‘They let us park our tanks in their back gardens’
British troops helping Estonia prevent a feared Russian invasion are welcomed with open arms
When British Challenger 2 tanks rolled into Estonian villages in recent weeks, they were greeted with open arms. It didn’t matter that soldiers were disrupting this usually sleepy town by parking their tanks in residents’ gardens and pilots landing Apache helicopters in makeshift paddocks: anything to deter an invasion by President Vladimir Putin has been welcomed.
Estonians know all too well what life under Russian occupation is like, having lived through it from 1940 until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Families were subjected to mass deportations to Siberia, thousands of people were murdered and a culture and language stunted.
It is this harrowing recent history that has ensured Nato troops received a warm welcome. Lt Col Steve Wilson, Commanding Officer of the Queen’s Royal Hussars (QRH), whose crew has been exercising with Challenger 2 tanks, said: “The support from the local people has been positive and quite impressive.
“I parked my tank in someone’s back garden, plus they had two Wildcat helicopters landing in the paddock next to their garden. They came out and were pretty curious, so the troops showed the family’s kids around the tank. They were receptive because they are acutely aware of the threat that sits on their eastern border.”
As part of Exercise Spring Storm, which involves 14,000 troops from Nato nations, of which more than 1,500 are British, ground units have been tested on realistic battlefield scenarios including trench assaults, reconnaissance missions, and light infantry tactics.
Lt Col Wilson explained that as the war in Ukraine rages on, Spring Storm had a more “pertinent” feel than previous exercises. “The Estonians are living with the Russians on their doorstep, so it does feel real, particularly with the events that have happened in Ukraine and the UK’S commitment to supporting Ukraine,” he said.
He added that in his more than 20 years serving with the British military, he has never exercised outside a Central Training Area (CTA), having to stick to Salisbury Plain in the UK or Sennelager in Germany. “Over the course of Spring Storm, we’ve not been constrained to the CTA, we’ve been out and about the local area,” he
‘We know that our adversary only respects strength. We want to show the British Army’s capabilities to its absolute strongest’
explained. “We’ve been training beyond the constraints of traditional training grounds. That [has] meant tanks on roads going through private and public land. That adds gravitas to the training, but it’s also exercising on the land we might have to defend.”
Of particular interest has been showcasing the Challenger 2 tank, 14 of which the UK gifted to Ukraine earlier this year, with a number taken from the QRH stockpiles. The tanks on exercise have additional armour on the sides, having been upgraded in order to show “we mean business”.
“We know that our adversary only respects strength,” Lt Col Wilson said. “We want to show the British Army’s capabilities to its absolute strongest.”
Just recently, the Challenger 2 won an international tank competition in Latvia, beating the US main battle tank Abrams. “It shows our main battle tank is still current and reinforces the strategic narrative that we are sending that tank to Ukraine. It demonstrates that it is an incredible front line main battle tank,” he said.
L-cpl Harry Bloomfield, a 23-yearold tank driver, said: “It’s the best in the world, everybody knows it. It’s why we gave 14 to Ukraine.
“It’s unfortunate what’s happening in Ukraine but as long as we keep giving the Estonian Army peace of mind to know they have Nato at their side, they know they aren’t alone living on the border with Russia. We are here to show that we’ve got the potential of helping Estonians out, that we have the force and overall capabilities of the battle group.”
The UK retains a continuous deployment in Estonia as part of its Nato commitment, known as the enhanced Forward Presence (EFP). At last year’s Nato summit, it was agreed that the UK would increase the size of its EFP commitment. As such, this year’s exercise has marked the first time the UK has conducted a brigadesized deployment to Estonia, involving hundreds more personnel than in previous deployments.
As part of the exercise, troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade parachuted into Estonia, while around 100 Royal Marines took part in a night-time beach raid, deploying from the Royal Navy amphibious assault ship, HMS Albion. Members of 45 Commando manoeuvred their Inflatable Raiding Craft, which can travel at speeds of up to 20 knots, through the waves to close in on the beach at Kaberneeme, on the north coast of Estonia, before facing off against Estonian forces, with an Estonian naval missile unit acting as the marines’ target. Meanwhile two RAF Typhoon fighter jets were on station to provide close air support, information, surveillance and reconnaissance during the exercise, enabling integrated training between land, sea and air.
With Tapa Camp just 160km from the Russian border, in years gone by troops have been forbidden from working with live fire because it “sent the wrong message”. Lt Col Al Rivett, of 1st Army Air Corp, said: “We were previously told not to do so because it would be seen as sabre rattling”.
However, today, with Russia a pariah state, Nato’s tune has changed. As Spring Storm nears its final section, the RAF will carry out training exercises in reconnaissance and air-land integration, with the exercises supported by Wildcat and Apache helicopters, as well as three RAF Typhoon fighter jets.
Lt Col Rivett added: “Now we are reinforcing the commitment to Estonia so they will always have air support and defence.”