We want you for the Polish army!

Polish army is launching a special campaign to encourage young people to join the army voluntarily. Defense Ministry hopes to be able to end the draft and create a fully professionaly army by 2013.

We want you for the Polish army! Soldiers trained especially for the occasion will be promoting the military profession all over Poland. The aim of the campaign is to attract young men and women with a passion for the army, says Poland's Defense Minister Aleksander Szczygło:

'First of all passion and interest in the army, crave for adventure and clear rules of the game.'

To make the offer even more attractive, professional military personnel is about to receive a pay rise with the beginning of the new year and the next one within a year. Captain Dariusz Drążkowski is working with the campaign in Zamosc, south-eastern Poland:

'Our region does not offer many well-paid work places and I think there are young people here who would like to make a career in the army and get decently paid for that.'

Most NATO armies are more or less professional and the idea of creating one in Poland appeals to experts, such as Artur Bartkiewicz, editor-in-chief of "Redakcja Wojskowa" - military periodicals publisher.

'As in any other parts of public service it's better to have professionals than to have amateurs forced to serve in the army and the second thing is that when we don't have a professional army, most soldiers spend only nine months in the Polish army and this is too little time to train them properly.'

As a member of the outgoing cabinet, Defense Minister Aleksander Szczygło hopes that once he's gone from the post, the new defense minister will continue to implement the plan.

'It's not a secret that I would like to talk to my successor in the defense ministry and inform him of the most important things that he should know about, so that the process of passing on duties is fluent and safe for the army. This is not just another ministry for folk dances. This is about the health and life of soldiers.'

Campaigns like the Polish one promoting professional army instead of the draft have been successful for example in the United States. Artur Bartkiewicz of the Redakcja Wojskowa military periodicals publisher again:

'Soldiers and other people who will be promoting the army will go to these parts of Poland where the unemployment rate is quite high and they will have not only brochures, not only nice warm words about the army, but there will also be some extra elements to help them. For example, they will be presenting military equipment. I think it can be quite interesting. It's one of the ways to just talk young people into the army.'

About 70 soldiers have been trained to promote the professional army in their tours of Poland. General Waldemar Skrzypczak, commander of Poland's land forces hopes that next year as many as four thousand young people will enroll to become professional military personnel.

So true, even the Germans were no more than 50% mechanized during the war. The horse continued to be a primary source of moving materials all through WW2 for Germany, Russia, as well as Poland till she fell.

"I have seen photos of Polish Cav assaulting German Panzers only to be left slaughtered. Sheer madness. Sheer stupidity. Someone somewhere along the chain of command should have realized the futility."

You mean you have seen fascist propaganda? There was even an Italian-made propaganda video of "Polish" cavalry trying to charge german tanks with lances.

Now how about some facts they didn't teach you in school(by the way, I'm into weaponry in a big way). Poland used anti-tank rifles, not sabers against panzers, and with great effect. Have you wondered why the german tanks at the very beginning of the war had white balkenkruz (crosses) painted on the hull and turret, and later had black, like the luftwaffe? The white crosses stood out so much that they made great targets for the Polish anti-tank gunners.

I think you would find this page interesting: Invasion of Poland. Perhaps go to the myths section near the bottom.

Also, you'd probably be interested in the marosczek anti-tank rifle, as well as 7TP light tank.

If you find that this neat, and want to know more, just tell me.

Regards

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