Warszawa 2023-08-15
Parade in Warsaw on 2023-08-15.
On August 15, 2023, the Republic of Poland celebrated a double holiday: In the Catholic Church, August 15 is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The second holiday celebrated on this day is the Polish Army Day, as a memory of the Miracle on the Vistula River, i.e. the defeat of the Muscovites during the Battle of Warsaw. It was the 103rd anniversary of this event.
For these reasons, a great parade of the Polish Army, soldiers of the Allied Forces and other uniformed services was organized in Warsaw. The event was given the name "Strong White and Red". The parade was organized by the Ministry of National Defense. The honorary tribune was attended by: President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak, parliamentarians, officers of the Polish Army, and foreign guests. The parade started at 14:00 on Warsaw's Wisłostrada.
The previous parade was held in 2019, and the break was due to the pandemic of the Chinese virus. This year (2023) the weather was good, and it was even too hot (30 degrees Celsius). This year's parade was attended by over 2,000 soldiers of all formations in Poland and soldiers of allied armies. During the parade, the following were presented, among others: Abrams tanks, K2 tanks, Leopard tanks, K9 gun-howitzers, Patriot sets, HIMARS launchers, Kraby, Raki, Rosomak wheeled armored personnel carriers, Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, Baobab-K scatter mine vehicles. There were about 200 vehicles.
We were most interested in the air parade, in which 92 airships took part. Former parachute jumpers with flags and pennants.
First there were helicopters. A formation of helicopters used for training in the Polish Army flew over; 2 Robinson R-44 Raven II helicopters and 2 ultra light helicopters. Then, 4 PZL Mi-2 helicopters flew from the base in Inowrocław. Then there were 2 PZL W-3 Sokół helicopters. Then three Mi-8 helicopters flew. Then there were 2 Mi-14 sea helicopters, accompanied by a PZL W-3 Anakonda helicopter. Then two Sikorsky-Mielec Black Hawk S-70i helicopters flew, accompanied by a Mi-17 combat helicopter. Then there were 2 Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters, accompanied by a Mi-17 combat helicopter. Helicopters then flew in pair; the first Polish Leonardo AW-101 helicopter and the Leonardo AW-149 helicopter. They were led by a PZL W-3 Sokół helicopter.
Then there were 3 Diamond DA-20 planes and 3 Diamont DA-42 planes, which presented themselves in the flight representing the Eaglets School in Dęblin. Then there were 6 PZL-130 Orlik aircraft that represented the Air Training Base in Radom. Then there were 4 PZL M-28 Bryza aircraft. Then there was the Lockheed C-130 Hercules nb 1504 aircraft with a stylized Eagle on the vertical tail, accompanied by three CASA C-295 M aircraft. Then there was the Gulfstream G-550 government aircraft, accompanied by two Lockheed F-16 Jastrząb aircraft. Then there was a government aircraft Boeing 737-800 BBJ2, accompanied by 2 Lockheed F-16 Jastrząb aircraft. Then there was a formation of 4 M-346 Bielik training and combat aircraft. Then there were 3 Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft. Then there were 3 MiG-29 aircraft. Then there was the MiG-29, which drove two FA-50 aircraft, the first copies in Poland. Then there was a formation of 4 Lockheed F-16 Jastrząb aircraft. Then there were 2 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, which were led by a Lockheed F-16 Jastrząb aircraft. At the end of the parade, two Lockheed F-35 aircraft flew, which were led by a Lockheed F-16 Jastrząb aircraft.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman