Crusader 80

Anyone remember this one? it was a huge exercise in Germany in 1980 believe it or not! Thousands of troops involved but as far as we were concerened (1 ADOC) it was the most boring exercise ever, although I'm sure the OC would disagree. We simply deployed to a village location (cant remember where) cammed up the waggons with brick hess and waited for something to happen, nothig did happen and a couple of weeks later we packed up and drove back to Soltau. Smaller exercises were better for individual units (imo) much more to do and the OC would have more scope to do his own thing rather than the Brigadier calling the shots.

Crusader 80 was a holiday in the country for me and the rest of 43 RP coy 1CSB.
The weather was good and all we had to do was inload and outload several thousand pallets of Simmo,a doddle.

That brings back memories of exercises at 5 Ord Bn. Outloading all that simmo then spending the next fortnight in some farmers courtyard as we slowly sent it all back to Depot 90. One thing I must say, what a massive improvement the JCB was over the Beaver. A warm dry cab with a heater luxury.

Hello all,

first time on here as part of a huge nostalgia overload.
Crusader 80 was fun. We were Corps recce and spent a lot of time as enemy. Seem to remember seeing a chieftan from Bovington so they must have been scraping the barrel.
All a complete sham really. When we deployed to the Gulf in 90 we had to get bods and stuff from all over the place and only managed to put three squadrons in the field instead of four

griff029

Hello Griff, yes indeed this site is a huge nostalgia trip. I remember the RWF at Lemgo, me & a mate had to pick up some kit from the gym there, tug-o-war ropes if memory serves.

I know what you mean about scrounging kit for the Gulf in 1990. At the time I was attatched to 23 Engr Regt (Osnabruck) a third of the regiments AVLBs were none runners but we still took them to Saudi because we had no spares for the ones that did run. The none runners were cannibalised at the FMA in Al Jubail then abandoned. We were running on elastic bands and gaffer tape.

Andrew, I know that Technically I was RAOC, but as I was A staff Clerk, what is an AVLB?

jim wrote:

Andrew, I know that Technically I was RAOC, but as I was A staff Clerk, what is an AVLB?

Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge..............Bridgelayer!

jim wrote:

Andrew, I know that Technically I was RAOC, but as I was A staff Clerk, what is an AVLB?

Apologies, only just spotted this one. Yes Soprano is quite right, the AVLB was essentially a Chieftain with the turret removed and bridge on top.

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/army8b5.htm

Cheers guys.

I remember this one we were engineer support and spent the entire 3/4 weeks parked next to a main line railway where every hour on the hour an express train rumbled by at a great rate of knots
Wasn't there are another big exercise a couple of years later in 82 I seem to remember working with the yanks on that one and we mobilised the TA as well

I´d just been posted from 44 RP Coy 3 Armd Div HQ & Sig Regt, I spent the Exercise up in Hildesheim. my main job being to drive the New Zealand DGOS around the Country in a Safari Landrover.
Had to be the best exercise ever for me, he would always insist on eating in German Restaurants as he loved German food,

HI guys,

have a look at these link at the german "Panzerbär - Forum".

There are many pics from Crusader 80 / Spearpoint 80!

http://f3.webmart.de/f.cfm?id=2078181&r=threadview&t=3380431&m=16248918#16248918

Best regards
Arnd

I well remember Crusader 80 - I'd been in Germany less than a year and had little realisation just how big (and rare) an exercise of this sort was !

As part of 3 Armd Div HQ and Sig Regt we (33 Armd Bde) were umpires - our squadron following 4 Div's HQ around all exercise.

I have some photo's from the exercise somewhere - not very good but I will post them if anyone is interested.

I had just been posted from 44 (RP) Coy at Sennelarger to CAD Kineton, and ended up back in BAOR with 92 (Regular Shadow) Coy as i/c of 461 Equipment Section a 'Shadow' Unit of 1CSB.

Where you ask? camped on the grass near to Depot 90 and our MkII Eager Beavors were never even unloaded from the 10 Ton Knockers that had carried them over from the UK. We were in reserve was the story. Bloody good nights out anyway!

For comfort the JCB won hands down, but for manoeuvrability & speed at work you could not beat an Eager Beaver!

Come on now! How many pedal boxes did you squash in your time, be it either model of the Beaver?

Regards
Alan

PS. A Peddle box fixer!

PPS. I was also on Crusader 80 as an Umpire

NONE, But I confess to ripping a few mud guards off, and bending a water browser towing eye by not fitting the reversing devise first when towing one behind a beaver. Oh and 'Crabing' a few!

I drove Lancing Bangnals, Hysters, Clark Rangers, Eager Beavers Mk 1 & 2 plus with Arctic Cab and the Remote Control EB in Northern Ireland.

Cop a load of this:

http://m136.de/wordpress/?p=166

The website is by Germans, for Germans, in German but it is a goldmine to which I was recently directed. It even lists phases and dates and where the minefield was laid. So many place names that I had forgotten like Alfeld and Leine.

Fascinating site! I also had forgotten a good deal about that FTX.

Crusader 80 was my first major exercise with the TA. Great times.

hi there,
Crusader '80 was my first exercise in the Army.
arrived in september and shortly afterwards was gunning a chieftain for Sgt. Steve Redhead (RIP) in C sqn 1420H.
Great experiences........great villages........great memories.
atb
pinky
HUSSAR

I am going to Deepcut on Saturday for Armed Forces Day (25th June) and as a Friend of the RLC Museum I am getting to drive a Eager Beaver Mk2 which is a veteran of Crusader 80, Lionheart 84 and 461 Equipment Section at Kineton (meaning.... It was my Eager Beaver) it having just undergone a overhaul to fix a hydraulics problem.

I may even get to ride in Monty's Rolls Royce as well.

So , you won`t be talking to usinsignificants when you get back Mike

I was on that one as well but my "job" was driving BFBS tv about from location to location. it was the first time they had done outside broadcasts and we went to various places, filmed during the day, edidted in the evning then flew the tape for transmition next day. Some good stories there but will save the blushes of the TV presenters for now

This was my first Exercise, too, we spent most of it parked in farm yards, with many trips out to fix ailing Chieftains.
Well, we were FRG.
Enjoyed it.

Served with an Air Defence Regiment at the time and can remember that we were to practice what would happen in a real conflict. This meant that due to their role the lead sub could be as much as 50km from the rear echelon containing the workshop. Ended up on a hill above Orr Park (Where most of the river crossings across the Wesser happened). In typical military fashion as they had run out of real estate to play in it was decided to stop over a bank holiday and turn everything by 180 degrees before restarting the "war". This meant that as a member of the rear echelon I should have been 50km behind the lead sub BUT because of the reality was that because of the real estate muck up the lead sub was about 100m from the workshop. All in all it was just another typical muck up by those supposedly in charge.