On Saturday, August 15, a large-scale military parade was held in Warsaw to mark the Polish Armed Forces Day. The event was attended by almost 2000 Polish and allied servicemen, as well as about 300 units of modern equipment. This was reported by PAP.
The celebration of Polish Army Day spanned the entire country, culminating in a parade along Warsaw's Wisłostrada street and the naval base in Gdynia.
Before the start of the celebrations, the President of Poland awarded general's epaulets to 21 officers. The second star and the rank of major general were awarded to the commander of the Cyber Defense Forces, Mariusz Chmielewski, and the commander of the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade, Renart Skrzypczak, became a brigadier general.
Among the honored guests of the event was Andrzej Pochobut, an activist of the Polish minority who was released from Belarusian imprisonment.
In addition to Polish units, military personnel from the United States, Britain, Canada, Croatia, Romania, as well as the French Foreign Legion and soldiers of the Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian Brigade from Lublin marched in parade columns.
Airshow and heavy equipment
The aviation part of the parade included AW149 and Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters, and the newest F-35s, the first of which the country received in May.
Together with the Polish pilots, NATO allied aircraft flew in the sky - German Eurofighter Typhoon and A400M transport aircraft.
On the ground, the audience was shown modern weapons:
- Armored vehicles and artillery - Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, Rosomak armored personnel carriers, Leopard 2PL, K2, and Abrams tanks, as well as K9, Krab self-propelled guns, and HIMARS rocket systems.
- Air defense systems - Patriot, Pilica+ launchers and Poprad complexes.
- Drones - reconnaissance and strike complexes Gladius, FlyEye, FT-5, Warmate and Wizjer.
Naval parade in Gdynia.
At the same time, a naval parade was held in the waters of the Gdańsk Bay. Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, the Kashub corvette, minehunters, and landing ships took part in it.
Bryza aircraft, AW101 helicopters, and a Saab 340 AEW&C early warning and control aircraft maneuvered in the air over the sea.
Polish Armed Forces Day
Polish Army Day is celebrated every year on August 15 in honor of the victory in the Battle of Warsaw in 1920. Then, Polish troops stopped and defeated the offensive of the Bolshevik occupiers near the capital.
