Armoured Soldier Questions

[Docherty]

I'm sure that someone from the LDSH will be by momentarily to either confirm this or deny it.

Talked to someone in the know and there are none to his knowledge crewing any panzers.

Regards

We have quite a few Reservists in the Regiment right now, filling Leo Driver roles and a few are even Gunners. 

 

[Rowshambow]

Recce by death, just in case you weren't sure with regards to my post, I too am in the Strats! thats how I know where some people are, and yes Nathan was working as an ARV gunner as I mentioned but there are a couple others that are crewing the leo's and a few more in B Sqn, but most do go to Ech and other spots, and as CSA pointed out, the reservists have to be put on pcf cycles when they get to the regiment.

 

[Franko]

As far as he was in the know, seeing as he was on the ground in Afghanistan before becoming injured, there were no reservists crewing tanks.

Well, I stand corrected.

Regards

 

[geo]

as CSA pointed out, the reservists have to be put on pcf cycles when they get to the regiment.

Thus addressing that nasty "delta" that's been built into the Trade courses of the armoured branch (and infantry).

Here's a question to the guys in the RCDs & LdSH.... how long is the training for reservists - to bring em up to Reg force standard - once they report in to the Reg't?
How big is that bloody "delta" ?

 

[George Wallace]

The Delta is quite large now.  When the tanks were taken away and everything switched to Coyote the Delta really grew.  Prior to that, it was quite common to have Reservists attached to the Regiments as Light Track Drivers and crew and also as Operator/Loader on the tanks.  Once the "Tracks" were gone and everything was Coyote, the only options left were to fill slots in the Echelons as ML or LS drivers, with the odd one as Bison crew.

As for Trg to bring them up to speed now in the Regiments for a deployment, they would have to get loaded onto a PCF Crse with any of the others selected from the Regt, at the Regt, in that Regt's Pre-Deployment Trg Plan.  I doubt many, if any, are sent off to the School or other locations to get these courses.  This doesn't allow for many Reservists to have the oportunities for such PCF trg.

 

[geo]

Oik... almost feels like the reserve Armd types are poor cousins that will remain poor cousins - regardless.

I saw LFQA reserve infantry report in to Valcartier for training in June of 06 for their deployment in August of 07.  That covers delta training AND workup training.  Considering that any reservist that takes part in the ROTO is permitted to do a CT in the rank he held during the ROTO, it would suggest that by the time they ship out, they are pert much "up to speed" and are integrated (though prolly lacking in some of the finer details that you pick up with experience).

As stated before, the CME changed their reserve Sapper qualification some 3 years ago and spread it out over two summers - but the Reg / Res course covers the same material.  Though there will be some tradecraft knowledge fade if the reservist does not exercise his trade knowledge on a regular basis, bringing em up to speed once they report in appears to be working.

Interesting how each branch is dealing with reservists differently.

 

[mover1]

Oik... almost feels like the reserve Armd types are poor cousins that will remain poor cousins - regardless.

Thats because you reg force ARMD guys were poor cousins to the rest of the CBT arms for a while was it not?

 

[geo]

Heh... I think all branches have felt like second cousins at one time or another.
When the fleet management system was put into place, everyone got nailed & the rolling stock gets passed round from one unit to another. 
The Armd lost their Leo1s & Lynx, got the Coyote, LAVs, GWagons and Leo2s out of left field
The RCHA lost their M109s and got "some" M777s and UAVs...
The Infantry and the Engineers weren't and aren't in any better shape IMHO.

 

[Rowshambow]

I was talking to SSM B today (LDSH) and can confirm that he has 5 Reservists in Leo 2 drivers spots! 3 are in Germany right now driving for the gunnery courses and mechs doing their courses!

 

[Command-Sense-Act 105]

That fact is of limited relevance.

5 drivers don't justify the x-thousand Res Armd soldiers out there and 15-odd Armd Res units.  That's a pretty poor ratio of return on our investment, particuarly considering that all these folks had to be trained on tanks from square zero, much like a new fellow straight from Gagetown would.

I'm still not convinced.

 

[Rowshambow]

you are right, limited relevance, I was just trying to inform the people who asked! I wasn't arguing any point one way or another, just pointing out that on the next roto there is at least 5 Leo 2 drivers!

 

[1h_trooper]

Hey guys you're worrying me, my plan is to become an armoured soldier in the reserves so I can transfer/deploy later (when im 18). Am I right in saying that learning how to operate on a G-wagon is essentially useless? Is there a chance for me to qualify on any other vecs or learn/improve any skills that will help me out?

