit in the UK.
That ;s the one. At Neatishead we had guards out round the wire who spotted a civilian in a wheat field close to the wire. "What are you doing?" called a guard. Comely daughter of local farmer replies "Looking for wild oats". "Best come inside the wire then retorts guard". Result, complaint from parents to Aunty Joan. Dealt with speedily and effectively - ISTR the guy did lots of guards!
Crusader 80
The 1980 exercise was Crusader 80 - the UK's contribution to that year's Autumn Forge reinforcement series - and it was certainly the largest national exercise of its type in a long time. Interestingly from where the world stands now, once it was all over, there was a Turkish observation quietly made within NATO that it would be politic not to use that name again as it had 'historical' overtones and, as I recall, later UK exercises used the Lionheart codename.
The big outload I was involved with has to be 79, as by April 80 I was back in light blue as a regular, having been a TA capt in RCT(V). Indeed I discovered many years later, when secretary of a "Royal" yacht club on the south coast that the men and vehicles I was despatching at Harwich was being received at the continental end by the by now secretary of another "Royal" yacht club just up the road. Small world.
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I remember a wonderful day outside the wire at St. Mawgan, camera and notebook in hand, in about 1991 or 1992. In attendance were nine Canberra T.17s, a similar number of Phantoms from 74 Sqdn (seven of which departed in a superb stream take off), and about half a dozen Tornados from the German Navy. Supporting the Germans were a pair of Transalls and, best of all, a former NVA Tu-154.
As a young plane spotter it was a day in paradise.
As a young plane spotter it was a day in paradise.
Martin,
That was Ocean Safari in the summer of 91 followed immediately after by JMC 912. I was heavily involved with both.
As a new front-line arrival at Kinloss in the autumn of 85, one of my first events was participating in Ex Autumn Train (Oct 85) basing out of Gibraltar. The first 10 days was just a Nimrod and Buccaneer sqn in Gib. Then the Navy arrived just in time for Trafalgar night. 2 aircraft carriers, 6 SSNs, 12 DD/FF, several FAA sqns including the SHAR boys and a host of support ships as well. Certainly couldn't even get close to that style of exercise nowadays.
Also, didn't the Army provide about 75,000 soldiers for one of those mid 80's mobilisation exercises in Germany?
That was Ocean Safari in the summer of 91 followed immediately after by JMC 912. I was heavily involved with both.
As a new front-line arrival at Kinloss in the autumn of 85, one of my first events was participating in Ex Autumn Train (Oct 85) basing out of Gibraltar. The first 10 days was just a Nimrod and Buccaneer sqn in Gib. Then the Navy arrived just in time for Trafalgar night. 2 aircraft carriers, 6 SSNs, 12 DD/FF, several FAA sqns including the SHAR boys and a host of support ships as well. Certainly couldn't even get close to that style of exercise nowadays.
Also, didn't the Army provide about 75,000 soldiers for one of those mid 80's mobilisation exercises in Germany?
PA - that was Lionheart or Crusader - remember received a 6ft long signal in Tpt & Movs at Colchester on how they planned to get some of the earth moving equipment down the motorway. apparently over the years as the autobahn were resurfaced the headroom under the bridges got less. Some of the equipment when on the transporters would be pretty tight, so signal went into detail of mounting a pole of requisite length vertically on a land rover, driving it under the bridge, if it did not go, then unload the earth moving equipment or AVRE, drive load and transporter separately past bridge then reload, and so on. So bizarre it has stuck in my mind for 30 + years.
As a member of the TA, the mobilisation of the reserves in Crusader 80 was called Ex Spearpoint. I flew to Germany from what is now Glasgow Airport but at that time was still called Abbotsinch. We flew on a BA 747. As a lowly Private I got spammed for the baggage party. Bugga, thinks me and my mucker, should have kept out of the CSM's line of sight. By the time we'd finished loading all the kit, however, the only seats left were in the first class cabin! Only time I've ever flown anything other than down the back, but we were still given our rations in the white cardboard boxes.
'Biggest ever' ... given their poor sense of size & scale, the planners and journalists must have some very disappointed wives at home 
I guess we will be able to judge just how big and impressive it is by the level of Russian naval and LRA activity. If there's a flurry of activity at the start and it tails of by day 3, we'll know we're in trouble as the Russian J2 have probably already started preparing their reports to Putin saying 'nothing to worry about here Boss, carry on as you were'.
I guess we will be able to judge just how big and impressive it is by the level of Russian naval and LRA activity. If there's a flurry of activity at the start and it tails of by day 3, we'll know we're in trouble as the Russian J2 have probably already started preparing their reports to Putin saying 'nothing to worry about here Boss, carry on as you were'.
