MILITARY VEHICLES: ARMOURED CANS: TROOPS: TAKKS: ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUM:RIDGE-LAYING TANK:MINE-DETECTOR ON TANK: AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT AND ON GROUND: OPERATIONS ROOM: RADAR SCREEN: ROCKET LAUNCHED (ONE SHOT): GUNBOAT AT SPEED: LV SUBMARINE: COMPUTERS & ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (SOME WITH NAMEPLATES IN ENGLISH); LASER EQUIPMENT: BRIDGEBUILDING IN PROGRESS: ARMY IN CAMP WITH TENTS.




Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: - The autumn manoeuvres of the Polish People's Army, where these pictures were taken, have once again shown the high efficiency of land troops, the military readiness of the air force and navy.

- The constant and growing threat, mostly from the rovanchist and revisionist forces in the Federal Republic of Germany, led to a situation where despite the huge effort to rebuild the war-torn country Poland was forced to carmark a considerable part of the budget for defence purposes.

- The armaments industry was built from the grounds up. Today the Polish arms, aviation, motor and shipbuilding industries supply the army with everything that it needs.

- General Wojciech Jaruzolski, Minister of Defence of the Polish People's Republic said on October 12, 1971 during the annual Polish Army Day that between 1960 and 1970 the Polish Army increased ten times the number of armoured carriers and armoured troop transporters, and three times the number of rocket striking power.

- There was a four-fold increase in the number of supersonic aircraft. Staffs, command and reconnaissance units were saturated with electronic equipment, computers and new communications systems.

- The operation of staffs was automated to a high degree.

- The technical problems passed by large water obstacles were overcame.

- Polish Navy has modern destroyers of the "Warszawa" clear.

- Submarines, rocket and torpedo cruisers. Flotillas of mine sweepers and landing boats.

- Navy has its own marine air force and select marine troop units.

- Police People's Army has brought up its own well trained commanding cadres.

- Currently there are no officers in the Polish Army without at least secondary education.

- 45 per cent of the officers have university-levels degrees, usually in technical fields.

- Intensive efforts are made to further improve the general and professional qualifications of the non-commissioned officers.

- Among the numerous military academics great authority is enjoyed by the General Karol Swierczewski Military Technical Academy /WAT/ in Warsaw.

- This Academy was responsible for the construction of several laser generations.

- Unique work on holography is being carried out there.

- The latest achievement of the scientists from that Academy is the design and construction of fourth generation computers. This is an achievement on world scale.

- Achievements of the Army serve the whole national economy.

- At the same time the army assists the population at large in overcoming various difficulties by building roads, bridges and a number of various projects for public use.

- In the 28 years of its existence the Polish People's Army grew into a formidable armoured - rocket force.

- Polish People's Army, following the Soviet Army as the second armed force of the Warsaw Alliance, unfailingly stands on guard of the national interests of Poland - in the defence of the borders of Socialist Community states.