Lionheart

Who remembers that? I can't even remember the year

Ex Lionheart was September 1984.

Jesus, I was de-mobbed 20 years before it started ... Who won ..

Len (Ciphers)

ciphers wrote:

Jesus, I was de-mobbed 20 years before it started ... Who won ..

Len (Ciphers)

The good guys. Always do.


(Couldn't resist that Len

OK so I was demobbed 30 years before it started, but who is counting!

One outfit that lost was the SAS. They were caught ASLEEP in the woods around 4 PD Warendorf by a patrol of ,I think the Woofers. They had to let them go because "the SAS never get caught" Happydays.

Chemist. It reminds me of Ex. Pheasant Tail III in, I think, 1962, massive exercise that was in foul weather. 2 Div were warned that the SAS were around and that our side(Blue) had to wear our helmets all the time.
Later one evening 1 Gordon Highlanders who were laagered next to us got done over. The RSM was stood outside their Sgts Mess tent without his helmet. Very silently he was taken away as n umerous vehicles got painted up to show destruction.
The following morning he was found lashed to a tree, some 10 feet up absolutely stark naked.
I think you might guess the steam from a Jock |RSM in that condition !!!!!!
In later years in another life, as they say, I worked closely with a civvie who was still in 23 SAS, he was on that attack.

bob wrote:

Ex Lionheart was September 1984.

hi bob i was on lionheart with 1 corps troops workshop reme from mossbank kaserne

Found this information on the german internetsite "panzerbar.de" with a lot of pictures and information of Lionheart 1984

The link to the site is
http://www.panzerbaer.de/archiv/uk_ftx_lionheart_1984-a.htm

For a rough translation try this link. (Used google for translation)
http://translate.google.de/translate?prev=hp&hl=de&js=y&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.panzerbaer.de%2Farchiv%2Fuk_ftx_lionheart_1984-a.htm&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=

blueray53 wrote:

bob wrote:

Ex Lionheart was September 1984.

hi bob i was on lionheart with 1 corps troops workshop reme from mossbank kaserne

Did my VM Class 2 at 1 Corps troops Wksps in 1978.
Played Hockey there many a time for 4 Armd Wkps and the Corps.

I did a German Linguist course in 1980. One day about March 1984 a letter arrived on my boss's desk from IIRC SACEUR, who had decided he wanted to try something different on Lionheart. The letter listed all German Linguists and above stationed in BAOR and instructed Commanding Officers that the named personnel were to be excluded from the OrBat for Lionheart because he planned to screw the participants over by having fifth columnists playing an active part in the exercise.

I was one year away from posting out and 12 Armd Wksp would lose my RAC Control Signaller skills (which pre-dated my transfer from cavalry to RAPC) anyway, so this was a good opportunity to learn for themselves how to run an MRG HQ radio truck.

I put this to the OC who took it on the chin and they had to do without me.

Funny thing was that SACEUR never did get back to me and tell me what to do (I understood that he dropped the idea because the logistics of his plan were simply too much), but neither did he ever stand me down, so for the first time in nine years I sat out an exercise on rear party.

Actually I did contribute. 12 Armd Wksp were a minor unit and the Pay Office consisted of a Div2 (SSGT) and Cpl me. Two weeks into the exercise and somebody had to pay the non-banking soldiers so I donned me combats, acquired an armed bodyguard / driver and we caught up with the MRG somewhere near Hannover. This was all very not the way the RAPC did things: Corporals did NOT run pay parades. Still, when I was on the point of posting out a year later my OC freely admitted that mine was the most grossly-overwritten Confidential Report he'd ever seen. He couldn't complain though: he wrote most of it and I was bringing his Operational Readiness Telephone claim payment to his desk personally instead of making him come to me. Did me no harm.

I was on that exercise as well.

I missed lionheart as I was in NI at the time, I would have enjoyed it I suspect, it was huge.

