Giant Mountains, Snow Boilers. respective NATO troops are given the task of discreetly entering an area built by an enemy broadcasting station there to disrupt the signal of electronic devices in a country named for Wisland exercises. This was the script for planning tactical activities in the mountains as part of the Mountain Warfare tiny Unit Leaders Course course.
Mountain Warfare tiny Unit Leader course in Giant Mountains, photograph AWL
The Mountain Warfare tiny Unit Leaders global Course has already held for the sixth time the Training Centre of the Mountain Academy of Land Forces in cooperation with the NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence. In the current edition, 30 military members from 10 NATO countries joined the class – in addition to Poland besides from Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and the USA. The two-week training was aimed at platoon and company commanders.
Mental immunity test
During the first week many applicable classes were waiting for participants staying at the advanced Stone Training Centre in Szklarska Poręba, which aimed to hone the ability to decision in the mountains. These were day-long exercises, including from climbing to a tallness of 20 m. Soldiers besides had to defeat via ferrata at the Raven Rocks, show the ability to unhook a line bridge on the Kamienna River, and mount a alleged Tyrolean railway about 50 m long and drive it from almost 25 m high.
Mountain Warfare tiny Unit Leader course in Giant Mountains, photograph AWL
– The task of riding a Tyrolean definitely tested intellectual immunity, due to the fact that the tallness was considerable. But it must be pointed out that people with certain skills are already entering this course, so it was not fresh to them. Of course, everyone was protected by our instructors on the place – explains Major Mariusz Doliński from the Training Centre of the Mountain Academy of Land Forces. As he adds, the biggest challenge for students, erstwhile it comes to applicable exercises, was climbing the 20-meter wall of Curvy Bast. The students besides faced a 15-kilometre march of the Krkonoše ridge from Szklarska Poręba to Karpacz, during which they besides had to unzip the line bridge. However, the Major points out that the real challenge was not applicable training, but classes in lecture halls – from planning tactical activities.
Mountain Action
Participants were ordered to disable an enemy station, destabilizing the Vistula (for the course the script established alternate names of the states) electronic devices located on the Snow Boilers. – The presumption was that the enemy station is protected by respective guards, however, due to the fact that it is at a hypothetical border, there can be an enemy battalion here quickly. The participants of the course were to plan actions to neutralize the station, but to avoid fighting – described Major Doliński.
All of this has already been done in the lecture halls of the "High Stone" centre without going to the mountains. Participants had maps and an assessment of the mountainous operation plan, but there was besides an additional solution. They could usage devices with computer visualization technology of the battlefield, which was presented at the course by their maker – the Austrian company XR Command.
Mountain Warfare tiny Unit Leader course in Giant Mountains, photograph AWL
– Listeners in the lecture area had 3D goggles, which, after assuming, allowed to visualize the area where circumstantial actions were to take place. Maps were uploaded into the system, so students could kind of “see” this place together with the positioning of their opponent and their own troops, and on this basis implement the planning – explains the officer and adds that the Mountain Training Centre is yet curious in utilizing specified technology, although the usage of these goggles during training should be treated as a kind of interesting thing to show participants how equipment designed for this kind of activity is developing.
At the end of the course, listeners had the opportunity, without glasses, but with their own eyes, to see where they planned their action, and face their plan with the actual topography of the area.
Source: AWL
According to Major Doliński, the participants were very impressed by both the requirements of the Polish mountains and the beauty of the Krkonoše. As part of the mountain march, they besides had the chance to enter Sněžka. “Many soldiers from allied countries have not yet been associated with the mountainous landscape. This changed and their reception of both the classes and the mountains themselves was very positive. specified training besides has a large advantage in the form of exchanging experience and comparing procedures or techniques used, which may vary from country to country. So it is valuable to know specified differences, but besides to make any common standards – stresses Major Doliński.
The next Mountain Warfare tiny Unit Leaders course will most likely take place in the fall of 2026.
