The weekend from January 19 to 21 was dedicated to the German Armed Forces was dominated by the “Eiswolf24”. This night orientation exercise near the northern German town of Heide took place for the 16th time and is organized by the Association of Bundeswehr Reservists in cooperation with the Schleswig-Holstein State Command. Staff sergeant Tatjana Sabitzer from Jäger Battalion 25 also took part this year.
Participants from six nations
Around 130 professional soldiers and reservists from Germany, Finland, France, Denmark, Austria and Switzerland entered teams of two or six people. Staff sergeant Tatjana Sabitzer from Jäger Battalion 25 took part in the challenging competition in Dithmarschen, 1,370 kilometers away, for the first time with a soldier from the Bundeswehr. The night orientation exercise serves to improve physical performance and military knowledge and promotes cooperation between international soldiers. The exercise also serves as preparation for the “Blue Nail” competition to be held in Denmark in March.
Constant pressure from “Hunterforce”
Infantry forces, the so-called “Hunterforce”, moved between the stations with the task of not only reconnoitring the marchers, but also apprehending them. These forces were supported by the Fennek reconnaissance vehicle (-> GDELS-Steyr is also interested in the successor to this vehicle with its Pandur Evolution) with thermal imaging equipment, drones and a helicopter from the German Federal Police. A Swiss search and rescue dog team also intensified the search for people on the ground. If teams were caught out by non-tactical behavior and were unable to evade capture, they were penalized with points deductions. Serious tactical shortcomings were penalized by being transferred to a new, unknown drop-off point in a darkened vehicle. Challenging station operation
Starting from the Wulf Isebrand barracks in Heide, a 55-kilometer circuit had to be completed. The teams started the march at 7 p.m. from several drop-off points and had to pass a total of nine stations by 11 p.m. the next day, where they received the coordinates for the next station. From 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m., a rest period was ordered for all participants, during which the teams were allowed to take a combat-related break. However, the “Hunterforce” mission continued unchanged. https://militaeraktuell.at/oesterreich-bei-nato-treffen-in-bruessel-mit-dabei/ At the stations, the teams were required to demonstrate military knowledge as well as teamwork and strength. The stations were operated by German and Danish soldiers, but also by civilian organizations such as the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief and the German Life Saving Association.
Scoring of the exercise
As in other competitions of this kind, the points scored at the stations and the points for the marching time were used to determine the overall result. In the “Eiswolf24” night orientation exercise, all stations had to be completed and a time frame had to be adhered to. Experience from repeated participants and a well thought-out time/points calculation proved to be a good guide for the rank to be achieved. The winner and recipient of the coveted “Ice Wolf” challenge cup was the team from a Finnish special unit. The Austrian-German team will take the experience gained with them to use the advantages they have gained for themselves at next year’s “Eiswolf25”.
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