It was so huge that our Regiment sat in a Wood for 10 days whilst the "Staff" got everyone in to position. Had it been the real thing it would probably have take the 5th columnists a day or two to locate our position, report back, sick your head between your legs and kiss your a*** goodbye!

I was dreaming about joining up when Lionheart was underway. Did manage to get in a couple of large exercises but they stopped them soon after i arrived in Germany due to damage and cost implicatiosn and running out of money....

hi there,
1420H were umpires for this one ! i spent 2 weeks driving a 432 around the countryside not having a clue what was going on or where i was !!
first time i saw a MICV 80....later named the Warrior !
atb
pinky

I was on Lionheart, it was the first and only time I have ever seen an RE troop at full manning. We used to have 3 sections of 6 blokes in three 432's with me driving the Delta Wagon (432 with Barminelayer and Ranger) with just another Sapper as commander. On Lionheart they managed with called up reservists for us all to be at 10 men in all four sections, Not so bad for the other sections as they had top boxes on the roof, I had a ranger on the roof and all the barminelayer gear so it was rather crowded.

The reservists we had were all issued stirling SMG;s and most kept them in the bin bags they got them in.

The first exercise our Battlegroup tried to use us as infantry (they did not know what Sappers did), positioned us to stop an armoured attack and failed to heed or warnings that we had one Charlie G, 4 LMG and 3 GPMG per troop.

Never mind, cue the first of many 6 hours off, wash, shave, skoff and heads down while we played dead for the umpires.

I can remember it very well, I went as an invite, I was on reserve at that time, met at Pirbright flew out to Gutersloh then I think went on by coach to Paderborn, thin was once the whole group were sorted, as to what they were to do I was the only one left, so the RSM said oh you just go over there with the AAC, so I ended up flying about in Helicopters and supplying fuel on the helipads (fields) so all in all had a great time

Les

Was one of my best times, whilst not serving, I was on paid leave from my company to take part and the Army paid me loads of dosh all for going back to Germany (somewhere I always loved) and enjoy myself

Les

I was on Lionheart on an L.A.D REME.
We ended up in Dulman where the civvi workers gave us there staff room to save us from kipping in the trucks.
My main memory was being bloody busy & furking cold.
Still brings back fond memories

I think the Falkland war was on at the time and the T.A.was involved .Recall being on a cross channel ferry on the way over and troops sleeping all over the decks telling the passengers on board going to Germany that the ferry was on it,s way to the Falklands to assist thus causing panic .On return to Dover after the excersise I refused to open the stores bin wagon for customs inspection as i was carrying weapons aboard and requested orders from my C.O. who was on his way back to BORDON.consequently I was stuck there for some time .All sorted out eventually and sent on my way getting back to camp in time for breakfast .Then handover to regular stores on the Sunday then home.

I think this was the last ever exercise i ever did, but can`t remember much about it.
I was with 2RTR LAD at the time.

Guest wrote:

Who remembers that? I can't even remember the year

I was there. Started in Colchester with 1 squadron RCT. The squadron drove on-masse to Harwich where we laid up for a few hours before travelling across the water in a chartered DFDS ferry (in the company of other regiments). On the last day of the exercise a guy in my section had a crash with a local German Civilian. I acted as the interpreter with the local GCP. Once all the dust had settled my troop commander said he never knew I spoke German, good to know he had read my skills list in the troop office.

I spent the duration of Ex Lionheart sat in Celle RMP station with my leg in plaster after breaking it in a Rugby match at Fallingbostel that Easter. The guy who broke it was one of my own unit.....thanks Dave!

I spent the whole of Lionheart with the AAC, when we left UK I was given charge of the flight until I was able to hand over in Germany, I handed over, then watched all the soldiers on the flight get given their designated posts, there was only me left and nothing written down as to where I was supposed to report, WO1 in charge just said, "you can just tag along with the AAC, I did this and thanks to some decent pilots spent most of the time flying about the place in various choppers lol

Les

I think I saw you flying over our Gun Position, Les.