Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence

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Quoting U.S. astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong not very precisely: “That's one short road march for a single COE member, but one giant leap for the Joint CBRN Defence back to normality.“ SARS-CoV-2-led to an extended home-office phase for the Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence (JCBRN Defence COE), which ended on 11th May 2020 (Remark: This was the first period JCBRN Defence COE had worked at home in 2020. A second home-office phase followed starting in November 2020.). Consequently, the Joint CBRN Defence COE conducted a historical battlefield tour as a teambuilding event on 10th June. The Centre’s Deputy Director, Colonel Wolfgang Karl-Heinz Reich, participated and oversaw the tour. The tour itself took place in the COE’s front yard – in Slavkov u Brna (Austerlitz).

The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. In what is widely regarded as the greatest victory achieved by Napoleon, the Grande Armée of France defeated a larger Russian and Austrian army led by Emperor Alexander I and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, respectively. The battle occurred in the vicinity of the Pratzen Heights, which is near the town of Austerlitz in what was at the time the Austrian Empire (nowadays Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic). The Battle of Austerlitz brought the War of the Third Coalition to a rapid end, with the Treaty of Pressburg signed by the Austrians later in the same month.

The battle took place on Monday, 2nd December 1805, exactly one year after Napoleon became “Emperor of the French”. Although often called the “Battle of the Three Emperors”, Emperor Francis II was not present at the battlefield (probably due to home office). Austrian Major General Franz von Weyrother created the plan for the Battle of Austerlitz.

The battlefield tour was not organized as a collection of presentations and briefings at different locations; the tour was organized as a friendly competition. The COE was subdivided into four teams (Fig. 1). Each team had to solve different tasks at different locations. The competition started on top of the Žuráň Hill. (Fig. 2)

Fig. 1 - Team 'Yellow', also known as 'We-will-win-team'
Fig. 1 - Team 'Yellow', also known as 'We-will-win-team'
Fig. 2 - Terrain relief on top of the Žuráň Hill
Fig. 2 - Terrain relief on top of the Žuráň Hill

The Žuráň Hill belongs to one of many landmarks of the of the Three Emperors’ Battle. The hill is a slope of piled up earth and stones as old as the ancient times of the nations’ creation. The French call the hill the Emperor’s Hill or Napoleon’s Table since Napoleon Bonaparte established his headquarters and led the first phase of the battle from there. There were seven additional observation points to be reached as part of the competition; in total, 18 kilometres had to be completed on foot (Fig. 3).

Fig. 1 - Team 'Yellow', also known as 'We-will-win-team'
Fig. 3 - Marching route

For a short period of time the march became more interesting due to rain. To maintain combat effectiveness, the COE’s Support Department organized a lunch at the restaurant “WINGS” in Slavkov. Remember that the event took place during the still on-going Corona crisis, meaning all protective measures – including various national ones – had to be respected. Consequently, one participant could not enter the restaurant because his national regulations did not permit the visit inside of restaurants. He had to eat outside on the patio. Right after lunch the Centre visited the Chateau Slavkov which rounded out the day (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4 - Collective photo
Fig. 4 - Collective photo

The Castle of Slavkov ranks among the oldest well-preserved manors in Moravia and had as a distinguished guest Napoleon himself. According to written sources the history of the present Baroque castle began in the 13th century, at that time hosting the command of the Teutonic Knights Order. During the reign of Ulrich III, at the end of the 16th century, a new Renaissance castle was built upon the older foundations based on four-winged ground plan with walls and a huge prismatic tower.

To summarize, the teambuilding event proved an outstanding success, especially after three months of home office. Despite the temporary rainy weather all participants were enthusiastic and agreed that the Support Department did an excellent job. Why not; after all, we are a Centre of Excellence.

Author/Photos: Lieutenant Colonel Bernd Allert, Deputy Director/Transformation Support Department Chief/Doctrines & Terminology Section, JCBRN Defence COE, DEU - A

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