Survival! SERE-B in Combat Recovery

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No, it's not called SERE-B because the course takes place in Bavaria. SERE stands for "Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Training". The advanced survival course in the B version for those with strong will to survive is conducted by COMBAT RECOVERY. Yes, in Bavaria. Barthel was there for SPARTANAT, here is his report.

On Tuesday morning, the course started in Ulm at a shooting range. There was a massive opening: a whole indoor shooting range - for a HS50 cal.50 BMG. There's not much to say about it, at 300m I shot, also thanks to a 3-point rest and good optics, a 10... but the feeling was AMAZING.
After that, AR15 with EOTech or Shortdot were shot, cal. .223, as well as a HK 308 (HK417) .308 and a Remington 700 "hunting rifle".

Next to safe weapon handling, the focus was clearly on making sure that the participants felt the recoil characteristics of various optics. Then it continued with representatives of the 9mm faction: Glock 17, Sig 226, P8, MP5, and finally a S&W in .45 ACP, offering a nice comparison of different weapons.
Why shooting in a SERE course? Firstly, because it's incredibly fun, and secondly, so that in case of an emergency, at least one has an idea of what it feels like to have a weapon in hand and where the bad end is.

The conclusion on Tuesday was a lecture on terrorism, as well as terrorist groups in Africa, the entire SERE training was based on the situation in Africa. Of course, this cannot be easily transferred to the rest of the world, but it does encourage thinking about which terrorist organizations are active in the holiday region, for example, what their goals and motivations are, in order to consider how to behave in the event of a hostage situation. After that, the evening continued with a relaxed part: dining in an African ambience at the inn. Then it was time to return to the hotel - and spend one last night in a clean bed.

On Wednesday, the theoretical part continued. This extended over roughly 8-9 hours and covered the basics of SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) which were largely overlapping with the theoretical parts of the Combat Survival Course, but in many areas more detailed and with some other topics (behavior in case of friendly forces taking you in, for example) expanded. Listing all of this here would go beyond the scope, and besides, Ronny wants to still attract more customers for his theory lessons.

After a short break, the situation briefing: we are employees of an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). There are terrorist activities in the area. Our task is to visit a contact person to get further information for the extraction.
Once packed (a civilian version of the 3 Lines principle), the planning phase began. A route was determined, as well as rendezvous and rally points in case of separation. A Pre-Mission Report was also filled out to enable potential friendly forces to better assess our situation.
To make it a bit more uncomfortable, we were all dressed in white painter's coveralls to simulate the situation of how a western person stands out in Africa.
Apart from a time window and an identification procedure for contact, there were hardly any further information. Thanks to a friendly driving school, it quickly became clear that our path would lead us to a tavern. Fortunately, we were able to keep to the time window and received an encrypted list with time slots and coordinates, which were potential pickup points. Then we moved from urban to rural areas, where we went from checkpoint to checkpoint, trying to establish radio contact with friendly forces - without attracting too much attention or remaining completely undetected. The group leadership changed, working with maps, compass, terrain markers, and coordinates, orienting at night...
In between some felled tree trunks on a field path, it was time: Prepare for pickup. It was a bit rough, but then quick, all men on the pickup truck, tarp over and out of the "crappy land" (No, not meant to be Bavaria... Editor's note).

"Terrorists" capture us. This will be a very intense and experience-rich chapter on "Capture and Interrogation" in the SERE-B.

That was the theory, in practice our vehicle was blown up. Panic, adrenaline, everyone off the truck bed (and the backpacks were gone). First, get away, off the path, gather, check if everyone is present and uninjured. Using the map, compass, and a rough sense of where the pickup point was and how the pickup might have moved, determine the position, a last checkpoint and time window were still open. Glancing at the clock: this is going to be darn close. Always assuming we had determined our position correctly. So quickly onwards. Halfway there, headlights from behind, no way to hide, so go, go, go, forward.
"Halt, stop, everyone down on the ground, on your bellies, lie down!" Lights from everywhere, "terrorists" storm out from the forest and along the path. And thus began the capture and interrogation. Something we are already familiar with from the Combat Survival Course. As a spectator, it was very interesting to see the effort put into it. At least one enemy unit is available for each participant.
After the interrogation and "stress positions", we then had to continue with nothing but what we wore and what we could hide from the captors, to find a shelter for the night.
A brief inventory showed that, apart from a few EDC kits that were overlooked, we had a rescue blanket, 100ml of water, and a biscuit per person. Improvement was promised for the next evening, so hungry and thirsty, we went wrapped in the rescue blanket into a spruce stand. Thanks to the temperatures and the paper coveralls, it was at least not cold.
The next morning, almost everyone was up before the wake-up time, either gathering or searching for nettles/elderberries/black elderberries...

