Hungarian Soldiers Prove Themselves in the Arctic at -35 Degrees Celsius
Szöveg: HDF 86th Szolnok Helicopter Base | 2015. február 14. 10:02The winter polar region phase of the winter instructors’ course was implemented in the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School on Kalixfors Base, between January 26 and February 5, 140 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
WO Zsolt Fehér and SSgt. Krisztián Gazsó had participated in the first two phases of the course in August 2014, together with Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish soldiers.
The course curriculum included a range of skiing techniques, food procurement (animals, plants), treatment of frostbites, ice fishing and various activities in line with the environmental and climatic conditions during a field training event of four days and nights. In this phase of the course, it was the dry and sometimes extremely cold air (-32/-35 degrees Celsius) that caused the most difficulties.
The merely four-hour period of daylight was another hurdle for the execution of the tasks. The participants told us that while in the field, on one occasion they saw the aurora covering the whole sky, which was a curiosity for them.
With the winter/arctic phase, all students have completed the SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Extraction) instructors’ course. They received a certificate of completion and two badges, and are now qualified as instructors with individual numbers.
WO Zsolt Fehér and Ssgt. Krisztián Gazsó will make good use of the lessons learned in Sweden mainly on the Hungarian Defence Forces’ land and water survival courses for pilots which are periodically organized by the HDF 86th Szolnok Helicopter Base Aviation Training Directorate.
Photo: HDF 86th Szolnok Helicopter Base
