Commissioned officers and actual fighting!

[always go commando]

you would nearly need a degree to be a binman these days.

a refuse technician these days i think

[sp10122]

Zero, I wouldn't really say as an AAC pilot you're cooped up in the front of an aeroplane. Fly 120 knots in a heli hopping hedges and you'll soon know the score.....commanding men is very rewarding but many things have their own challenges.

The AAC is the hardest regiment to get into at Sandbags without exception. You are selected to a very high standard. Cue Paras going were the hardest.... If you're fit and a good lad you've got a good chance with them and they are undoubtedly a good bunch, but try passing aptitude tests, ridiculous medicals and three weeks of testing, high pressure flying. Other 'select' regiments you can manage if you have tea with the right person two years before hand. At least the Paras, like the AAC are egalitarian and will base selection on your record at Sandbags. But, be very careful about the arms plot if you go to a non Para/Gurkha infantry regt at Sandbags...look where people are going, it makes a big difference.

AAC officers now do the longest and one of the hardest courses in the Army, certainly mentally (cue SAS wannabes). It's not for all though. It's quite non-green, if you enjoy the fizz and bags of soldiering bit you will get frustrated as you spend your whole time sat in crew rooms learning, knackred, waiting to fly and under a lot of pressure. There are still Royals going through the course but no longer NCOs unfortunately, something I strongly disagree with. Flying should not be the preserve of officers as it stinks of a class thing. You just look at crabs and it's case in point why it doesn't work.

I'd just say be careful who calls themselves elite and disrespectfully points their finger at 'hats'. Some people and units are doing very interesting things but don't need badges or perceptions.


Whatever you do mate....best of luck




PS: As Chunky (being his usual informative self) alluded to, under the new Army career system, ROCC, expect 2 tours (4 years) commanding a platoon/flight. You will then get an SO3 tour before looking at going Coy comd young. If you're good enough.

You will not get that in the Royals. If you have a degree you get Captain after 1 year and will be lucky to still be commanding a pl. Expect 2ic/ops officer etc...or if you're lucky you may get a support weps pl, a Captain's job.

PPS: Chunky (I hate to disagree with a man like yourself), I don't think the critcism of 'H' was that he was too far forward that he got killed. He was too far forward to effectively command his Battalion and got bogged down with A Company's fight rather than taking a step back and looking at the big picture - that he could outflank using another company, as Chris Keeble did when he took over. I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing (his son is exactly the same). Better leave that otherwise I'll get accused of hijacking this thread.

[chunky from york]

Sp1022, since neither of us were there at the time, I guess we are back to informed opinion. BUT then we are back to the old proverb about them being like *rsehoes.

[mike_B]

[quote="Bully"]Hey all,
Right, well I'm brand new here, but at the moment I'm going for a 6th form scholarship. I've had the interview stage, and will find out whether I'm through to the next stage in a couple of months.
[/quote]

Just interested, what exactly do you mean by interview, and 'through to the next stage'. I was under the impression that the 6th Form Scholarship proccess is different to that of applying for a University Bursary. I've got the Briefing in December so that I may apply for a Bursary. I was speaking to a guy who has just finished his A Levels and received a 6th Form Scholarship; and said that he just did a shorter version of RCB. So, basically what i'm asking (in a long-winded manner) is: What parts have you done, who with; and what stages do you have left to complete...?

[sp10122]

Mike

The two day RCB is just for people after a 6th form scholarship.

The process for normal entrants is

- Interview at an ACIO or with an officer in your local area.

- RCB briefing - 2 days

- RCB - 3 days (includes medical)

- Sandhurst - hurrah!

You will cut out the briefing and just do a shorter version of the RCB over two days. I did it myself, it is not a very long time and you have to make a point of showing what you can do. It basically conists of interviews and command tasks. You'll do at least one command task as a group. The problem with this is that everyone wants to pipe up with their ideas so you have to work as a team and listen to each other. Don't all just run around shouting. You'll also have an individual comand task where you have to run it yourself. Just have a clear plan in your own mind, brief it well and be ready to adapt as it all invariably goes pete tong.

