The division is the only one to be at continual operational readiness in the UK and was sent to Iraq and Afghanistan

34 Army chefs worked 24 hours to provide meals to personnel involved in exercise, cooking over 24,000 eggs

The exercise is designed to test the ability of the


Monster trucks, battle tanks and weird vehicles were among the 1,200 to be deployed on Salisbury Plain as part of one of the biggest army exercises in years.

The training, which mobilised more than 1,800 personnel, is designed to test readiness of the British army's 'main intervention capability' division, the glorious 3rd Division.

'The exercise is designed to test the ability the Division's Lead Armoured Task Force (LATF) to deploy from barracks via a centralised Staging Area or Mounting Centre, to air and sea points of embarkation,' said an army spokesman.

The Staging Area which not only serves as a large ‘car park’ and vehicle service and recovery area also provides military ‘life-support’ with teams providing catering and accommodation for the personnel involved in the exercise.

'Since the middle of February, a ‘Battalion’ of 34 Army chefs from across the Division have worked 24 hours a day in three shifts, providing thousands of meals to personnel involved in the exercise,' an army spokesman said. 'By the end of the period it is estimated that they will have cooked over 24,000 eggs, used nearly two tonnes of potatoes and provided countless loaves of bread.'

The 3rd Division is the only division to be at continual operational readiness in the UK.

It was founded in 1809 in Spain when the future Duke of Wellington decided to adopt a permanent divisional structure to help him fight the French.

After the Napoleonic wars, the Division was sent to stem the German advance but had to be evacuated from Dunkirk.

It went on to lead the assault on SWORD Beach and fought on across Europe and into Germany in 1945. The last 30 years have seen deployment to Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990’s and most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Monster trucks, battle tanks and weird vehicles were among the 1,200 to be deployed on Salisbury Plain

Soldiers from The Royal Tank Regiment walk through rows of Challenger II main Battle Tanks as the 3rd Division takes part in military exercises

The training, which mobilised more than 1,800 personnel, is designed to test readiness of the British army's 'main intervention capability' division, the glorious 3rd Division

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion First Fusiliers kick a football around as they relax after time spent inside their Scimitar tanks during the training

The exercise 'is designed to test the ability the Division's Lead Armoured Task Force (LATF) to deploy from barracks via a centralised Staging Area or Mounting Centre, to air and sea points of embarkation,' said an army spokesman

A soldier is reflected in a muddy wing mirror on a Jackal vehicle during the training in Salisbury Plain

The Staging Area also provides military ‘life-support’ with teams providing catering and accommodation for the personnel involved in the exercise

A soldier from the 1st Battalion First Fusiliers checks a Scimitar tank during the military exercises

March 2016 sees the movement of more than 1,800 personnel and 1,200 vehicles, including Challenger 2 main battle tanks, on Salisbury Plain Training Area in Wiltshire

Since the middle of February, a ‘Battalion’ of 34 Army chefs from across the Division have worked 24 hours a day in three shifts, providing thousands of meals to personnel involved in the exercise

Soldiers complete routine maintenance on tanks and tracked vehicles during the 3rd Division exercises

The 3rd Division, involved in the training, is the only division to be at continual operational readiness in the UK

Battle tanks and monster trucks are deployed in Salisbury Plain for the training, one of the biggest army exercises in years

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion First Fusiliers chat as they relax between their Scimitar tanks

It was founded in 1809 in Spain when the future Duke of Wellington decided to adopt a permanent divisional structure to help him fight the French

After the Napoleonic wars, the Division was sent to stem the German advance but had to be evacuated from Dunkirk

It went on to lead the assault on SWORD Beach and fought on across Europe and into Germany in 1945