US soldiers put their tanks to the test on rain-soaked terrain in Germany

Sgt. Fiona Berndt, US ArmyFeb 6, 2020, 22:19 IST

US soldiers in Germany taking part in Combined Resolved XIII spent the last week of the exercise slogging through hills and valleys soaked by rain and snow.
For the US tankers on hand, the foul conditions were a hassle, but they made the most of the challenge.
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Hohenfels, Germany - During the final week of Combined Resolve XIII (CBRXIII), the weather consisted of rain, snow and hail. The hills and valleys were saturated with water and mud. Tanks created ruts in the ground by driving through the wet fields and forest. Many vehicles, including tanks, had already gotten stuck.

Dakota Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany made the most of the bad weather and impaired terrain.

"The mud was a big obstacle, but luckily we didn't throw or break a track," said Pvt. 1st Class Hunter Swistek, a tank driver with Dakota Company. "We have some maintenance we need to catch up on when we get back, but overall the exercise was good."

The mission of D Co. during CBRXIII was to support and defend the town of Haasla, a valley area at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center. Through the last ten days, tankers with D Co., who were playing opposing forces, successfully defended their area of operation from members of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment.

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"The field was a little messy and things got changed around a few times, but overall it was a success in training the Cavalry," Swistek said.

The purpose of CBRXIII is to increase soldier and unit readiness by conducting operations to simulate a combat environment. During this exercise it was D. Co's responsibility to teach the 1-8 Cav. new battle tactics. Navigating through the difficult terrain was also a learning experience for many of 1-8 Cav's soldiers.

Soldiers also got the opportunity to work with and learn from troops NATO allied and partner troops during the exercise.

Swistek, who has been stationed in Germany for two years and has participated in roughly 20 different exercises at JMRC, has had the opportunity to meet soldiers from many countries.

"I've gotten to work with soldiers from Germany, Romania, Slovakia, a lot from Poland and a few more that I can't remember at the moment," Swistek said.

Through the rain, snow, hail and mud, CBRXIII offered valuable training and experience to soldiers from the 17 participating NATO allied and partner nations that they will be able to take back home and implement in their units.

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US soldiers put their tanks to the test on rain-soaked terrain in Germany

"The field was a little messy and things got changed around a few times, but overall it was a success in training the Cavalry," Swistek said.

"I've gotten to work with soldiers from Germany, Romania, Slovakia, a lot from Poland and a few more that I can't remember at the moment," Swistek said.