Royal Artillery 4/73 Battery (Sphinx). Special Observer

[Coxy14011993]

Is anybody on here actually in this battery? attempted the training? know anybody in or involved in the training? Because I want to put it down as my 1st job choice. But want to know a lot more about the training, how hard it is etc. Can you take this route to becoming a Special Observer = AFC Harrogate - 42 weeks, Royal Artillery Gunner Training - 12 weeks, Special Observer training = 16-18 weeks. What does the 12 week Gunner training involve? Can anybody tell me the different aspects of the special observer training. How fit do you really have to be to get through the special observer training? Do you do hand-to-hand combat training/martial arts during special observer training? Any other information about the battery, training etc welcome.

thankyou

[Paratrooper01]

Firstly we are not blind, we dont need to have the font on size 100 to read your post.

Secondly, 4/73 is a so called "specialist unit" and i imagine you have to do some time in a regular Artillery unit before attempting the 4/73 course.

Do you do hand-to-hand combat training/martial arts during special observer training?

No but i hear that the underwater knife-fighting is supposed to be equally good.

I did a bit of work with 4/73 "sphincter battery" on Herrick 8 and they were the most unprofessional bunch of wasters you could possibly meet. So much so that they stole half of their kit from the tour, didnt even bother to clean weapons that they were handing over for our use, left a whole fleet of vehicles in a FOB hundreds of miles from Camp Bastion (of which some of them were in complete dis-repair) which we had to go and drive back to camp bastion while 4/73 got a heli ride home, didnt bother to leave any blokes behind for a formal handover-takeover for our arrival in said FOB.......you get the picture.

They spent the whole of Herrick 7 sitting in this said FOB collecting "valuble information" on key players of the region and gaining information on patterns of life. What did they actually achieve? f@#k all.

I could go on, but i will only get more frustrated. Thank God we have a mega switched on Storeman who worked his arse off for 6 months so that we could eventually give a substantial, thorough and fully accountable handover to the Royal Marines.

[agapito]

Coxy you need no former military experience to join 4/73 Battery, however you need to be switched on and reasonable fit, the course has a low pass rate so you need motivation and drive not just the thought of being a specialist. At larkhill you'll get booster training meaning you'll do more PT(Physical Training) with fellow 7 RHA and Commando lads than other. At phase 2 you'll kinda know if you can hack the extra work, because it does get harder than phase 1. I'm not entirely sure because im 7 para rha but from what i understand you do hand to hand combat CQB and alot more cant explain it all here but feel free to message me i'll get one of the lads to reply.

[tobyj]

[quote="Paratrooper01"]Firstly we are not blind, we dont need to have the font on size 100 to read your post.


that made me crease!


yeah i would expect every training to be hard not just this type Coxy.