Bugle Summer 2026 - Flipbook - Page 38
6 RIFLES
EX FERRUM LUPUS – PREPARING FOR DEPLOYMENT
With the Battalion preparing to deploy to
Lithuania on Exercise IRON WOLF in May,
there was a clear requirement to develop
the skills of those deploying—both to meet
operational demands and, crucially, to
sharpen core competencies.
Under the direction of HQ Company
2IC, Capt Lippiett, the team coordinated a
resourceful and effective package, drawing on
external expertise to deliver CBRN training and
designing a series of battle exercises.
The Battalion gathered from across all four
companies on a cool Friday evening in April
at Imber Village, where administration was
completed and final preparations made. On
Saturday, Riflemen rotated through a series
of battle lanes and exercises designed to
prepare them for Lithuania, covering BCD,
CBRN, FIBUA, C-sUAS and FIWAF. Patrolling
aggressively through the stands, the day acted
as a valuable shake-out, with the presence
of Challenger 2 MBTs adding to the sense
of scale. That evening, Riflemen formed into
a Company ORBAT under Maj Scott Lacey,
deploying as OC on Ex IRON WOLF.
Following orders the Company conducted
a dispersed move across the training area
before regrouping at the FRV to launch a
confirmatory serial clearing buildings west
of the village. This allowed Riflemen to apply
newly developed skills while beginning
to gel as a fighting Company. Concluding
with a 2km extraction, the weekend proved
highly effective, sharpening both individual
competence and understanding of roles within
a Company Group.
Ex GOTHIC BUGLE:
BATTLEFIELD STUDY TO THE
GOTHIC LINE, ITALY
In March, 20 members of 6 RIFLES visited Italy on a Battlefield
Study. Based in Rimini, we were studying the fighting on the
Gothic Line during 1944-45 in Italy.
It was one of several defensive lines which crossed Italy, all
designed to delay the allied advance northwards. It comprised
machine gun nests, concrete bunkers, gun emplacements, and
mines.
The Italian campaign remains less well known than the Battles
in Northwest Europe. In fact, the British troops based there
were known as the “D Day Dodgers”, suggesting that they were
somehow missing out on the proper fighting that was going on
elsewhere. This was far from the truth, and allied forces fought
a challenging campaign against a peer enemy in excellent
defensive terrain. During the battle of Coriano Ridge in September
1944, the allies lost about 77 tanks in one day.
The historical context allowed us to learn several
contemporary lessons about how we would conduct operations
in the current environment. In line with the technological
advances in the battlefield today used to FIND and STRIKE the
enemy, making cam and concealment more difficult in such
a lethal modern battlefield. Overall, this provided an excellent
training opportunity for the team.
38 RIFLES The Bugle
