Welcome to new military competition

The aim of the organizer is to create a unique military challenge, the difficulty of which exceeds that of any other challenge in Europe or anywhere else in the world. The exceptional characteristic of the Admiral Pitka Recon Challenge is its long distance course over difficult terrain, which the competitors must traverse covertly under the stress of heavy counter activity.

The recon challenge will be held yearly in different Estonian locations. This year, it will be held in the Harjumaa county, which surrounds the capital Tallinn. The most important part of the challenge will be the completion of the reconnaissance mission. Extra points will be awarded for successful completion of various checkpoint challenges, which require good military training, smooth teamwork and a little bit of luck.

Over the last two decades, units of the Estonian Defence League have helped to organize and participated in all military challenges held in Estonia and have won many of these challenges.

We wish to offer tough military professionals an opportunity to challenge their peers and their own skills and endurance. This will not be a fun summer walk in Estonia.

For more information look at instructions.
POC: Mr Urmas Reitelmann - urmas.reitelmannkaitseliit.ee

Why admiral Pitka?


Rear Admiral Johan Pitka (19th February 1872 - 1944 ?) was organizer of the Estonian Defence League, armoured trains, navy and coast guard, he acted in Estonian politics, merchant shipping and business.
Johan Pitka was a ship captain and a businessman, but above all else a courageous leader and a true Estonian patriot. As early as 1917, before the founding of the Estonian state, Johan Pitka initiated the formation of a voluntary militia called Omakaitse. In November 1918 he was elected leader of the independent Estonian Defence League.

During the Estonian War of Independence (1918 - 1920), armoured trains and armoured cars were built and weapons were repaired in Pitka's workshops in Tallinn. Pitka was Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Navy between December 1918 and November 1919. He formed the Landing Battalion for naval landing operations and personally led landing operations during the Estonian War of Independence. During the October 1919 offensive towards St Petersburg he was designated Commander-in-Chief of support operations, which included command of ground troops.

In addition to commanding military operations during the Estonian War of Independence, Pitka was in charge of organizing and managing virtually all of the shipping affairs of the Republic of Estonia, starting in February 1919. Prior to the start of World War II, Johan Pitka was an active community leader and played an important part in economical collectives in the Republic of Estonia. Unable to accept the loss of the Estonian independence after the Soviet occupation of 1940, Rear Admiral Pitka fled to Finland, hoping to organize support for his home country. When the German-Soviet front reached the Estonian borders in April 1944, he returned to Estonia. He affirmed his commitment to his principles and views expressed during the Estonian War of Independence: "When one is called upon by fate to defend his homeland and his people, then one must do so at all cost.". It was not until August that he received permission to form a strike force called "Admiral Pitka". In September, it battled the forces of the Red Army, but the odds were