The ceremony was attended by: commander of the 10BKPanc, Brigadier General Maciej Jabłoński, deputy commander Colonel Dariusz Nawrocki, commanders of the brigade’s subunits, and former squadron soldiers: Marek Kwiatkowski, Ryszard Łaskarzewski, Józef Potyszka and Leszek Jaroni.
The squadron celebrates its holiday on September 16. This date marks the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Dytiatyn, fought in 1920 by the 4th Battery of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment during the Polish-Bolshevik War. “For its bravery, courage and sacrifice to the last drop of blood, and above all its love of the Homeland, the battery was recommended by the commander of the 8th Infantry Division, Colonel Stanisław Burchardt-Bukacki, for the Virtuti Militari Cross; moreover, in tribute to the fallen, he named the 4th Battery the Battery of Death,” said the squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wiese. “This day is also an opportunity to emphasize the achievements of the 10BKPanc Self-Propelled Artillery Squadron, which honorably continues the traditions of distinguished artillery units, as well as to pay tribute and express recognition for the achievements of all Polish artillerymen who, throughout history, demonstrated their mastery of the military craft and their love of the Homeland in numerous battles. All this obliges us to work hard, improve our artillery professionalism and achieve the best possible training results.
The commander of the 10BKPanc, Brigadier General Maciej Jabłoński, then addressed the soldiers: “Artillerymen, I am extremely pleased to be here with you and take part in your celebration. The squadron is always somewhere at the front; you are always the first to move toward the enemy. You provide fire support for tank, mechanized, support and combat-support subunits. The same applies to your daily service. You often perform very important and positive work. I appreciate the artillerymen’s major contribution during field exercises, live-fire training and other activities. I congratulate you on your victories, including those in the most recent combat proficiency competitions. I have never been let down by the squadron. I thank you very much for that.
During the next part of the ceremonial assembly, the brigade and squadron commanders presented the artillerymen with decorations and distinctions. The 10BKPanc Honorary Badge was awarded to: Lieutenant Ewa Andrzejewska, Senior Corporal Sebastian Czyżycki, Senior Corporal Karol Jarczewski, Senior Private First Class Jakub Ciesielski and Private Konrad Rotsztajn.
The next recipient was General Jabłoński himself. The Chapter of the Commemorative Badge of the 16th Artillery Squadron awarded the brigade commander the decoration for his overall activity, thanks to which the squadron’s soldiers could count on support in carrying out important tasks and additional projects. The decoration was presented by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wiese.
That day, the commander of the das also honored many of his subordinates: seven soldiers received commemorative gorgets, 31 received letters of congratulations and 32 received commendations. A particularly significant moment was honoring with a commemorative letter and diploma the soldiers who will soon leave the squadron’s ranks. They were Captain Zbigniew Rymarz and Captain Rafał Rylich.
The ceremony concluded with the laying of flowers at General Maczek’s monument to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment, the 1st and 2nd Motorized Artillery Regiments, and all those artillerymen who throughout history sacrificed their lives for such values as God, Homeland and Honor.
Two days earlier, on September 19, squadron soldiers took part in ceremonies in Ukraine, where, on the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Dytiatyn, a rebuilt Polish war cemetery was opened and consecrated. The Battle of Dytiatyn, called the second Polish Thermopylae, was one of the bloodiest clashes with the Bolsheviks. The Polish cemetery was destroyed during the Soviet era. Today, through cooperation between historians from Gliwice and clergy from Bołszowce in Ukraine, it has been reconstructed. Soldiers who cultivate the traditions and preserve the memory of the heroes of the Battery of Death could not be absent from the opening. The 10BKPanc delegation at the Ukrainian ceremony was headed by the brigade’s chief of rocket forces and artillery, Lieutenant Colonel Janusz Tucki.
“The visit of our soldiers to Dytiatyn was an important gesture and a good path for the future,” General Jabłoński told the artillerymen. “Cultivating these traditions is extremely important, and this year you established contact with the place where your forefathers shed their blood. The 1st Battery, the Battery of Death. That is where your roots are; that is where you come from. Do not forget this.
Katarzyna Przepióra