Mike Target, Mike Target, Mike Target

An OPO  position in Salisbury range

It was a cold mid morning in November 1965. It was cold by any standard as we had an early winter that year. The UK was in the midst of their Cold War and we were in the midst of the cold weather. We had our standard pakka jacket, not the white pakka jacket issued for the artic environment. How I wished we could wear our own Dalchan’s great trench coat that was designed and fit for WW1.

We were in the Regimental Hide in a clump of woods in the Salsbury Plains, South South East of London. We were finishing our YO course in Larkhill and this was our final life firing exercise in the Salsbury Range. The clump of woods was badly beaten up and worn out with almost daily use by artillery units on exercise, somewhat like Papa position in Asahan range.  Tank and APC tracks in the hide were Highway-wide. Our new digital camouflage nets and tree branches made up for our hide.

I was exercise Assistant Adjutant for the redeployment and I was the duty officer for the day. I had just finished my warm cuppa and the day, whilst wet, gloomy and misarable morning looked good. I was exercise GPO for the past two days and had took the toll in  a Bty Command Post with an AIG breathing down our necks. Hawkish, firm and no nonsense. We were on our final exercise and we were to be evaluated. Being Assistant Adjutant would give me a break. Or so I thought.

The wet morning mist was rising over the undulating ground as the sun rose just above the horizon. Salsbury range is quite huge and getting around to the various gun positions, OP positions and hides can be challenging. But as always, the RA guys had some tricks up their sleeves. There were actually several privately owned bars scattered all over the range. We would always drop in for a quick pint and asked for directions. We were told that the barmen knew the range area better than our school’s IGs. Just like in Asahan the ice cream man had the range details for the day.

The Greyhound Pub

“M Tgt, M Tgt, M Tgt” broke the silence as the sound cracked over the vehicle mounted C 48 radio set, which was our RFO net  The signaller replied “M Tgt, M Tgt, M Tgt” and shouted “Mike target Sir.” Hearing M Tgt three times was something akin to our fire alarm drill “ Api Api Api”. Everything moves double quick time. If you were on duty you would sweat big time.

Oh my God ! A Regimental target whilst I was on my duty shift. One thing we did during the course was to write our crib or aid-memoire. Artillery Training Volume 111, 1962  Pamphlet No.2 ( Surface to Surface Artillery ), Technical Duties in the Field was our bible during the course. It was too much to digest and understood fully. The manual was prepared under the direction of The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, whoever he was at that time. IGs and AIG had a copy of AT VOL 3 as it was called, under their arms and we had our aid-memoires.

Quickly I had turned to the rear few pages of my aid-memoire looking for duties and tasks for the Assistant Adjutant. Got the page. Duties of the Assitant Adjutant. See Duties of the Adjutant. 

 I did not take notes on the duties of the Adjutant as I thought his duties was just to check young officers and to hand out duty officer duties (the usual take 7 ) in the Regiment.

Fire Discipline is the language of fire control our IG had mentioned at the start of the course. It particularly concerns the OPO, the GPO and the Guns. He did not mention anything about the Adjutant. Hence no notes about the Adjutant. 

“Get me all BTY CPs” I called out to our telephone operator in the RHQ. The RSO had laid lines to all BTYs. In a deliberate defence position, the RSO would have to lay lines to OPs too. Miles and miles of lines. “M Tgt M Tgt M Tgt” I shouted down the heavy handset.

Next check with my aid memoire. Was the OPO and Authorised OP? He was not.Tick. He does not get all the fire units available. Tick. I will have to allocate the Btys and scale of ammo to him. 

“Callsign 1 and 2 available scale 4” I replied to the OPO meaning that he would get two BTYs of the schools’s Support Regiment which was 14th Field Regiment RA and three rounds per gun for his mission.

The OPO continued with his Fire Orders. “Grid 2100 5876, height 200 feet, Troops concentration in woods. Adjust Fire” .

Did the OPO order salvo ranging? No. Then adjust fire with one gun. Adjust fire was always with HE rounds. WP smoke was for specific operational use in the UK. Standard smoke was used for smoke screens and these canister smoke rounds were very good as the thick dark whitish smoke was heavy and hung on the the ground much longer unlike the WP round which columns upward.

Checked my aid memoire again. Tick. Tick. Tick. Cannot do without my cribbed notes.

Our end of the course deployment was joined by 29 Cdo Regiment, RA. We were supporting 3 CDO Bde Royal Marines from Tidworth, Wilthshire, the next county in the south. The CDO Bde and Gunners from 29 CDO Regiment wore their Green Barrets proudly and we wore Royal Blue. RHA Para Regiments wore maroon barrets. The Gunner officers from the 29 CDO were slick and sharp. They were equipped with the “new” Oto Malaria 105 Pack How, and 14 Field Regiment were still with the 25 pounders. We were also quick to add that our Malaysian Artillery Regiments also used the Italian Howitzer, to the envy of the rest of the YOs in the course.

29 CDO Regiment

B Bty reported “Shot 3, Time of flight 35 seconds”. 

The OPO continued with the adjustment and when he hit the target area, he ordered “4 rounds gun fire, Fire” for FFE.

The OPO then ordered “ Report all gone” to which the Btys reponded “All gone” after the last gun had fired. ”

The AIG smiled at me . It was a good shoot. Cannot wait to order “Stand Easy” (End of Mission) and thence scramble to the next traven as we would be redeployed soon. It was no joke to have cold sweat in a cold morning.

Allen Lai