Stanford Training Area - <>

Stanford Training Area, originally known as Stanford Battle Area, is a British Army training area situated in the English county of Norfolk. The area is approximately 30000acre in size; it is some 7mi north of the town of Thetford and 25mi south-west of the city of Norwich. The site is run by the Operational Training and Advisory Group .HistoryThe area was originally established in 1942 when a battle training area was required and a 'Nazi village' established. Military exercises were already known in the area; tanks had deployed to Thetford in the First World War. The complete takeover involved the evacuation of the villages of Buckenham Tofts, Langford, Stanford, Sturston, Tottington and West Tofts.The area was used during the run-up to the D-Day invasion and since then has hosted many exercises. A regular visitor is 16 Air Assault Brigade who hold their annual Gryphon exercises there. It is also used by cadets to complete Fieldcraft exercises.In 2009 a 12.5acre village designed to replicate its Afghan equivalent, was added to the Battle Area for the training of troops deployed in support of the War in Afghanistan. The site, built at a cost of £14 million, is state of the art and manned by Afghan nationals, ex-Gurkha soldiers and amputee actors, who simulate the Afghan National Army, locals and wounded soldiers. The village includes houses, a market and a mosque. It also features a system that pumps out smells like rotten meat and sewage.

Tags: Military Base