'Fix Bayonets!' - Training, Preparation & Stress Inoculation

My First ‘Full On’ Live Fire Experience – More Lessons from the Battlefield

I was a young ‘Choco’ (Army Reserve - ARes) Section Commander at the time – yes, I joined the Ares before enlisting in the Australian Regular Army (the ‘Regs’). I had attained the rank of Corporal pretty quickly in the unit and at the tender age of 19 was responsible for the lives of 10 infantry soldiers (including myself).

It was 1983 and I was attached to 8/9 RAR for Exercise Diamond Dollar in Shoalwater Bay Training Area. I had been placed into a ‘Reg’ infantry platoon and was learning quickly that I knew jack shit (not as much as I thought I did). However, these professional soldiers took me in as one of their own and made sure I didn’t make a fool of myself – I learnt a shed load from those guys!

I had been with them for a few weeks now and the exercise was comping to a crescendo – the Battalion live fire attack. I had done live fire attacks with my ARes unit up to Platoon level, but never anything this big or complicated. To be frank anything I had done prior was soon to be shown to be somewhat pedestrian.

It was just before dawn and it was cold – anyone who has spent winter in Shoalwater Bay will attest to how cold it can get! The Army issued ‘cold weather gear’ of that era left a lot to be desired too! We had spent the previous eight hours conducting a ‘silent approach’ on foot in the darkness over rough terrain in order to arrive at our respective FUPs (Forming Up Points) – these are the areas that each company of soldiers (about 100) use to shake out into extended line/assault formation just prior to H-Hour (the time the infantry attack starts). The approach had been just over 20 kilometres, so a decent hit out in the dark.

There we were crouched down, shivering in a 5 foot deep dry creek bed in the first light of day waiting for H-Hour when suddenly two pairs of Mirage III fighter jets screamed overhead at tree top level. They dropped their payload of 500 lb high explosive (HE) bombs on the objective and then banked hard and headed for home (probably for tea and medals!). The earth shuddered under the impact of the bombs and we could physically feel the shock wave and accompanying warmth it produced pass through us. The shivering stopped momentarily. I had never experienced anything like it. I looked left and right along the line and noted the look of awe on the faces of my fellow infanteers – my first experience of air power.

Within what seemed like seconds, although it was probably longer, the artillery opened fire along with the Battalion’s Mortar Platoon. Within 20 – 30 seconds HE rounds were literally raining down on the objective. The earth shuddered once again under the onslaught and the hill we were about to attack disappeared behind a wall of dust and explosions. This barrage continued for what seemed an eternity until, finally, the guns and tubes (mortars) switched fire to their secondary targets.

With the artillery and mortars still firing on their secondary targets, the platoon was ready to step off. At that point the Platoon Sergeant yelled ‘fix bayonets!’. We dutifully complied and then scrambled out of the creek bed and over the top of the steep bank. We had begun our phase of the attack.

My enduring memories from that live fire attack was how chaotic it seemed, yet how a formation of some 700 infantry soldiers had maintained control, momentum and some semblance of order (at sub-unit level). I also remember how differently my SLR rifle fired with the bayonet fixed. Something I’m glad I experienced in a peacetime context and not for the first time in combat. Finally, I remember the smell of cordite from all the high explosive that had be fired or dropped onto the objective. This was a smell that would be a regular companion of mine through the decades ahead.

Some takeaways I learnt that day that have stayed with during my journey. Realism in training is critical; nothing beats it – train hard, fight easy. Time spent in preparation is seldom wasted, but there comes a time when you have to commit; when you just have to bite the bullet and ‘go over the top’. Exposure to stress, in a controlled environment, helps build resilience and prepares you for the shocks of life and the unexpected. None of these takeaways are lost on me during our current circumstances, albeit the context is a little different…

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