British Army armoured reconnaissance battlegroup manoeuvres across Germany

Vehicles of the British Army's Royal Lancers divisional reconnaissance regiment deployed from the UK to Germany for Exercise ‘Somme Lancer', which took place in the first half of October. (Crown copyright)

Approximately 180 vehicles and 650 soldiers from the British Army's Royal Lancers divisional reconnaissance regiment deployed over 1,100 km by road to Germany in the last week of September from their home garrison in Catterick, North Yorkshire, for Exercise ‘Somme Lancer'.

The regiment reported on social media that it then carried out a 70 km tactical road march from the British Army training facility in Sennelager to Hamelin, where the main exercise play unfolded across approximately 5,000 sq km of private land. Danish reconnaissance troops from the Guard Hussar Regiment joined the UK troops and German Luftwaffe Eurofighters and Tornado bombers from Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader (Tactical Air Wing) 31 and 33, respectively, for approximately 55 hours of simulated close air support during the exercise.

‘Somme Lancer' culminated back in Sennelager on 15 October with the start of a week-long combined arms live-fire exercise.