Soldiers from Hódmezővásárhely in the Slovenian Mountains

The participants covered a 42 km-long route during the two-day competition held annually in the mountains of Noth-Western Slovenia. Altogether 14 teams started the competition this year, including the soldiers of the mechanized infantry brigade from Hódmezővásárhely. At the competition similar to the patrol championship, besides fitness tasks (carrying sandbags, water jugs and ammo crates; casualty care and carrying the wounded while wearing a gas mask) and professional tasks (shooting, throwing hand grenades and requesting artillery fire), the time to cover the distance was also a determining factor of the result. The tasks had to be carried out by the nine members of the teams together, of course, no one was allowed to be left behind; the arrival of the last member determined the completion time.

According to the rules, the backpack with the equipment of the soldiers had to be at least ten kilograms without food and drink, and each team also had to carry obligatory items provided by the organizers, such as a radio and a stretcher. Therefore, the participants covered the whole distance with 15–20 kilograms on their backs.

Sergeant First Class Zoltán Valaczkai, commander of the team made up of the 1st Grenadier Battalion reconnaissance platoon of the Hódmezővásárhely brigade said that the first three places were taken by Slovenian soldiers, who of course had previous knowledge about the venue, and local units specially trained in the mountains carried out the tasks much easier.

“I think water crossing on a rope was the most difficult task because I have not had to climb over a water obstacle using this method before. We gained many experiences and I would like to grab the opportunity to thank the Slovenian Armed Forces for organizing such a high-quality competition. I am very proud of the team and if it is possible, I would like to try myself again in the competition next time using the lessons learned” – underlined the sergeant first class.

Staff Sergeant Andor Lengyel participated in the event as a squad leader. According to him, the mountain terrain was the most difficult for the team to cope with, as it is really hard to prepare for such terrain on the Great Hungarian Plain because marching on steep hills and slopes puts a different strain on muscles. “Despite this, we did not have to face any severe physical problems. What matters is that we crossed the finish line and successfully overcame each obstacle” – underlined the squad leader in his report about the competition.

The Hungarian team, showing great determination, covered the distance within 17 hours, which is a commendable achievement.