28 NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2008
442 and 45 at 30˚ below zero2 and 45 at 30˚ below zero
● Waders of the lost Arctic... Royal Marines of 45 Commando conduct wader drills on an isolated Norwegian
beach during Armatura Borealis Picture: LA(Phot) Nick Tryon, 45 Cdo
WE HAVE deliberately chosen to focus
The ski (or pusser’s plank) is key to mobility in Of course, not all the Royals slither around on skis or
on the ‘skimmer’ input to this year’s
the snow. It is not only man which moves by ski, skulk in foxholes carved out of the Norwegian snow.
exercises in the Arctic Circle rather than
but also much of his kit. Four-man teams haul There is a sizeable contingent with the amphibious
the bare necessities – tents, stoves, food, fuel force: Albion and Bulwark each have a permanent
the Royal Marines who traditionally grab – on sledges, known as pulks. Pulks are heavy RM assault squadron.
the headlines in Norway.
– and add to the commando’s already onerous Moving from ship to shore is always a challenge,
The Royals were there in force again in 2008 – a
burden; the Bergen packs on the men’s back a challenge which intensifies among the fjords in
good 1,500 of them.
can weigh up to 100lb fully loaded. winter.
So it would be unfair and rather rude to ignore
Luckily, there are man-made beasts A small team is sent inshore initially in small boats
them. Plus they have big guns and wield daggers...
to ease the burden. The BV tracked to conduct a recce, which includes sending two
With 40 Commando locked in mortal combat
vehicles are tried and tested kit. swimmers into the water (briefly, admittedly, given
with the Taleban, it fell to 42 and 45 Commandos to
They can tow up to 16 men at a time the temperature in the Arctic).
grapple with the joys of fighting in the most unforgiving
in a manoeuvre known as ‘ski jorring’. Thanks to good charts, the Royals know the
of environments under the umbrella of their parent unit, 3
So, we’ve mastered survival and rough outline of the shore, but for accuracy manual
Commando Brigade.
moving, time for the fighting. Everything soundings are needed from those swimmers.
Many of the green berets are Arctic veterans
is slower and more cumbersome Once they’re happy, they mark up potential
(some were on their tenth trip); others were Arctic
in the Arctic: breaking contact landing sites with white or infra-red lights.
virgins, which meant earning their blue noses and a
on skis, for example, is far more “It’s good to get on the beach and crack on.
bit more to boot.
physically demanding than in a Every situation is different, we’ve got to try to
Veterans need reminding and novices need
temperate environment. Still, by second guess what will be thrown at us every
teaching about living in such bitter cold, so training
the end of three weeks of rigorous day,” explained beach master C/Sgt David
for the Royals was split into three distinct phases
training, the Royals were able Bartholomew of 4 Assault Squadron RM.
– survival, mobility and combat – in the three-week
to conduct ‘attacks’ in company “In fi ve minutes it can close right down and
Cold Weather Warfare Course.
strength. potentially we’re looking at a survival situation.
Survival comes first: experienced RM mountain
And as the old Royals’ saying “Batteries, navigation aids, GPS – the cold sucks
leaders teach their ‘flock’ the basics of life in the
goes: If you can fight and survive in power straight out of them. We keep the vehicles
Arctic, leaving weapons firmly at home. Avoiding
Norway, you can do it anywhere. running to keep the batteries charged.”
cold-weather injuries such as frostbite, coping with
avalanches, maintaining kit – all these nuggets of information
based on more than half a century of operating in Norway
were imparted by the mountainmen.
● Fire in the night... The mortar troop of 42
Commando let rip with their weapon hauled on a BV
trailer at the Porsangmoen range
Picture: LA(Phot) Gaz Faulkner, 42 Cdo
0028_NN_Apr.indd 128_NN_Apr.indd 1 118/3/08 16:06:228/3/08 16:06:22
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56