Kill or be killed: My time with 1 Lancs at Europe's most advanced urban warfare training facility
I really enjoy following the activities of 1st Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment – or as they're more commonly known, The Kingos.
They're currently deployed to CENZUB in northern France – widely regarded as the best urban warfare training facility in Europe – on Exercise Gaulish.
And, like a kid in a sweet shop, if you're going to have to spend two weeks at a facility like this, you might as well throw the kitchen sink at it – and that's certainly what the men and women of 1 Lancs are doing while in France, as the 48 hours we spent with them were action-packed.
Controlled aggression
There are a few reasons why I like reporting on them, but top of the list is their aggression and composure.
These soldiers are some of the toughest you will find in the Army, but they are so disciplined when it comes to exerting that might.
They're also very hospitable, particularly when annoying reporters like me stick cameras in their faces. It's really appreciated, and it makes filming this type of activity all the better.
For their deployment to CENZUB, 1 Lancs were up against a formidable enemy in the shape of the French Infantry as they both defended and attacked objectives.
And while one of the key aims of the exercise is to strengthen UK-French interoperability – after all, they are the only two European nations to have publicly committed to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine – a rivalry between the two forces was never far from the surface.
Both sides were determined to defeat the other.
French facility, French rules
It’s not the first time I've seen 1 Lancs in action.
Last year, I covered their deployment to Estonia during Exercise Hedgehog, a trench-heavy affair just 35 miles from the Russian border. When the wargames unfolded, the enemy was played by Estonian conscripts.
Again, I was struck by the battalion's aggression and composure when it mattered.
Ask any French soldier who has faced the Kingos at CENZUB these past two weeks, and they'll tell you that hasn't changed.
Let's talk tactics
While embedded, we were permitted to get as close to the training as reasonably possible. It meant we were close up as 1 Lancs attempted to tactically outwit and physically outmanoeuvre their opponents – which, for the most part, they did.
We also witnessed the challenges that come with operating under a foreign military. CENZUB belongs to France; it's their rules everyone must follow.
That has required adjustments on the side of the Brits. From my perspective, the main differences appeared to be most visible when clearing buildings or moving from cover to cover.
The French like to use their vehicles as much as possible, even to move between buildings at close range. The Brits prefer to do these things on foot.
Cheating? Les Francais? Mai non!
Another striking difference is the weaponry. For this exercise, 1 Lancs is using entirely French hardware, including the HK416 rifle. That has required a crash course in weapon handling, delivered by the battalion's own skill at arms instructors back in the UK before deploying.
One of those "skillies" described to me the pros and cons of using the new rifle, pointing out it had a longer barrel and was therefore sometimes getting in the way when entering buildings through windows or holes in the walls.
There were occasional accusations from the British that their French adversaries were not always "playing the game" when it came to admitting defeat during firefights, which were some of the most intense I've seen on an exercise.
But that edge only underscored how seriously both sides took the training. And they both really pushed the other – be it defensively or while attacking objectives. Personally, I really enjoyed watching this intense rivalry play out, while the UK and French soldiers were emptying magazine after magazine at each other, sometimes at very close range.
I also spoke to 21-year-old Kingsman Reece Cumming, who was acting as a section commander during an assault on a village. He said CENZUB was proving invaluable, calling it "mega".
"I think it's such a good experience being able to come out here, being able to do what we're doing and being able to show off our skills to the French," he explained.
Enemies before, friends now
The man in charge of the exercise on the side of 1 Lancs is Major Lance Morris, who pointed out the real-world consequences, which extend beyond the possibility of peacekeeping in Ukraine, to the deployment.
"We're part of 4 Brigade who right now remain on Forward Land Forces readiness. Last year that saw us deploy to Estonia – which is the critical aspect of this," he said.
“French forces support Forward Land Forces, and actually, the unit we are partnering with here are also part of Forward Land Forces.
"This enables us to ensure that we are working side by side with our Nato partners to achieve the mission of Forward Land Forces."
Later this year, 1 Lancs will mark the 20th anniversary of its amalgamation in 2006. The units that came together to make The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment all boast their own proud histories, which include fighting real wars against the French.
But in the context of the now, this new chapter is what really matters to the men and women of 1 Lancs.
And when the dust settles on this most recent adventure, the troops will take some decent memories home with them, and perhaps some new mates in the French infantry.
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