Innovation in the RTR

AMIENS DAY, OP CABRIT 8 IN ESTONIA

Trooper Matthews

The Battle of Amiens began on the 8th of August 1918 and ended on the 12th of August 1918 and involved British, Canadian, Australian, American, and French forces. This was the beginning of the One Hundred Days offensive, which brought about the end of the First World War. During the battle, the predecessors of the modern Royal Tank Regiment and the French 501e Régiment de Chars de Combat fought alongside each other in what would be one of the most significant victories for allied forces in the War and would help cement a bond of friendship between the two Units. Over 100 years later, and hundreds of kilometres away in Estonia, BADGER and the 501e Régiment de Chars de Combat joined together on the anniversary of the battle to remember and celebrate a shared battle honour.

The day began with a friendly sports competition. We played Volleyball, basketball and rounders. The French displayed sporting excellence in basketball and volleyball but all was not lost as BADGER completely dominated the rounders!

The French displayed sporting excellence in volleyball but the British dominated the rounders. After a brief interlude for lunch we convened again for a formal parade to honour the history and sacrifice of the predecessors to our Regiments. A moment's silence was observed before we prepared for the next event of the day and lined up along the airstrip of Tapa camp. In the middle stood the Challenger 2 and the Leclerc. The Tank Olympics had begun. The first event was the drag race. The Challenger's engine roared to life as the Leclerc's turbine whined to max. Both vehicles thundered along the airstrip, the Challenger took the first victory. The following event was the most physically gruelling, the manual traverse race. Each team had four members and had to traverse the gun of each tank 360 degrees by hand. The crowd soon erupted into cheers as the turrets began to turn. The second point was taken by the French. The final event was the egg and spoon race. Each tank had a spoon taped to the end of the barrel, each time an egg fell, the Commander had to dismount and replace it. The French took an early lead in the race, advancing smoothly just faster than walking pace, while the Challenger struggled with the initial start.

Challenger besting the LeClerc in the cold start drag race

However, a stroke of luck or technique hit the British crew and they began to gain on the Leclerc, jumping up to 3rd gear and followed by a mob of tankies shouting praise. However, the French took the final point, cementing their overall victory in the Olympics. To round off the evening, there was a social event in the French vehicle hangers where both Regiments mingled with food and drink. Great friendships were made all round.