12 September – on the anniversary of an event of great importance in the history of our continent, the victorious Battle of Vienna fought by the United Armed Forces and the Polish Army under the joint command of King Jan III Sobieski – we celebrated Armed Forces Day for the first time.
This day, special in every respect, prompts deep historical reflection on the nation’s past and on the history of the Polish armed forces, and makes us think about the future, security and the independent existence of our Homeland.
Since the dawn of history, the land forces have constituted the basic core of the armed forces. During this time, they underwent considerable development, with successive generations of soldiers, their tactics, organisational structures, and the technology and equipment they used all changing. Within the land forces, the leading branch is the missile troops. Their continual development has made them the most formidable force today, knowing no place or target beyond their reach. They also possess the greatest firepower on the modern battlefield; this group includes the weapons with which the units of the Bolesławiec garrison are equipped.
The decision of the Commander of the Silesian Military District concerning the celebration of this holiday reached the military units relatively late. Nevertheless, the commanders of both regiments managed to give the anniversary celebrations of the “Victory of Vienna” a ceremonial character.
Three classes from Primary School No. 2 arrived for the assembly at the 11th Bolesławiec Anti-Aircraft Regiment, accompanied by the school’s headmistress, Stanisława Patreucha, the chaplain, reserve Captain Wojciech Mroszczak, and a delegation from the regiment’s association of former professional soldiers, headed by reserve Lieutenant Colonel Wiesław Pawłowski. The commander, staff Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Stenka, and representatives of the military community groups and guests laid bouquets of flowers before the monument commemorating the tragic death of ten regiment soldiers at the railway station in Piła in May 1988.
At the 18th Missile Regiment, students from secondary schools accompanied the soldiers standing in close formation on the assembly square: both general secondary schools and the Electronic Secondary School, led by their teachers and the director of the Technical School of Electronics, city councillor Andrzej Rudziński. Children from the military preschool also applauded the performances of the unofficial military band. The guests viewed the accommodation area for conscript soldiers and several examples of military equipment. The veterans’ community was represented by retired Major Antoni Świerzewski, former platoon commander in the front-line 3rd Romuald Traugutt Infantry Division, while the members of the Association of Former Professional Soldiers at the 18th Regiment were represented by reserve Lieutenant Colonel Ignacy Kwik. Sports competitions were held that day. Among the conscript soldiers, Senior Private Mariusz Pancerz won the military pentathlon. The next places went to Corporal Robert Sapeta and Private Tomasz Mychal. The team competition was won by the soldiers under Major Krzysztof Uss. The indoor football tournament was also highly exciting. The winning team consisted of Major Jacek Dymarski, Captain Robert Pochodaj, Captain Marek Laskowski, Second Lieutenant Jarosław Wawrów, Senior Warrant Officer Dariusz Dzikowski, Warrant Officer Paweł Grzyb and Senior Staff Sergeant Zbigniew Tyczyński. The commander, staff Colonel Stanisław Chwojnicki, presented the top-placed competitors with commemorative certificates.
P.S. I apologise to the commander of the 11th Bolesławiec Anti-Aircraft Regiment, staff Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Stenka, for misspelling his surname in the previous issue of “GB”.