Probably the most important part both of the RCB is the planning exercise. You'll be given an hour to come up with a plan from a written brief and then you'll have to stand up in front of three officer of Major and above and explain what you have decided to do. They will make a point of grilling you to see what you think like under pressure. No matter what you've come up with it'll be criticised so stay calm, think and ensure you're giving reasonable answers. They will also put you under pressre by asking time/distance questions so if your maths isn't great it's worth having practised them beforehand. Definitely also get your head into the economist and some broadsheets and b aware of most current affairs at the moment, you will get asked in interview and you'll also have agroup discussion so you need to have something informed to say.

Best of luck old chap.........



Chunky,

No we weren't but surely we can look at what others have done, especially in a battle like Goose Green, and see what happened that worked and what didn't....what you'd do differently. Of course under pressure (and of course under fire) decisions are not as easy as when sat there with all the time in the world and a brew to come up with a decision but if you've analysed similar situations previously you can make a better decision on the day......?

[mike_B]

Cheers for the info.

Maybe I didn't make it clear enough: I have just done my A/s levels, and am doing briefing this year hoping to get a bursary for University.

[sp10122]

Ok mate


Woops. I read the quote bit and not your bit properly. Anyway, all of what I said still stands but when you go to the briefing you'll do a teach on the planning ex a quick discussion and command task. It's just there to show you what to expect. However you can fail the briefing so you still need to go with the right attitude and work hard. You'll learn a lot about the main board board there and will be much better placed.

Just a quick point the only thing that goes forward with you from the briefing to the main board is a battery of computerised tests. I didn't take these very seriousy but if you fail them that's it......so, well, do.

Just a note on current affairs, before the main board I got a load of blank sheets and used one each for a different topic on world and current affairs. Most of the info I got mainly from the economist and I just took down notes on key players, topics or events. I didn't go over the top but had one on Kyoto, Iran and so on as they were the topics at the time. At the main board you will do a news and current affairs quiz on the computer and also if you're confident about topics you can speak much better in the main board, especially as you will be with a lot of people older than you.

Just one last thing on the maths...they will cover this at the briefing....but get used to doing Time speed distance questions if you're not brilliant at maths. I'm not but made sure I could do it under pressure so that when I stood up or the planning phase I new I could confidently do it.


Hope it goes well.....

[chunky from york]

SP 10122,True after all if we do not study history, we are condemned to repeat the same mistakes.


What makes my blood boil about Goose Green, is that the 2ic took over and overcame tremendous odds. Then the MoD flew in a new CO.

Despicable

[sp10122]

What makes my blood boil about Goose Green, is that the 2ic took over and overcame tremendous odds. Then the MoD flew in a new CO.

Despicable

Absoloutely

[Bully]

This is all fantastic, thankyou!

The satge i'm at at the moment is after the interview. i had that a couple of months ago, but won't find out whether i passed through to the briefing till late september. Not too sure how i did, cos it was unlike anything i've had to do before, but I think it was ok. i was good on current affairs and stuff. Unfortunately, I said that one of my favourite subjects was history. Then it turns out that the bloke has a history degree! not good at all!

Cheers!
Bully

[barryc]

I can understand someone turning down promotion to keep on flying duties but, if you get involved in the stuff where the sh*t hits the fan I think you might be happy to get a staff rank and avoid the next lot. It has to be done but few of us ever actually enjoyed it. In the cold war days, the justification for SF as far as I was concerned, was that if umpteen Russian Divisions were facing West, the East (behind them) was the safest place to be.


Barry

[Jacko]

Hey all,
Hang on, I'm rambling...I guess what I mean to ask is: if I join up as an officer, and go into the infantry, would I still have the opportunity to be in on the action and fight?

Bully, as a Platoon Commander you would be at the front with your men, but you would seldom use your rifle. Your role is to coordinate the sections of your platoon from a tactical perspective - e.g. if you had one section up front under fire, you would get eyes on the enemy, and come up with a plan to destroy that enemy using your two reserve sections. The actual killing is done by the soldiers within each section. They are controlled by a section commander, typicall a Corporal. You tell the section commander what you want him to achieve and he goes and does it.
However, life is rarely textbook, so you may end up in the thick of it, instead of being a "tactical bound behind".
In short, yes, you may well end up fighting, but that's not your role. If you are fighting - who is coordinating?
Cheers, Jacko

[Tab]

How do you think that Colonel H of the Para's won his VC in the Falklands,
now it was not for sitting in a bunker some where directing his troops.

[Jacko]

hence my saying that life is rarely textbook, and so you may end up in the thick of it. It still remains, however, that the role of a Pl Comd is tactical.