After fighting a delaying action for several days, North Force launched its counter-attack along the major E6 highway in Norway, reports Carl Schulze.
~
Setermoen, 29 March 2022: With Exercise COLD RESPONSE 22 slowly nearing its end the North Force, after fighting a delaying action over several days, launched its counter-attack along the E6 highway.
Yesterday (Monday) the advance of the South Force was finally checked in the vicinity of Setermoen. At the same time Finnish and Swedish troops neutralised the threat to the right flank of the North Force, caused by Dutch Marines that had landed in the vicinity of Sørreisa. The North Force was therefore now in the right position to regain the initiative.
In the early morning hours Norwegian heavy armour of the North Force, including Leopard 2A4N main battle tanks and CV9030N Mk III armoured infantry fighting vehicles, began to attack southwards from the vicinity of Bardufoss, reaching the outskirts of Setermoen around 09:00, where they fixed the invading South Force.
The next part of the counter-attack was undertaken by 2. Bataljon of the Norwegian Brigade Nord. On Exercise COLD RESPONSE 22 this unit provided the command element for a multinational battalion, whose combat elements were the reinforced German 4. Kompanie, Gebirgsjägerbataillon 232 (a mountain infantry battalion) and a reinforced Italian mountain infantry company from 3° Reggimento Alpini.
[© Carl Schulze]
In the early afternoon, with its two mountain infantry companies, 2. Bataljon moved around Setermoen on the east side and deployed to a starting line from which it launched an attack into the flank of the enemy troops of the South Force, threatening to cut off some of them in the vicinity of Setermoen town. This counter-attack continued well into the evening hours.
[© Carl Schulze]
To be continued…
[Text and images © Carl Schulze]
