Thirty members of 42 Commando will conduct cold weather training on the two-week exercise, say the MoD.
Exercise Winter Partisan, which lasts until 14th March, will see the Green Berets from Devon train in integrated teams with members of the Belarusian Armed Forces, sharing experience and expertise, according to a news release here.
“Troops will train in winter survival skills such as camouflage and winter movement skills including abseiling and skiing, before putting them to the test in an exercise setting. This represents the largest group of UK Armed Forces personnel to have trained in Belarus and forms part of a bilateral programme of training and education the two countries share with each other.
Last summer, Belarusian troops won a silver medal in Exercise Cambrian Patrol in Wales – the world’s toughest patrolling challenge – and participated with 2nd Battalion, the Royal Irish Regiment, on Exercise Urban Ranger. Exercise Winter Partisan represents the return phase of this year’s bilateral exchange between the UK and Belarus and will help to build trust and mutual understanding.”
According to a Ministry of Defence statement:
“As well as the military training, troops will engage in cultural activities looking at the two countries’ shared history – particularly both nations’ contribution in World War II in what is the 75th Anniversary year of VE Day. The Royal Marines will visit a World War II Museum in Minsk and participate in a Remembrance event.”
The irony.
An exercise called Winter Partisan taking place in Byelorussia, after what happened there, such as Khatyn.
https://jamestown.org/program/the-partisan-movements-in-belarus-during-world-war-ii-part-one/
Thank you Daniele, you give me some hope in westerners
I doubt it!
Morning Ulya.
The “Russian Front” or “Great Patriotic War” as you will know it is one of my favourite subjects. I know how the Russians suffered, and what the Partisan war meant, a cover for Germany to start their mass murder campaigns.
Unlike many here, I have great respect for Russia because of it, and their natural paranoia.
Katyn is well known, the murder of Polish officers by the NKVD, but not so much Khatyn, just one village of thousands.
The film “Come and See” is a chilling masterpiece, it is also Russian so maybe you’ve seen it. It sums up the actions of the “Dirlewanger Brigade” nicely.
You will watch “Come and See” once, and only once. You will not be able to unsee what you saw.
Daniele,
Ray Mears did a program on the very subject, well worth watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N0f30A3JLA
Was not aware of that. I will, I enjoy his programmes. Thanks Farouk.
I do like Ray Mears and his programs, In this case he illuminates the Jewish resistance fighters in Belarus the Bielski brothers. Not only did they survive , but they took the fight back to the Nazis. Their story was made into the film Defiance with Daniel Craig in the lead role. In a nutshell it’s the basis of the 80s film Red Dawn. Not seen Defiance as the Mears story was good enough for me.
Just sat and watched it. I have seen the film Defiance when it came out, but you’re not missing much.
This was all too real, no need for Hollywood.
It is good we are helping to bring them out of the cold, of what is effectively a Communist state.
It’s good that the lads and lasses are getting more and more opportunity to get back to overseas training, defence engagement and U.N. peacekeeping ops. While Herrick was on, that was the priority (and rightly so however) and the only other overseas exercise was a BG ex prior to Herrick in Kenya. There is now a good mix of overseas training and operational (at the no low level intensity) tours going ahead. Makes the job more interesting and challenging, as I think we all agree, the Army is currently in pretty much a disorganised shit state and real change is required.
Airborne, just leave it to Cummings and the army will soon be 32 men in land rovers, that’s it. Something like the Feorgian armed forces that did so well against Russian heavy armour.
Didn’t Dan Dare kill the Mekon in the last edition of the Eagle. Seems he is alive and well in Downing St!
Lol – Hopefully in the case of Georgia in 2008 Mr Cummins will take on board the fact that Air Superiority ultimately proved decisive (for the Russians).