The ceremonies, held on Friday, 15 March, began with a Holy Mass at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Bolesławiec, celebrated by the dean of the Bolesławiec West Deanery, Rev. Dr Stanisław Kusik, parish priest Rev. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Wojciech Mroszczak, and chaplain of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, Rev. 2nd Lt. Andrzej Bawer.
The central part of the celebrations was a military assembly, whose significance was underscored by the participation of the commander of the 11th Armoured Cavalry Division, Maj. Gen. Stanisław Czosnek, commanders of the Black Division’s units, the commander of the Land Operations Centre, Brig. Gen. Dr Sławomir Kowalski, and administrative authorities.
At the regiment commander’s invitation, the ceremony was attended by former chiefs of the Rocket Forces and Artillery of the Silesian Military District, led by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Antoni Skibiński, representatives of artillery communities and associations, as well as commanders of garrison institutions and uniformed services.
Once again, alongside the artillerymen, American soldiers stationed in Bolesławiec and a delegation of artillerymen from the Armoured Brigade Combat Team stationed in Toruń stood on the assembly square.
After the Polish and American national flags were raised and the national anthems were sung to the accompaniment of the military band from Żagań, the commander of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, Col. Grzegorz Potrzuski, welcomed the invited guests and recalled the origins of the celebration:
For every military unit, its holiday is special among military celebrations. For the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment, that day is 18 March, commemorating the Battle of Kołobrzeg in 1945. At that time, after heavy fighting and breaking through the Pomeranian Wall, our historical predecessors—the artillerymen of the 23rd Kołobrzeg Light Artillery Regiment of the 6th Pomeranian Infantry Division—reached the shore of the Baltic Sea, recovered for Poland.
The ceremony provided an opportunity to present promotion certificates for the next military ranks and to honour soldiers for special achievements and their personal contribution to carrying out official duties.
Capt. Przemysław Witwicki received his promotion certificate to the rank of major from the commander of the Black Division and the regiment commander; the artillerymen’s chaplain, Rev. Andrzej Bawer, received the first officer rank, while the reserve warrant officer ranks were awarded to Janusz Burdziałowski and Mariusz Talarowski. In addition, commemorative badges of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, awarded by the chapter, and letters of commendation for the officer, non-commissioned officer and private of the year were presented. They went, respectively, to Maj. Dariusz Leja, Cpl. Krzysztof Stupiec and Senior Private Adam Piela.
“The firepower, speed in carrying out fire missions and the skills of my subordinates determine the strength and importance of the 23rd Artillery Regiment among the other units of the Black Division. They also testify to the development and advancing technical modernisation of the Rocket Forces and Artillery,” said Col. Grzegorz Potrzuski. The Bolesławiec artillery commander highlighted the regiment’s most important tasks, prospects for technical modernisation, as well as the main areas of training and international cooperation.
The role and importance of the 23rd Artillery Regiment among the Black Division’s units were emphasised by the commander of the 11th Lubusz Armoured Cavalry Division, Maj. Gen. Stanisław Czosnek. The commander thanked the soldiers for their commitment and the high quality of the tasks carried out to date, highlighting their participation in exercises and achievements in defence education for students of uniformed classes. He also referred to the new challenges awaiting the artillerymen by the end of 2019.
In the further part of the assembly, soldiers of the 3rd Rocket Artillery Squadron of the 23rd Artillery Regiment presented an armed ceremonial drill. The military assembly ended with a parade of subunits, after which delegations from the Black Division and artillery communities laid flowers beneath commemorative plaques dedicated to artillery units stationed in the Bolesławiec garrison and to fallen and deceased artillerymen.
At the same time, activities accompanying the regiment’s holiday celebrations were held within the unit for students from Bolesławiec schools and children from kindergartens. The gates of the 23rd Artillery Regiment barracks were open to them from early morning, and as part of the open barracks day they had the opportunity to see military equipment and learn about the traditions inherited by the unit.