Bolesławiec artillery soldiers began participating in a field exercise for command and reconnaissance subunits of artillery regiments. As part of the exercise, they will improve their use of modern reconnaissance assets during fire missions and coordinate command and fire-control procedures between command posts.
The training began on 7 May with a ceremonial assembly of the exercise participants and a discussion of the objectives set for the exercising subunits. After being briefed on occupational health and safety, fire safety and the environmental protection requirements in force at the Training Centre of the Artillery and Armament Training Centre, the subunits of the 23rd Artillery Regiment began training. The regiment commander, Colonel Andrzej Lorenc, made no secret of the fact that the soldiers would face many demanding tasks requiring considerable commitment and a high level of skill over the next two weeks.
On 8 May, as part of the second stage of the competition for the title of “23 PA Artillery Fire Champion,” battery and firing-platoon commanders, under the direction of the regiment’s deputy commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tomasz Lisiecki, carried out live-ammunition fire missions, both direct fire and fire from concealed positions. The crews of the 85 mm D44 guns were made up of soldiers from the Toruń Centre. Second Lieutenant Łukasz Mikołajczak became the 23 PA fire champion, while Second Lieutenants Andrzej Niedźwiecki and Artur Wojtaszyn were runners-up.
Reconnaissance subunit soldiers also competed. The main objective of the combat-utility competition for visual reconnaissance subunits of the Rocket Forces and Artillery, in which a reconnaissance group from the rocket artillery squadron took part, was to assess the sections’ and groups’ ability to conduct tactical operations with consideration of training standards and to check their level of training.
From 8 to 11 May, the soldiers competed in a series of events, including accuracy shooting, fixing an observation point in conditions of limited visibility and identifying silhouettes of combat equipment. The final test was a 30-kilometre orienteering march, during which they completed a series of special tasks. The reconnaissance group comprising Senior Sergeant Leszek Owczarek, Lance Corporal Krzysztof Fekieta, Senior Private Mariusz Skrętowski and Private Mariusz Pędlowski placed fifth among 21 participating teams.
At the same time, on the tactical training area, the subordinates of Lieutenant Colonel Jarosław Radzimierski conducted tactical training. Soldiers of the self-propelled artillery squadron carried out fire missions using 152 mm DANA self-propelled howitzers. The subjects practised included operations in an assembly area and in firing-position areas, the operation of firing echelons during an air attack, combat support measures and crossing contaminated terrain after the detection of chemical warfare agents.
Captain Michał Kozarski, commander of 1 das battery, rated his subordinates’ training and their preparation for the important test ahead highly. The test will be the ORKAN-14 fire-control exercise involving live-ammunition firing.
(information: Capt. Remigiusz Kwieciński/ii)