Perhaps this is just to the Danish members or anyone who closely followed the DRF in the 1990s but I'm interested in knowing when CP Frederik's special forces training was known to the public. Were the videos of him in training and the selection period broadcast only after he finished with the Frømandskorpset? Sorry I'm really interested in his military training and career and I'm surprised there isn't a thread for this already. Thanks!
It was known at the time he joined the Frogman Corps as an aspirant. At that time the Frogman Corps was hardly known to the public and it's still very secretive. More so than it's army counterpart, Jægerkorpset = the army special forces.
Frederik had encountered members of the special forces during his military career so far and he had also earned his static fall jump wings at Jægerkorpset, (*) and they had impressed him.
The Frogman Corps is directly inspired by the Special Boat Squadron, where a Dane, Anders Lassen, had played a prominent role. The aspirant course, which lasts I believe around four months, to this day still incorporate the same training methods as used by Special Boat Squadron/Service. And it's widely acknowledged to by physically harder than the army special forces training.
When Frederik joined, an officer from the Frogman Corps was interviewed on TV and explained very clearly that no special considerations at all would be made in regards to Frederik or "We will just end up with an injured Crown Prince".
The aspirant course weeds out most. There have been years where no one has made it at all.
Frederik was among four who made it that year.
These four were now on probation, where they were taught about diving in particular, jump training, survival training, demolition and so on and so. Before becoming fully fledged frogmen after a year or so.
By that time Frederik appeared in a segment on TV. The news host asked the viewers to keep an eye on a clock and a small window of Frederik who sank to the bottom of a pool without any beathing apparatus. He sat there during the entire segment about the corps, which lasted close to two minuttes. Then he looked at his watch and swam, only using his legs to the other side of the pool, under water.
Just as Frederik was fully expected to be dropped off a couple of kilometres out at sea at night in a group of four, with a camuflage net over their heads. (**) Pushing a weapons container between them.
Getting ashore unseen. Move fast easily ten fifteen kilomtres inland, carry out their mission, move back to the shore and swim at least a couple of kilometres out to sea (out of range of a heavy machine gun), where they line up at intervals and wait for a speedboat.
From that boat at kind of loop on a stick is put out. The frogmen raise their arm so that the arm goes in through the loop. The inertia from the fast moving boat throws them clear of the water and onto the boat. - It hurts!
Frederik will have gone through that a number of times.
To his annoyance Frederik was once captured by members of the Home Guard in an attempt to get into the Stevns Fort. A well guarded military installation.
(*) Later free fall jump wings. You can find that clip on YouTube)
(**) To make them resemble seals popping up for a look. I've been looking for "seals" a number of times myself.
On two occasions they got through but that's another story.