The Worthington Trophy is a Canadian military award. It was awarded annually to the best reserve armoured unit in the Canadian Land Forces. It is named after Major-General F. F. Worthington, known as Fighting Frank – "The Father of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps".
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Of its origins, Sean Maloney states:
The competition and award was not given out on a regular annual basis, and there have been some gaps in the timeline, especially recently. After a long gap, the The Royal Canadian Armour Corps School reintroduced the competition (now called the Worthington Challenge) in 2012 and it is now for regular force units. Although the origin for this event was a tank gunnery concentration, the scope was widened to include the 25mm platform and allow non-armoured units to participate. The concentration was broken into two categories: Leopard 1 C2 (105mm) and LAV III (25mm). The original trophy design, being a large silver Centurion tank has been replaced with a likeness of a Leopard 1.
The 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) have won the trophy 8 times, the most of any Canadian Armoured Regiment.
Tank units from the US Army have participated, specifically in 2001 and 2014.
2014
The The Royal Canadian Armour Corps School (RCACS) successfully concluded its 3rd annual Exercise Worthington Challenge in Gagetown, N.B. in October 2014.
The US Army 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, sent two M1A2 crews and two M2A3 crews in 2014.
2015
Ex Worthington 15 was held at CFB Gagetown in September.
The competitors were:
- Infantry School
- The Royal Canadian Armour Corps School
- 4 Engineer Support Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
- 1er and 2e Bataillons, Royal 22e Régiment
- 1st and 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
- Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
- 12e Régiment blindé du Canada
- Royal Canadian Dragoons
- 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division (United States)
- 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division (United States)
"A tough Danish team, fresh off a strong showing at this year’s Nordic Challenge competed directly while other nations such as Brazil, Portugal and Chile observed the event."
"The 3rd Canadian Division team consisted of two Leopard 2 tank crews and two Coyote reconnaissance vehicle crews from Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), a Light Armour Vehicle (LAV) 3 crew from 1 Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and two LUVW reconnaissance crews from the Saskatchewan Dragoons ... the tank team from Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) took the first place trophy for the 120 mm gunnery category, and the LAV 3 crew from the 1 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry took second place trophy for the 25 mm gunnery category."
2016
Ex Worthington 16 was held at CFB Gagetown in September 23 to 30.
"The exercise will test a number of skills including direct-fire gunnery, tactical driving, and teamwork tests in challenging settings using the Leopard 2 main battle tank, Light Armoured Vehicle III and 6, and the Coyote Armoured Vehicle. Competing nations include: Chile, Denmark, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. Observing nations will be: Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom." Canada was represented by C Sqn of The Royal Canadian Dragoons.
Top Light Utility Vehicle Wheeled (LUVW) Fire Team:
Winner: 4 Div (combined crews of soldiers from the 1st Hussars, Windsor Regiment, and Ontario Regiment)with a total percentage score of 62.47%
2nd place: 2 Div - score of 58.97%
3rd place: 5 Div/CADTC (Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre) - score of 55.76%
Top 25mm Crew:
Winner: 4 Div Crew 2 - score of 67.27%
2nd place: New Zealand Crew 1 - score of 61.88%
3rd place: 2 Div Crew 2 - score of 60.86%
Top 120mm Fire Team:
Winner: Jutland Dragoon Regiment, Royal Danish Army - score of 66.93%
2nd place: 4 Div - score of 57.50%
3rd place: United States Army - score of 56.34%
Worthington Challenge Cup (Top Canadian Div Team):
Winner: 4 Div (Royal Canadian Dragoons, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 1st Hussars, Windsor Regiment, Ontario Regiment, and Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles) - score of 59.04%
2nd Place: 2 Div - score of 56.78%
3rd place: 3 Div - score of 46.80%
4th place = 5 Div/CADTC (Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre) - score of 43.17%