The training is taking place at the Trzebień training area and will last until 24 March. During this time, more than 200 battalion soldiers will complete a series of activities, beginning with the battalion’s operations while troops are moving and deploying, continuing through functional duties during firing and fire control, and ending with equipment servicing and restoring combat readiness. “During the training, we will carry out a series of activities to test the knowledge and skills that the soldiers have been practicing ‘dry’ for the past year,” said the commander of 1st Battery, Captain Damian Ostapiak. “Today’s activities involve direct firing and fire control against a target approximately one kilometre away, but the soldiers will also take part in two-day daytime and nighttime exercises. It is a good test for them after many previous non-live-fire training sessions.”
The primary weapon of the artillerymen from Świętoszów is the 122 mm self-propelled Goździk howitzer. Its four-person crew must demonstrate good preparation and coordination. Each crew member performs many important tasks: the ammunition handlers, among other duties, supervise the proper loading of ammunition; the gunner enters the appropriate settings, levels the weapon and, once ready to fire, reports to the commander. Before the first salvos are fired, everything must be ready down to the last detail.
During the training, held on 15 March, the soldiers of the battalion were visited by the commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, Brigadier General Maciej Jabłoński. After receiving a report from Lieutenant Colonel Roberta Wiesego, commander of the self-propelled artillery battalion, General Jabłoński greeted the crews of the vehicles. Then, after completing a short Individual Skills Training session, he took the gunner’s position in one of the howitzers and fired alongside the Goździk crew. “The experience is unforgettable. I certainly will not sleep tonight,” the satisfied commander told the soldiers of the 1st and 3rd batteries after the training. “Just as a few days ago at the training ground in Ustka I felt like an air-defense soldier, today I cannot help but say that I am also an artilleryman. Your role, the role of the artillery, is extremely important, so I thank you for your service and the hard work you put into carrying out your tasks, and for taking care of equipment that moves and fires flawlessly. Keep it up.”
After completing the firing, General Jabłoński received from the battalion commander a Certificate of Honorary Artilleryman—2S1 “Goździk” Gunner, certifying that he had completed the training and carried out the fire mission of engaging a stationary target with direct fire.
The artillerymen still have many days of training ahead of them. Soon they will take part in individual firing-skills training and daytime and nighttime exercises involving living outdoors. “This is important training because it prepares the battalion for the main undertaking of the year, Exercise Anakonda-16,” summarized the commander of the self-propelled artillery battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wiese. “That is why these activities will be extremely intensive, taking place both during the day and at night. During them, I will have the opportunity to assess both the performance of the platoons and the battery commanders. All firing is conducted using live ammunition.”
Katarzyna Przepióra/ii