14 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008
Unleash the
BACK in February 1976, as the eyes of
equipment and materiel – to the remotest parts of like having a great big arrow pointing down.” as on Salisbury Plain in July where an extensive
the world were fi xed on Innsbruck and
Helmand province,” says Col Maynard. Big targets need big protection. They get it. Mission Rehearsal Exercise gave the regiment – and
the XII Winter Olympiad, Britons could
Indeed, a CLP can Gunships are the the rest of the British force deploying to Afghanistan
stretch for three or
There is no straightforward line in the sand
angels on the column’s this autumn – a taste of what is to come.
be found humming a quirky tune from an more miles, deploy for
where the enemy are. They move amongst you
shoulders, while Land It topped 63˚C (145˚F) in the CLR galley tents;
American one-hit wonder.
days on end and trundle
all the time.
Rovers, the new Jackal in Bastion there’s the luxury of air conditioning and
... We gotta great big combat logistic patrol, truckin’
along at speeds as slow
– Lt Col Steve Crouden
(“Land Rovers on extractor fans.
through the night...
as 2½mph – less than steroids”) and Vikings (One luxury they don’t have in Bastion is a
Apologies to C W McCall, but the convoy is dead,
yomping speed. are as much a part of supermarket just down the road; personnel taking
long live the Combat Logistic Patrol.
So they’re big, they’re sluggish, they kick up great any CLP as a tanker, truck, or JCB. part in the war game on Salisbury Plain were
The change of name for a column of vehicles
columns of dust visible 20 miles away. They’re prime And each man or woman in the column is a expressly reminded walking into the galley ‘Tesco is
ferrying food, ammunition and material to front-line
targets for the Taleban. warrior first, driver, signaller, medic second. out of bounds...’)
units reflects the changing nature of the Commando
One in three columns moving between bases in At each stop, they dismount, or pop out of the roof But at their worst, temperatures in Afghanistan will
Logistic Regiment.
Helmand comes under attack from insurgents, who’ll of a cab and brandish their SA80 rifles. fall to -20˚C.
Logistics. Etappe. Baggage column. Baggage train.
use bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and small Their biggest fear is summed up by a single Whatever the weather, the troops at the British
Rear area. Supply column. Whatever the name,
arms fire to halt or hinder the trucks’ progress. acronym: IED, improvised explosive device – bomb. outposts – Forward Operating Bases – scattered
through history it’s had a pretty bad reputation –
“The Taleban are not stupid. They can’t take “This is not a game. This is real life,” says around Helmand will need support: food,
often unfairly – among the fighting troops bemoaning
on heavily-armed infantry, but they can attack a Mne Matt Drummond. ammunition, water.
the cushy, safe life of troops ‘in the rear with the
slow-moving column,” says Lt Dan Couldridge, Mne Roland Hawksworth adds: The regiment has four distinct sub-units to meet
gear’.
a REME engineer serving with the regiment. “What bothers all the blokes are land their needs: Logistic Support Squadron, Medical
Except that in the world of Iraq and Afghanistan,
“With the clouds of dust, you can mines and IEDs. We’re not scared of Squadron, Equipment Support Squadron and the
there’s no rear. There’s no front. There’s still gear.
see these columns for miles. It’s the Taleban in a fight. Landing Force Support Party.
“We are all in the front line now,” says Col
“IEDs are the coward’s way of There’s probably no unit in the British Armed
Andy Maynard, Commando Logistic Regiment’s
fighting.” Forces more eclectic – as demonstrated by the unique
Commanding Offi cer.
When at Camp Bastion, the make-up of the CLR and its myriad of cap badges.
“The job is very much combat logistics, because
hub of British operations in Most – about 60 per cent – are Royal Marines, but
that’s the reality of Helmand.”
Helmand, Mne Hawksworth there are also dozens of Royal Navy ratings, mostly
Hence the name ‘Combat Logistic Patrol’,
will be catering for 2,000 engineering technicians, many of whom volunteered
arguably the most visible aspect of the regiment’s
people every sitting as a to work as drivers and engineers for this demanding
work.
chef, dishing up a ‘Janner and landlocked deployment.
“The patrols are tremendously complex
kebab’ (pasty) and tank Thirty-six musicians from across the Band Service
because of the sheer scale of what they have
traps (meat ribs) among volunteered for a tour of duty in Helmand (they
to deliver – anything from 60-100 vehicles
other delicacies. will spend three months each rather than six for the
of different types, with many tonnes of
Temperatures in majority of personnel deploying).
Helmand at their Some will work as drivers, others as first-aid
height won’t be as bad specialists, and a new Joint Force Medical Group
comprised of men and women will go out on patrol
with the Royal Marines.
The wider Medical Squadron – almost 400
personnel strong – is drawn from all three Services
who have been mobilised, equipped and trained to
provide medical cover at the hospital in Camp
Bastion and to the out-stations.
The hospital squadron primarily
comes from sickbays in ships
around the UK, augmented
to form a hospital, with
anaesthetists, doctors, and
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