102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Palecek

102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Palecek

102nd Reconnaissance Battalion insignia
Active 1 December 2003 – present
Allegiance Czech Republic
Branch Czech Army
Type Reconnaissance
Part of 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare
Garrison/HQ Prostejov
Patron General Karel Palecek
Motto(s) Latin: Spem retine – spes una hominem nec morte relinquit
Anniversaries 1 December
Commanders
Current
commander		 LTC Pavel HRINIK

The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Palecek (Czech: 102. průzkumný prapor generála Karla Palečka) is a reconnaissance battalion in the Czech Army based in Prostejov. It falls under the command of the 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare.[1]

Mission and training

The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion is the sole reconnaissance battalion in the Czech Army. It is capable of conducting long-range ground reconnaissance, aerial reconnaissance, human intelligence as well as observing and eliminating organized resistance. It forms the basis of an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance task-force unit.

Organization

The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion currently consists of:

History

Formation

The battalion was formed in 2003 after a merger of four different reconnaissance battalions - the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 11th Reconnaissance Battalions. The battalion was activated on 1 December in Prostejov. Part of Joint Forces Command, it became the only reconnaissance battalion in the Czech Army[2] and since 2011 has come under the command of the 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare.

Military operations and deployments

Former Yugoslavia

Afghanistan

Iraq

Mali

International exercises

Reconnaissance Patrol Competition

The Reconnaissance Patrol Competition is a national military patrolling exercise that makes its participating units cover more than 100 kilometers in three days while performing numerous types of military tasks. It is a test of leadership, self-discipline, courage, physical endurance, determination and knowledge of wide range of reconnaissance skills.

The history of this event which is organized uniquely by the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion reaches back to 2006. The initial idea was to compare the level of skills and readiness of reconnaissance troops within the battalion but it was the year later when the competition was opened to other units of the Czech Army. This event usually takes place at the end of August. Due to its demanding nature, severe condition and physical challenge only two thirds of contestants usually finish this competition.[11][12]

Charity events

Charity events have been organized annually by the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion since 2009 in order to raise money for children in need. Handing over of the charity voucher is usually connected with sport activities and social events organized for service members, their families and guests.[13]

Visitors' and Presentation Day

Visitors' and Presentation Day of the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion has been annually organized for children from Prostejov as well as for service members and their families. The program usually includes a presentation of military vehicles, weapons and equipment. Visitors can also watch a training display of parachute jumps, a demonstration of the MUSADO military combat system, or a simulated ambush. This event takes place in June.[14]

Notable members

ISAF killed in action in Afghanistan
Bronze Star Medal recipients

Equipment

Commanders

Heraldry

Insignias

The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion Patch has a circular shape depicting several objects which have symbolic meaning relating closely to the battalion, its sub-units or history. A white parachute represents the airborne-reconnaissance units, a pair of yellow wings represents the ability to conduct an aerial reconnaissance, a pair of yellow bolts used to represent Electronic Warfare unit which used to be a part of the 11th Reconnaissance Battalion, and nowadays it represents the ability to pass the information quickly from the battlefield and finally the assault knife which is a symbol of a long-range reconnaissance unit. The dark green color of the background of the patch represents the color of reconnaissance units in general as well as the color of scout's berets, while the dark red edge of the circle represents the color of paratrooper forces and their berets. The battalion motto is Latin: Spem retine – spes una hominem nec morte relinquit (Cato) – ("Keep hold of hope; hope alone does not desert a person even in death").

Combat Flag and Commemorative Ribbons

The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion gained its Combat Flag on the 5 May 2005 on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.[19]

Commemorative Ribbons awarded to the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion and designed to be displayed together with the Combat Flag:

Honorary name and patron

Honorary name was awarded to 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion in 2006 and since then the full name of the battalion has been the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Palecek. General Karel Palecek, the patron of the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion, was a Czech legionary, active military member during World War I and World War II, and the founder of the first Czechoslovak parachute units.[20]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Land Forces". Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "102nd Reconnaissance Battalion". Archiv.natodays.cz. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Again into Afghanistan" (PDF). Czech Armed Forces Today. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Military rotates troops in EU Mali mission". Prague Post. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Prochazka, Jan (4 October 2007). "Erna Riad 2007" (PDF). Czech Armed Forces Today: 36. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Marek,Vladimír (4 July 2011). "Nejstarší způsob zpravodajství" (PDF). A-Report (in Czech): 22. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Fedorkova, Jolana (16 October 2014). "Ground Pepper: Každá operace chce svůj čas". Army (in Czech). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ground Pepper 2014 military exercise launched". The Slovak Spectactor. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Czech presence at the Khaan Quest 2015 is the third biggest". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Světnička,Lubomír (27 July 2015). "Plán platí do prvního výstřelu, říká první český velitel cvičení NATO". iDnes (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Průzkumníci soupeří na Libavé". iDnes. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Soutěž pz Hlídek 2014". YouTube. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Zoubek, Jaroslav (31 October 2014). "Sbírka prostějovských průzkumníků pro hendikepované děti vynesla 37 tisíc". army.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  14. ↑ Sobecký, Michal (29 May 2015). "Přepady, výsadky, boj z blízka. Elitní průzkumníci předvedli své umění". Prostějovský Deník (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "Czech soldier – member of PRT Logar – killed in Afghanistan". Army.cz. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "Czech Soldier in Afghanistan Receives U.S. Medal". Embassy of the United States: Prague, Czech Republic. U.S. Department of State. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Fedorková, Jolana (16 November 2011). "RAVEN poprvé na letišti v Prostějově". Army.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Czech troops to use U.S. ScanEagle drones". Prague Post. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  19. ↑ Marek, Vladimír (16 November 2007). "BOJOVÝ PRAPOR 102. PRŮZKUMNÉHO PRAPORU" (PDF). AReport (in Czech). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  20. ↑ Mahdal, Martin (5 February 2010). "Neznámí hrdinové – Pohnuté osudy". Česká Televize. Retrieved 27 July 2015.

Sources

Further reading

External links

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