Despite their severely depleted roster (most of the company’s soldiers are carrying out tasks as part of the Engineering Group of the 14th rotation of the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan), the Świętoszów team even defeated the NATO Response Force company, more than half of whose soldiers come from the 5th Sapper Battalion.
The engineering subunit competition for the rotating trophy of the Chief of the Engineer Troops and the Commander of the 5th Sapper Battalion was held on 8–10 April in Krosno Odrzańskie. Its central theme was what a sapper soldier should be able to do on the battlefield.
The events, designed to test the soldiers’ skills and operational fitness, were a typical examination of the specialist and combat training of engineering subunits. The priority disciplines were knowledge of their own mines, preparing a fuse and clearing a mined area. The remaining events included a team 3,000-meter run, tug-of-war, rope climbing, operating sapper boats, firing the Beryl carbine and the PW wz. 83, throwing a lifebuoy and volleyball matches. A commission chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Jarosław Szczypiorski oversaw the proper conduct of the event.
The first event was the priority discipline of knowledge of their own mines, which the armored troops won, giving them a four-point lead over their rivals. “In the most important, priority events, the soldiers from Świętoszów demonstrated mastery and professionalism,” said Major Ireneusz Marciniak, head of the Engineer Troops of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, who cheered on the armored troops in Krosno Odrzańskie. “We were the best both in clearing the mined area and in knowledge of our own mines, earning 10 points in each. We took second place in preparing the fuse.”
The armored troops also completed the subsequent events perfectly. They covered the 3,000-meter distance as a team in 13 minutes, giving them an almost two-minute lead over their rivals and five points. They also gained a considerable advantage in rope climbing and throwing the lifebuoy. The shooting event, however, saw a genuinely fierce contest. The point differences were small, and the competing subunits demonstrated a similar level of training.
“I am proud of our sappers. In the penultimate event, clearing a mined area, which ultimately decided the victory, they were the only ones to make a passage through the minefield while detecting all the mines. No other subunit managed to do this. They also achieved the best time. This ultimately affected the final standings and decided the victory,” Major Marciniak summarized. “This demonstrates the sappers’ very good technical training and full combat readiness.”
As a result, the sappers of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade won the competition by a 12-point margin. The presentation of the rotating trophy of the Chief of the Engineer Troops and the Commander of the 5th Sapper Battalion, as well as diplomas and pennants, will take place on 16 April, Sapper Day, at the river port in Krosno Odrzańskie. The commander of the Black Division, Brigadier General Jarosław Mika, will attend the ceremony.
(report: Maj. Ireneusz Marciniak, Katarzyna Przepióra/ii)