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| Top dogs: Cpl Ryan Ingold holds the DoG Cup with Ptes Nicholas Korfias, Chris Korfias, Brett Thewlis, Michael Cary, Renaldo Croon, Ian Anderson, Kalan Woodman and Jason Meddings (absent: LCpl Ryan Young). |
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| Brothers in arms: 2RAR’s Pte Chris Korfias, Pte Renaldo Croon and Pte Nicholas Korfias set the pace during the 13km forced march where each section member carried at least 28kg of equipment. 2RAR won this event in two hours and 17 minutes. |
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| Helping hand: 7RAR’s Pte Glen Laurence helps Pte Thomas Salter through a tunnel obstacle. |
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| Skill at arms: A 7RAR competitor engages a falling plate target at 400m while still wearing his gas mask. |
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| Breathing hard: 4RAR members run wearing gas masks to the falling plate competition. |
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2RAR proved it has the best section in the RAR when it won the coveted Duke of Gloucester Cup held at the School of Infantry, Singleton, from July 26-August 2.
The competition finished to the bang of grenades as team members navigated through the SOI’s new bayonet assault course under a thick shroud of pink, green and purple smoke. The soldiers sucked in the cool morning air through clenched teeth in the final stages of the obstacle course where they scrambled over steep walls, crawled through narrow tunnels and waded through muddy water.
Three teams, drawn from 2RAR, 4RAR (Cdo) and 7RAR, participated in the event, now in its 60th year. 6RAR withdrew from the competition because of illness, while other regiments had operational commitments.
The cup was first contested in Japan in 1947 by the Australian 65th, 66th, and 67th Battalions of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (later 1, 2 and 3RAR).
The teams took part in a series of challenges that tested infantry skills and consisted of navigation tasks, endurance marches, obstacle courses and live-fire exercises.
2RAR finished first with 2299 points followed by 4RAR (Cdo) with 1940 points and 7RAR with 1412.9 points.
2RAR, whose 10-man section this year included two brothers, Ptes Ryan and Nicholas Korfias, dominated the navigation phase and built a significant lead on the other teams early in the competition.
4RAR were well equipped and possessed strong skills that enabled them to excel in the urban assault course, but they couldn’t close the gap on 2RAR.
7RAR had some of the youngest and keenest members in the competition and performed consistently through all the challenges. They were the only team to complete the competition as an entire section.
Cpl Ryan Ingold, 2RAR section commander, said winning the cup meant everything to the battalion.
“It means a lot to the team, too; we all came together and trained really hard for it. At the end of the day it represents the soldiers of the regiment,” he said “In the lead up to the cup we trained as much as we could, covering as many bases as possible.”
Some of the challenges that tested the teams included a 3.2km run where the soldiers were unexpectedly gassed along the way. The CS gas reacts to moisture so the sweaty soldiers were tested as they ran up a hill and had to perform a live-fire shoot through the fogged-up lenses of gas masks.
Teams also participated in a spectacular night shoot where sections took up a defensive position.
The croaking frogs and buzzing crickets were silenced by an explosion of mortars and a series of mighty blasts from claymores.
The 50-minute firefight filled the night sky with flashes of red as the tracers from machineguns zapped across the range.
The scenario finished with a simulated air strike where two bombs were dropped on the area; 400 litres of unleaded petrol exploded and warmed the faces of spectators.
CO School of Infantry Lt-Col Dean Franklin said the DoG Cup provided an important reference point for proficiency in warfighting.
“While the DoG Cup is primarily designed around the higher end of the warfighting spectrum, it is designed in such a way that the participating sections need to adapt quickly to changing environments, threats and contexts,” he said.
“In the space of a day they can be expected to transition from a march of 45km, to assaulting an urban facility using the bayonet, grenades and marksmanship, to ‘cordon and knock’ type operations that require a different mindset and approach.”
He said this year’s competition emphasised the common RAR strengths of: junior leadership by section commanders and group leaders within sections; weapon handling and marksmanship; and techniques and procedures (especially drills).
He said areas for improvement were identified as: the tactics applied by junior commanders in offensive, defensive and security operations; and battle fitness.
OC B Coy Rifleman Wing Capt Christopher Bennett was the coordination officer responsible for the conception, planning and execution of the event.
“I designed the activities to be physically and mentally demanding, challenging to the section and the individual and to make the settings relative and contemporary,” he said.
“Rather than giving the sections obscure or really complicated tasks I wanted to give them something simple they could really nail.”
HOW THEY RAN Best section overall – 2RAR
MacDonald Trophy (for best in night navigation and night shooting) – 2RAR
Falling Plate Trophy (best in falling plate shoot) – 2RAR
Gurkha Trophy (best in overall shooting) – 2RAR
OSCMAR Trophy – (best urban assault) – 4RAR (Cdo)
Sequence of Events
July 28, Phase 1
Scored kit check, 15km endurance march night and day navex
July 29-30, Phase 2
Quick attack exercise, IED and CASEVAC, night harbour and resupply, sandbag QDE Task, fighting withdrawal, Prisoner of War activity and night harbour
July 31, Phase 3
Scored infantry rifleman practise, 3.2km webbing run, Chemical Biological Radiation and Nuclear Defence (CBRND) activity, falling plate shoot, night section defence range and night harbour
August 1, Phase 4
Section urban assault, equipment carry, Indirect Fire Observer Trainer (IFOT) and Wpn TOETs, Ratel and navigation test and night harbour
August 2, Phase 5
Bayonet assault course, obstacle course and final kit check |
