Posted on 08/15/2007 10:41:49 AM PDT by lizol
Tanks roll in Warsaw as Poles celebrate Army Day
WARSAW (Poland), Aug. 15 (AP): Tanks rolled down a Warsaw avenue and F16 jets screamed overhead Wednesday as Poland's patriotic and assertive new leaders staged the country's grandest military parade in decades to mark one of its most famous military victories.
President, Lech Kaczynski, a nationalist conservative, rode in an open vehicle along Warsaw's tree-lined Ujazdowski Avenue, waving and smiling at a large crowd that had turned out to celebrate Army Day.
The celebrations were held nearly two years after ex-communists were defeated by Kaczynski and his twin brother, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Both brothers are deeply nationalist leaders who remain suspicious of former foes Germany and Russia and who have clashed often with the European Union over issues where they felt national sovereignty was at risk.
The President rode through two columns of tanks, encircled by officers on horseback who carried red banners emblazoned with the Polish eagle, the national symbol.
Kaczynski then emerged from his jeep for a wreath-laying ceremony at a statue of Jozef Pilsudski, the Commander of the Battle for Warsaw in 1920.
Polish media described the parade as the grandest Poland has seen since 1974, when the country was still under communist rule. It drew thousands of Poles to the streets, including boy and girl scouts and war veterans.
Among thousands of troops that marched were 40 soldiers from France.
The battle being marked on Wednesday, also known as the 'Miracle on the Vistula', was a victory against Russian Bolshevik forces that turned the tide in Poland's favour during the Polish-Bolshevik war, from 1919-1920.
That war resulted in a rare victory for Poland during a century which dealt the country mostly humiliating military defeats and occupation.
The celebrations come days after Kaczynski's twin brother, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, said he is seeking early elections this fall, possibly on October 21, to end political turmoil. The elections would be two years ahead of polling that had originally been scheduled for 2009.
Nice. If the Germans go east or the Russians go west again, I don’t think they’ll like the reception much.
Thank you for the ping.
Awesome pictures,thanks for sharing them with us.
some of those tanks have the red barrel, some don’t. Are we to assume that this is in error ?
I think not !
Great pics. If America had a parade like that, the liberals would go into convulsions.
bttt
Wow! That’s some parade. Bumping so my Polish friend can see it later.
Very interesting mix of east and west hardware! I recognized the T72’s but were those Leopard A1’s in the mix I heard that Poland was thinking about getting M1A1’s from the US.
F-16’s and Mig 29’ flying together in Poland’s Air force, No one and I mean no one would have thought it possible just 20 years ago, they would have called you insane to think it.
God bless Poland
A brick in one hand and a sword in the other!
ttt
very nice pictures
thanks
Looks like the Boy Scout Salute!
The former NCOIC of my former AF reserve intelligence detachment was a Polish linguist, and was a -ski of Polish ancestor. One of his last annual tours before he retired was an exchange tour with the Polish Air Force.
He said much the same, he expected to be snooping on their radio traffic, or interrogating Polish POWs, not working on their airfield with them.
He also said they treated him like the Prodigal Son, returned to the Motherland.
My ancestry is Polish too, my Father having come here in 48 I had family there for a while,But there gone now however I would like to go and see where my Dad grew up, looks like August would be a good time to go.
Good I am glad to see that Polands industrial base I getting up and running, I heard that Poland even make s it’s own variant of the AK style rifle for their Armed Forces.
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