Bomb-disposal specialists from the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade in Świętoszów cannot count on a holiday break. Every day, they build river crossings for tanks and armored personnel carriers or search forests for unexploded ordnance. Now they had to destroy a road that enemy vehicles were supposed to use.
A bomb-disposal specialist is always on the front line. Whether facing unexploded ordnance from the Second World War or a river blocking the way of mechanized units, there is no task a bomb-disposal specialist will not undertake.
This time, on the training ground in Świętoszów, the bomb-disposal specialists from the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade had to prove that they had also mastered destructive operations to perfection. The task set by their commanders was to impede the enemy forces’ passage.
Composure and precision are paramount in a bomb-disposal specialist’s work. The slightest mistake can lead to an uncontrolled explosion.
Time is also crucial during wartime operations. The task must be completed as quickly as possible, because the enemy may appear on the horizon at any moment. That is why the bomb-disposal specialists deploy so-called flame mines, which signal a retreat.
Anyone who thinks that bomb disposal is exclusively a male profession is mistaken. Detonations and explosions do not make much of an impression on the women. Nothing can interrupt them as they talk about their duties as soldiers.
The Świętoszów bomb-disposal specialists use their skills not only during exercises on training grounds. During foreign missions, they are the ones who neutralize hidden explosive devices.
At the end of the year, soldiers from the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade will fly to Afghanistan. For six months, they will form the core of the Polish Military Contingent there.