 

[geo]

nothing is useless....
All training is good..... to a certain extent anyway

Section and troop drills - knowledge of SOPs & the like will become routine - which is what you want... it's just that, there is a limit to the Armoured RECCE skill set that can be taken out of the country.

 

[hammond]

Like Geo stated no training is useless, with my little time in the Armoured Reserves, I can see that troop movement drills, and obstruction drills would be useful when CT to the Reg force. You experience  stables days, on a lesser scale of course. Navigation on the move, Hides and Harbours. There's a good skill set that can be transferred over to the Reg Force, but also remember that this could also lead to bad habits when retraining.

As for qualifying on more vehicles, there is talk that a couple of guys in PEIR may be getting qualified on T-LAV and Coyote driver. What use that may be I don't know as we don't have any way to keep up on the skills.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

As for qualifying on more vehicles, there is talk that a couple of guys in PEIR may be getting qualified on T-LAV and Coyote driver. What use that may be I don't know as we don't have any way to keep up on the skills.

Send them to drive for the Armoured School, they have lots of courses that use said vehicles. Heck I haven't driven or CC'd a T-LAV since I did my tasking with LFTEU about 3 yrs ago

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Hey guys you're worrying me, my plan is to become an armoured soldier in the reserves so I can transfer/deploy later (when im 18). Am I right in saying that learning how to operate on a G-wagon is essentially useless? Is there a chance for me to qualify on any other vecs or learn/improve any skills that will help me out?

The trg you will get will help you if you plan on going Reg Frce crewman at a later date.  How a crew lives and fights as part of their AFV, their patrol, their troop.  Basic Comms, AFV, gunnery (as in pers wpns, and crew served wpns, forget 25mm and 105/120mm main armaments.  You will learn to understand things like States of Readiness, all kinds of crew, patrol and troop SOPs, such as the job of the Tp WOs operator/observer in a hide, in a harbour.  You may be picked or tasked to Admin Tp/Echelon where you will be part of the team that keeps the fighting troops fed, fueled and armed.  Although the G-Wagon is not a true AFV, you will start to learn tactical veh movement on the ground, such as hull down, turrent down positions, jockeying, etc.  You will learn to move the vehicle as the driver, based on verbal commands of the Crew Commander.  You start to learn CBRN, basic winter/cold weather operations, how to use kit effectively in the field whether its something as simple as a 2 burner stove or a VHF radio set.  You will start to learn basic voice procedure, maybe even target gird procedure (in my old Recce unit, EVERYONE in the troop knew how to do a basic call for fire support.  There is a list of things I could go on about that will serve you well if/when you transfer to the Reg Force.

Now...having said that...

If and when you DO transfer over from your PRes Armoured unit, do NOT say "well, in the Sudbury Whitetail Dragoons, we didn't do it like that".  No one cares.  Every unit has their own SOPs, and they don't want to know what  yours were.  Use your basic skills to adjust into The Regiment and the way it does the business.  Be smart and you'll do fine.

No trg is useless trg unless you get stuck on what you learn in the PRes as being the only, or best way, to do things.  

As an example, 2 people from my old Res Recce unit went Regs back in 1995.  One of them was a WO at the time, and dropped to the rank of Cpl.  One was a Cpl and dropped to a no-hook Trooper and both went to the same Reg Force Regiment.

The ex-WO is now still...a Cpl.  The ex-Cpl is now a Sgt, on his way to his DP3B course (WOs) and will likely retire as a MWO minimum unless something really goes off the rails.  You can see who adjusted to The Regiment better than the other in this example I think.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Like Geo stated no training is useless, with my little time in the Armoured Reserves, I can see that troop movement drills, and obstruction drills would be useful when CT to the Reg force.

Obstruction drills?  Personal obstructions, or the kind dealt with durings IAs and Stoppages on "insert wpn name here".  :blotto:

I think you meant Obstacle drills (i.e. defile, blind corner, lateral, etc etc).

 

[geo]

Heh... methinks that Obstacle is what Islandtrooper had in mind.... (at least that's the only thing that comes to mind that makes sense)

 

[hammond]

Thanks guys, I knew when I typed that, that something wasn't right. As you can tell, I am fairly new to the game. I have a question with regards to movement and obstacle drills on the Leo's... are they the same or do the tankers do it there own way. Just thinking that Tanks don't really have a spare person to be a GIB. Instead of using a dismount do they use a callsign to secure a direction while others clear? Or do they just go a stomping.

 

[Quag]

The only people who truly employ obstacle drills are Armoured Recce.  Tanks, don't use those drills, as they fight in a different way.