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Current Events
The SCOTS DG have recently returned from a 6 month tour of Iraq (Op TELIC 7). There, members of the Regiment worked alongside companies from the Parachute Regiment and 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Highlanders); members of the 9/12 Lancers; 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery; 32 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 31 Engineer Regiment, and also with a Danish Battalion.
The Regiment was based in Al Amarah, but were spread throughout southern Iraq, including Umm Qasr and Shaibah Logisitcs Base. Although they deployed with some of their Challenger 2 tanks, they fulfilled a number of different roles, including patrolling on foot and in Landrovers.
Since returning from Iraq in May 2006 the Regiment has undergone some rest and recuperation, including a period of adventure training in parts of Germany which has seen members of the SCOTS DG tackling everything from sailing, mountain climbing and canoeing to parachuting. They are now preparing for a year of training in 2007, rebuilding their tank skills alongside other members of the Desert Rats, which will see them train in Germany, Poland and Canada. They will also be completing their conversion to the new networked communications system, BOWMAN. Once this training is complete they will be ready to undertake a further operational tour in 2008. | Structure
The SCOTS DG is a Type-58 Challenger 2 Regiment based in Fallingbostel, North
Germany as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade, within the 1st (UK) Arnoured Division. The Regiment is commanded by
a Lieutenant Colonel and comprises 4 "Sabre" Squadrons, equipped with Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and a Headquarters
Squadron, who's primary function is to provide direct logistic support the Sabre Squadrons both in and out of barracks.
Each Sabre Squadron is commanded by a Major and comprises 4 Troops, each of
12 personnel, an echelon troop and a section of REME Fitters. Each Sabre
Troop is commanded by a Subaltern (2nd Lieutenant or Lieutenant), with a Sergeant
and a Corporal in support as Tank Commanders. Headquarters Squadron is also commanded by a Major and is the largest and most diverse of the squadrons. As previously mentioned, its primary role is logistic support and that is achieved through the various departments within the squadron. It also contains the Close Reconnaissance Troop, commanded by a Captain and Command Troop, also commanded by a Captain in the role of Regimental Signals Officer. On exercise and operations, these 2 troops operate in direct support of the Battle Group Headquarters.
| Regimental Structure
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The Rugby Team in action... 
The Alpine Ski Team before the Army Champs
| Sport
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are firm believers in encouraging all ranks to participate in sports and adventurous training.
All mainline sports are represented and teams regularly compete in British Forces Germany, Royal Armoured Corps and Army competitions. A number of our sportsmen have represented the Regiment at Army and Combined Service level and have also represented their country.
Where a team is not readily available, individual sports are also actively encouraged. Any active fencers, squash players or golfers will be given time and support to improve and train. The main sports practised within the Regiment are football, rugby, skiing (Downhill and Cross-Country), Cresta and polo. The Regiment has
in recent years gone from strength to strength in all areas of winter
sports.
One of our most successful teams of late, has been the Alpine Ski Team
who in the 2002 season won three of the four team races at the Army
Alpine Ski Championships, becoming Army champions for the first time
since 1968. The team were
favourites to take the title again in 2003 but had to withdraw from the
competition in order to deploy to Iraq. When possible, the Regimental ski team trains annually in Austria immediately prior to the Army Championships.
The other team who have enjoyed a great deal of success recently is the fencing team. In April 2007, they won the Inter Regimental Cup and the Army Championships and members of that team went on to help the Royal Armoured Corps secure victory in the Inter Corps Challenge. 3 of our fencers also compete for the Army and Combined Services and include the current Army Captain.
Adventurous Training
Adventurous
Training is seen as being one of the most effective methods of placing
soldiers of all ranks in situations where their leadership is tested to
the full and where they can learn a great deal about themselves, as
well as being great fun. Squadrons regularly organise their own
adventurous training weeks at one of the military lodges in Germany, and further afield.
During these weeks away, regimental instructors assist in teaching new
skills, or build on past experience of kayaking,
rock-climbing, mountain biking and mountaineering. More recently,
sailing has become more and more popular especially as the port of
Kiel, home to an Army sailing instruction centre is close at hand. Soldiers (and
families) are able to progress through the sailing qualifications and squadrons have often deployed en masse to
Kiel for a week to learn to sail.
The Regiment also
sends soldiers on centrally run courses in order that they can gain
formal adventurous training qualifications. Such courses include
diving, parachuting, paragliding, gliding, rock-climbing,
mountaineering (summer and winter), skiing, kayaking (sea and inland)
and even pursuits such as windsurfing. Our instructors have organised major expeditions, one of which involved racing across the
Atlantic to the Caribbean.
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