Just before noon, the celebrations began in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw. The celebrations related to the Polish Armed Forces Day are attended, among others, by President Andrzej Duda and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak.
President Andrzej Duda, together with his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda, and the head of the Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak and the Marshal of the Sejm Elżbieta Witek will take part in the ceremonial change of the post of honor in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw.
Celebrations at Piłsudski SquareTVN24
Earlier, the president did wreath in front of the monument to Józef Piłsudski at Belweder, and then at At 10.00 he attended the Holy Mass with his wife. for the homeland and Polish soldiers at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army. The liturgy was presided over by the field bishop of the Polish Army, Wiesław Lechowicz.
Parade on the Day of the Polish Army
The culmination of the central celebration of the Polish Army Day will be a military parade organized under the slogan “Strong White and Red”, which will start on Wisłostrada at 14. Approximately 2,000 people will take part in it. soldiers, about 200 pieces of various types of military equipment and 92 aircraft.
You will be able to see e.g. Rosomak armored personnel carriers in various versions, Rak self-propelled mortars, Krab and K9 gun-howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers, as well as three types of tanks – Leopard 2, Korean-made K2, and Abrams tanks, serving both in Polish and American forces.
The parade will also feature Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles and Baobab-K minelaying vehicles, as well as many technical, medical and logistic vehicles.
Patriot anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems will also take part in the parade, as well as aviation – F-16 and FA-50 fighters, as well as F-35 belonging to the US Air Force. In addition, in the sky you will be able to see transport planes – e.g. those used to transport the most important people in the country, as well as helicopters – including Black Hawks or AW101, as well as American Apache attack helicopters.
Run and military picnic at the National Stadium
As part of the celebrations of the Polish Army Day, a “Run for High Five” around the National Stadium was planned, and a military picnic on its grounds.
Ceremonies commemorating the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw are also held in other towns in the country, including places associated with the victorious battle.
Celebrations in Ossów and Radzymin
In Ossów, at the Heroes’ Cemetery of 1920, a solemn mass was held under the leadership of the Ordinary of Warsaw and Praga, Bishop Romuald Kamiński. After the liturgy, an Appeal of the Fallen and laying of wreaths are planned, and at approx. 14.00 – according to tradition – a historical picnic is organized in Pola Ossowskie.
In Radzymin, Bishop Jacek Grzybowski will celebrate at 17.00 holy mass at the cemetery of the Soldiers of the Polish-Bolshevik War. Then there will be an Appeal of the Fallen and the laying of wreaths on the graves of soldiers.
According to tradition, in the evening a prayer for the homeland and the Polish Army will take place at Jasna Góra. Jasna Góra Appeal at 21 will be led by the field bishop of the Polish Army Wiesław Lechowicz.
Anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw 1920
August 15 marks the anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, which was victorious for Poland in 1920, recognized by Edgar Vincent D’Abernon – a British politician, diplomat and writer – as the 18th breakthrough battle in world history. The victory of the Polish army determined the preservation of the country’s independence and stopped the march of the Bolshevik revolution to Western Europe. It was also one of the most important elements of the historical memory of the Second Polish Republic.
August 15 was announced in 1923 as the Polish Army Day. He remained so until 1947. Since 1992, the Polish Army Day is again celebrated in mid-August.
Main photo source: TVN24