As dawn broke on Wednesday, March 7, a small section of Poland’s Vistula River came alive. British, German, Polish and French military engineers swarmed the western bank, deploying their amphibious rigs in anticipation of the advancing vehicles.
Eight hours later, the eight ferries had successfully ferried more than 750 pieces of equipment and upwards of a thousand troops across the 300-metre-wide gap, in an impressive display of NATO capability.
The wide wet gap crossing came mid-way through Exercise Dragon 24 (running February 28 to March 14), one of several elements making up the overarching Exercise Steadfast Defender.
Comprising circa 20,000 soldiers and 3,500 equipment platforms from nine NATO countries, Exercise Dragon aims to test the Land component of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF(L)).
It’s the first time for many in the Brigade that they’ve done a really wide crossing of a major waterway, certainly a river of this width – one of the major waterways in Europe. And what you’re seeing here is NATO’s ability to project a Brigade with relative ease across a major water obstacle.” Brigadier Guy Foden, 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team , The Desert Rats
While the UK’s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team (7LMBCT) led the VJTF(L) to the Vistula, it was over to the subject matter experts, the German-British Amphibious Engineer Battalion 130 to orchestrate the river crossing.
Recent heavy rain only made the crossing more complicated for the exercising forces, testing their ability to adapt to changing scenarios. Nonetheless, the wet gap crossing successfully demonstrated the capability.
Watching the display from the bank of the eastern shore, Brigadier Guy Foden, Commander of 7LMBCT, the Desert Rats, commented:
“It’s the first time for many in the Brigade that they’ve done a really wide crossing of a major waterway, certainly a river of this width – one of the major waterways in Europe.
"What you’re seeing here is NATO’s ability to project a Brigade with relative ease across a major water obstacle. It shows the capability of both the British and German amphibious regiment, but also our French and our Polish allies.
“We don’t do this very often, so there’s not an inherent understanding of it, but what I would say is using the doctrine, using the procedures that we’re all taught, works and the proof in the pudding, because a large proportion of the brigade has already crossed over, and the rest will follow.
"And we’re putting deliberately every element across. So, this is not just a thing for Infantry Battalions; 6 RLC (Royal Logistic Corps) will be coming across later, 4th Regiment Royal Artillery will be bringing their guns across, Brigade main headquarters is coming across – the whole thing is coming across. But the key thing is, if you use the doctrine, it works.”
Morale is super high, the troops love seeing different things on the rigs, and every day that I speak to the troops they’re just loving the experience." MAJOR RYAN INGHAM, 23 AMPHIBIOUS SQUADRON
On the short journeys across the river, spirits were high, both among the rig operators and the travelling troops, many of whom had never experienced a river crossing before.
Commander on one of the four British and German ferries, each of which were made up of four M3 Amphibious Bridging Vehicles, Lance Corporal Luke Hudson, commented:
“It’s good to be taking live traffic across the river, because it’s not something we get to do often. It’s quite a tight knit crew, we have to work well together to get the job done.
“After all the training we’ve been doing, it’s good to actually put it into practice and do it for real. Spirits are high, everyone is really enjoying it out here, working with other nations. It’s quite interesting to see what other nations use, with their capability as well as ours, working side by side.”
Major Ryan Ingham, Officer Commanding 23 Amphibious Squadron, concurred:
“We get a lot out of a real-life situation, over the prepared training areas that we use day in day out.
"For something like this on a virgin green site, we can’t even measure it because the troops are gaining so much out of it, from the land based launching on the water, working together as crews, and working with the loads that come on – working with the main battle tanks – that load on to the ferries and how they ferry, how they operate and then how they feel. And getting after the interoperability piece with the Germans, which is what we’re all about, because we’re a multinational battalion.
The successful crossing of the River Vistula, as a multinational Brigade Combat Team fully integrated in a Polish Division, is a high point. I am extremely proud of the Desert Rats’ contribution to Ex Steadfast Defender and their continued unwavering commitment to standing alongside our Allies.” MAJOR-GENERAL TOM BATEMAN, 1ST DIVISION,
“Morale is super high, the troops love seeing different things on the rigs, and every day that I speak to the troops they’re just loving the experience. We’ve had the mix of the weather so it brings different challenges every day, but on a glorious day like today, bringing the VJTF(L) over in the sun, who can complain?”
Major-General Tom Bateman, General Officer Commanding 1st Division, added:
“Over the past 18 months I have watched the hard work and dedicated commitment of 7LMBCT translate into impressive military capability that is held at genuine readiness, can rapidly respond when activated and operates effectively at reach from the United Kingdom as a critical contribution to NATO’s response forces.
“The successful crossing of the River Vistula, as a multinational Brigade Combat Team fully integrated in a Polish Division, is a high point. I am extremely proud of the Desert Rats’ contribution to Ex Steadfast Defender and their continued unwavering commitment to standing alongside our Allies.”