Ducumus Thunder Exercise

Seaforths firing the C6 machine gun.

April 22 - 24, 2016 | Chilcotin Plateau (Near Williams Lake BC)

The four infantry Battalions of 39 Brigade participated in a weekend live fire exercise on the DND range west of Williams Lake. The exercise was led by the Seaforths and included the Canadian Scottish, The Royal Westminster, and the Rocky Mountain Rangers Regiments.

LCol Ursich, the Exercise Commander, and his team ran 3 firing ranges to accommodate the 8 sections of soldiers that were qualified to participate. The first day started with pairs. Two soldiers would work together to attack an objective – first with blank and later with live ammunition.

Section attacks were the feature of the second day and third morning. Again there were “dry” attacks with no ammunition followed by attacks using blank and later live ammumition. The sections of 8 – 10 soldiers typically had 2 light machine guns along with rifles. The Seaforths were supported by a heavy (C6) machine gun.

All those who participated had ample opportunity to shoot live.

The weather was mixed but the accommodation in  “Mod” tents was good and the food ample.

When the tents were struck and the camp cleaned on the Sunday morning, the troops left happy.