Skills in conventional warfare are still critical and armies still need bridges to cross rivers and ravines – with the conflict in Ukraine looking more like the Second World War.
55 Training Squadron, based at Minley, Hampshire, has been teaching their brand new engineers the art of bridge building.
Training Sapper Kamal Ale Magar told Forces News: “Bridging is very important. As an army, we need to pass from one side to the other with lots of kit that helps win the war.”
Before building the bridges, the trainee engineers put their skills into practice using model sets made out of Lego-like blocks.
The first real bridge the sappers get to build is a five-bay medium girder over-bridge which is used over weak ground, so it can take more weight.
They will then progress to a five-bay medium girder bridge, without the ‘over’ – for crossing wet and dry gaps, then an IAB (infantry assault bridge), before the ultimate 12-bay double-storey medium girder bridge.
While speed is important, Corporal Sahadeb Magar, 55 Training Squadron Section Commander emphasises that the focus was on “momentum”.
“It is crucial, because sometimes we have to meet the given deadline to build a bridge, and they need to know what’s coming next smoothly and safely and the speed is important, to be honest.”
He also underlined that they would sometimes be doing this in a conflict situation – under pressure and under fire.
“Teamwork, communication. They need to have knowledge of what’s going next.”
After building five bridges in a day the young engineers have surely earned their biscuit – a reward technique that Cpl Sahadeb Magar has been using to motivate the young sappers.
“There is healthy competition – they do well, they get a biscuit,” he said.
Next time we see the young sappers. They will be on the water not crossing it – as they learn to drive boats.
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