At the end of March this year, part of the forest in the Lubiechów Forestry District was partially burned. Soldiers of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, together with soldiers of the National Reserve Forces who were undergoing rotational training at the time, took part in fighting the fire.
Demining of the area has been underway since 19 May in order to prepare it for reforestation. A Clearance Group, formed from the sapper company of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and commanded by Second Lieutenant Maciej Krepa, the permanent commander of a demining platoon, was assigned to carry out the task.
“As part of the Engineering Obstacles training program, the designated group cleared exactly 67.36 hectares of forest in the Lubiechów Forestry District,” said Second Lieutenant Krepa. “The soldiers from the demining, sapper and mining platoons who joined the Clearance Group found nearly 200 various explosive and dangerous items in total. These were recovered and neutralized by the Demining Patrol from the 23rd Patrol Battalion in Bolesławiec.
The organization of the soldiers’ work was based on a clearance plan and schedule prepared by Major Ireneusz Marciniak, head of the Engineering Corps of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, who provided substantive supervision of the entire operation.
Because of the specific terrain, the burned area where the work was carried out posed a challenge both to the group commander and to the sappers.
“The terrain is wet and marshy, making it difficult to cross,” said Private Dagmara Bielecka. “There are many dangerous objects here that could pose a threat to life. They are mainly artillery shells of various calibers, mortar rounds or anti-tank mines from the Second World War and from the period when Soviet troops were stationed in this area.
During the work, assistance from the Forestry District was essential in marking out plots which, because of their location and terrain, made it difficult to traverse the area and search for explosive and dangerous items. The skills and experience gained in previous years enabled the soldiers to complete the task on schedule and to a very high standard.
(information: Katarzyna Przepióra/ii)