On Thursday morning, the situation was resolved, we had water again. But the experience of how mild dehydration feels was definitely instructive. Accordingly, various methods for obtaining water were tried, a hole with greenery and a tarp was supposed to provide water the next day.

In addition, various ways to make fire were explored. Parabolic mirror, lens, fire striker, combined with various tinder types, were to lead to success in conjunction with a fire track.

Cooling off was then to be achieved through a water crossing. For this, a raft was created from a rescue blanket and grass, which transported one participant's equipment across a pond and back. Plant-based nutrition was also on the agenda. Due to the lack of coconut palms, bananas, etc., the local flora was used: willow tips, nettles, various grasses, and herbs. So the day passed quite quickly, and it was time to build an improvised shelter. Tarp, poncho, bivvy bag, etc., were put to use.

Another highlight was dinner. Grilled trout, which each participant had to catch, stun, kill, and gut from a barrel under expert supervision. All in all, a successful day, and after the sleep deprivation from the previous day, everyone was glad to crawl into their sleeping bags.

On Friday morning, the African experience continued. For breakfast, there was a green coconut, opened, drunk, and scraped out. The shells simultaneously served as the "plates" for dinner. In anticipation of the next night, a high-level shelter was then built in teamwork, with a resting area about 60cm above the ground. Training on tracking/counter-tracking was next on the schedule, basics of recognizing tracks, silent communication, movement types in terrain.

Continuing seamlessly in the scenario: a contact person had to be found based on GPS coordinates. An eTrex was then used in conjunction with a map and compass. After multiple helicopter flyovers, which forced us into cover, and distant explosions, we continued crouched to the contact point.
Upon arrival, we could only find traces of a firefight. These were recorded, measured, and evaluated. Luckily for us, our contact person had left signs for us. We followed them, and they led us to the desired person, where we could verify our measurements. Then seamlessly continued: cries of a wounded comrade from a minefield. Here, a small minefield with multiple mines, tripwires, and ammunition parts had to be overcome. It's by no means that we are now capable of handling mines, but this part of the training was definitely an eye-opener as to what is out there and what we should stay away from.
Arriving at the wounded person, first aid was provided, and a medevac was prepared. Using an iPhone for "enemy fire and artillery bombardment", we traveled over rocks and stones to the extraction point. A med-evac 9-liner was conducted over the radio. The rest of the group was then picked up, as two days before, this time by a simulated vehicle. All in all, a very fluid, elaborately designed scenario that kept us busy throughout the entire afternoon and evening.

For dinner, an "African" stew with sweet potatoes, couscous, cooking bananas, etc., was prepared in the evening. It was eaten elegantly with the coconut shells from breakfast. In a convivial atmosphere, a small exchange of opinions was conducted, which was consistently positive for the course. Not surprising, given what was offered.
After nightfall, there was night hearing and seeing on the schedule. Various walking techniques, reflection behavior under IR exposure from clothing using two night vision devices were demonstrated. Additionally, a signal flare was lit to demonstrate the enormous light and heat effects. The planned night watch was canceled, so another night was spent in the sleeping bag. On Saturday morning, a bit wistfully, the base camp was cleaned up, the backpacks packed again, and it was back to the classroom. An incredibly exciting and thrilling time came to an end.

CONCLUSION: Although some content of the course was broadly similar to the Combat Survival Course, the overall package was convincing. While €990 is a steep price, in the end, the course was more than worth it. Especially when considering the threats posed by terrorist groups, the course doesn't guarantee you can overcome everything, but it definitely increases the chances and raises a certain level of awareness for threat situations.

COMBAT RECOVERY on the Internet: www.combatrecovery.de

The participants in the SERE-B course by COMBAT RECOVERY. Well motivated, well challenged, and well learned until the end.