|
NOWA DĘBA, Poland -- In old Western movies, whenever a settler on
the frontier was in danger, the one thing that you could always
anticipate was the blast of the bugle, and the men of the U.S.
Cavalry riding to the rescue. The days of the frontier may be over,
but the mystique of this legendary force can be seen here in the
Polish forests.
Over the past few weeks, U.S. Soldiers
assigned to P Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment and Polish
paratroopers from the Polish Armed Forces' 6th Airborne Brigade have
been working hard to familiarize themselves with each other's
tactics and equipment, and during an air assault exercise held at
the Nowa Dęba Training Area July 17, 2015 their ability to
successfully work together was put to the test.
|
U.S. Soldiers assigned to P Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry
Regiment and Polish soldiers assigned to the Polish army's 6th
Airborne Brigade pull security after exiting a UH-60L Black Hawk
helicopter from Company B, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment
(Assault Helicopter Battalion) during an air assault operation July
17, 2015 near Nowa Dęba, Poland. During the training, the U.S. and
Polish soldiers were responsible for establishing an observation
point and assaulting an objective. The U.S. and Polish troops are
part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, an ongoing multinational
partnership focused on joint training and security cooperation with
U.S. Army allies. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon Anderson, 13th
Public Affairs Detachment.)
|
With over 60 troops from the U.S. and Polish armies
participating in the exercise, success would ultimately
depend on how well the troops learned from each other.
The goal was for UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters from
Company B, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Assault
Helicopter Battalion) to insert a platoon of U.S. Army
cavalry scouts to establish an observation point while also
inserting the Polish soldiers to seize an enemy bunker.
U.S. Army Sgt. Steven Morris, a section sergeant
assigned to P Troop, said he was proud of the way his
Soldiers performed during the training, even though, as a
member of a scout platoon, he was concerned about the lack
of undergrowth they would normally prefer moving through.
“Due to the lack of vegetation, we had to concentrate
our movements along a more difficult route,” said Morris.
As the scouts progressed through the moss-covered
forest, they frequently had to adjust their routes in order
to blend in better with the surrounding foliage. They
stopped often to confer with their maps and to allow time
for the Polish radio operator to communicate with the Polish
element in charge of assaulting the bunker.
Polish
Kapral Paweo Krupa, an infantryman assigned to the Polish
army's 6th Airborne Brigade, said the trees and terrain
often interfered with his ability to communicate with the
other Polish element, but ultimately they were able to
overcome all difficulties they faced.
“We've been
working hard with our U.S. allies to ensure we'd be able to
accomplish this mission,” said Krupa. “The trees may have
added an extra degree of difficulty, but we were able to
work through these challenges and still be able to have our
observation point in place.”
As the scouts reached
their objective, the Polish team began their assault by
unleashing a barrage of machine gun and rifle fire at the
bunker. Huge billowing clouds of yellow smoke provided by
Polish smoke grenades soon engulfed the area surrounding the
bunker as the assault team advanced.
After securing
the objective, the teams made their way back through the
woods to the waiting helicopters. As they soared above the
Polish countryside, camouflaged painted faces broke into
huge smiles as they savored the feeling of a job well done.
Reflecting on the event, Morris said having the added
support of the helicopter crews made the mission easier than
it would have been using their normal vehicles.
“Having the helicopters was a huge benefit, as we would
normally have to park our vehicles and move an extra eight
kilometers to reach our objective,” said Morris. “Having the
ability to just get in and accomplish our mission, and then
hop back out definitely made a huge difference.”
With
their mission complete, these allies reversed their course
and got back into the air, knowing they've proven they can
effectively meet all challenges they may face.
The
air assault took place as part of Operation Atlantic
Resolve, an ongoing multinational partnership focused on
joint training and security cooperation with U.S. Army
allies, whose mission is the continued peace and stability
of Europe.
By U.S. Army Sgt. Brandon Anderson
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
Comment on this article |
