Tank troops commemorated Saint Christopher

Christopher – who is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – is the patron saint of sailors, travellers, and tank troops as well. He is one of those saints whose existence cannot be proven historically, yet he is held in such a high esteem that in terms of ’popularity’, he precedes many saints whose existence is historically proven.

From the service of the king to martyrdom

According to the legend, Christopher, who was blessed with a huge body and was some two and a half metres tall, wanted to offer his services to the greatest king there was. He went to a king who was reputed to be the greatest, but he found out that the king feared the devil so Christopher quit and he started to serve the devil instead. But the devil feared the sign of the cross, this is how Christopher eventually turned to Christ.

One night he heard someone calling his name. There was a poorly dressed child standing in front of his hut, asking for his help. Christopher fulfilled his request with pleasure, the little boy seemed to be a light weight for his huge shoulders to carry. But as he was approaching the middle of the river, the load became heavier and finally it felt like carrying lead. The weight was so heavy that he could hardly cope and he had to gather all his strength to reach the other side.

After they crossed the river, the little boy explained Christopher the mystery of Christianity, and he said: "What you were carrying on your shoulders was more than the whole world. It was your Creator you have taken across the river, for I am Christ, who is the greatest king and the one you wanted to serve." The divine child rewarded Christopher with the wreath of martyrdom. From that time on, Christopher was converting people tirelessly and his walking stick served him well – it immediately flourished whenever he stuck it into the ground. Upon hearing his words and seeing his miracles, the soldiers who were sent to arrest him converted to Christianity, and the two maids who should have seduced him in prison chose martyrdom instead.

Since neither the flames of the stake nor the red-hot helmet could do any harm to Christopher, four hundred soldiers were commanded to aim at him with their arrows. All their arrows stopped in the air, with the exception of one, that hit the eye of the judge. Finally Christoper was beheaded and even in his blood had a power: it cured the eye of the judge. (Source: www.katolikus.hu)

Cultus of Saint Christopher in the Hungarian military

In Hungary, the cultus of Saint Christopher originates from the period between the two world wars. It is worth noting that the new armoured service, developing as a result of the introduction of armoured equipments, used to call Saint Christopher their patron saint as early as the 1920s.

Several studies and publications on the subject have found and agreed that armoured troops were not forced to chose a patron saint, on the contrary: "he became publicly known as a result of the joviality of brothers in arms". Instead of asking for a blessing for their weapons or the fight, they were praying for motorised troops and tank troops to return home safe and sound after performing their daily duties, and preserve their humanity.

In addition to that, armoured troops have a few customs that have been introduced with the cultus of Saint Christopher. One of them is the story of Saint Christopher’s collecting box, a tradition started by the students of the Ludovika Academy, who imposed various penalties. For example if someone was late from the officer’s mess, he had to pay a penalty according to his rank and put it into the collection box in front of the ranking officer. Those who made a mistake during training also had to pay a penalty. There are notes that show that those who ‘produced a crackling sound while changing gears’ or forgot to use the indicators also had to pay. The money raised in St. Christopher’s collection box covered the costs of community programs but it was also the basis for various forms of support.

Lt.Col. (eng.) Béla Virágh says in his work entitled ’Military capabilities – Patron saints’ that the name Christopher Hill, used in the Ludovika Academy, also originates from the cultus of St. Christopher. It was the name of the highest point on the terrain used for the training of tank troops, and it was also the venue of the armoured pentathlon, one of the competitions in technical training. Graduates entering the competition were presented with the Saint Christopher plaque.

They are proud of their patron saint

As a result of reorganisation in the past, today the armoured service is present in the Hungarian Defence Forces only with a small number of personnel. The tank company of the Tata-based HDF 25th ‘György Klapka’ Infantry Brigade, Combat Support Battalion is the only unit where servicemen still wear the traditional black beret of tank troops.

Maj. István Hattyár, the acting commander of the battalion (whose ’major’ was combat vehicles at the military college) told honvedelem.hu: the tank troops serving in the Hungarian Defence Forces – and former tank troops who joined other services as a result of restructuring – are proud of the cultus of St. Christopher, which symbolises the healthy spirit of the service, it makes them proud, and also symbolises that tank troops are one team. In the opinion of the senior officer, in 2010, the legend of Saint Christopher is still very popular among tank troops.

We were also told by Maj. Hattyár that the tank company of ‘György Klapka’ Infantry Brigade has fifteen T–72 combat vehicles. Besides Tata, the only place in the Hungarian Defence Forces where we can find ’caterpillar monsters’ is the HDF Central Training Base and the HDF Bakony Combat Training Centre (CTC) in Várpalota. In Szentendre, the personnel are trained on six T–72s.

Lt.Col. János Vokla, the deputy commander of the CTC told us that the tank platoon of the corps’ OpFor Company has two fire teams, i.e. four T–72 tanks. The lieutenant colonel is a tank operator himself, he was commissioned an officer in 1990. In response to our question he emphasised: as college students, they were taught what the cultus of Saint Christopher means to tank troops. This spirit is alive in him to this very day.

Paying tribute year after year

The tank troops of the Hungarian Defence Forces assemble every year in the ’György Klapka’ Barracks in Tata, which used to be one of the strongholds of the service. In the past few years it has become a tradition that they celebrate their service day by laying wreaths on the marble plaque displayed on the concrete pedestal of a T–34 combat vehicle, which is exhibited as a memorial.

This year the ceremony was held on July 23, with the participation of active tank troops from Tata and Várpalota and retired servicemen, as well as those who have lost touch with their former service as a result of reorganisation, but in their hearts, they still consider themselves tank troops.