Mariusz Błaszczak, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, on January 9 approved the concept of creating the 1st Legions Infantry Division, Ewa Korsak reports in Polska Zbrojna. The new formation is to operate in the east of Poland, primarily in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, and its soldiers will receive the latest equipment available to the Polish army. The division will consist of four brigades.
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The 1st Legions Infantry Division is to be developed primarily in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It will be established between the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship, where the 16th Mechanized Division operates, and the Mazowieckie and Lubelskie Voivodships, where the 18th Mechanized Division operates (Picture source: Leszek Chemperek/ CO MON)
"We are saturating the eastern part of our country with the Polish Army. Today I accepted the concept of creating the 1st Legions Infantry Division », said Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak in Białystok, where he met with the soldiers of the 18th Reconnaissance Regiment. The new tactical unit is to be developed primarily in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, Ewa Korsak reports. "The 1st Legions Infantry Division will be established between the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship, where the 16th Mechanized Division operates, and the Mazowieckie and Lubelskie Voivodships, where the 18th Mechanized Division operates", said Błaszczak.
It will be the 5th tactical formation in the land forces (the other four are: the 11th Armored Cavalry Division and the 12th, 16th and 18th Mechanized Divisions). We create it in a "four" system: the division will have four brigades, and each of them will consist of four battalions", said the Deputy Prime Minister who also informed that the units will be located in the cities of the Podlaskie Voivodeship: Łomża, Grajewo, Kolno, Czerwony Bór and Siemiatycze.
In addition to the mechanized battalions, an artillery battalion will also be created. "The experience of the war in Ukraine shows that artillery plays a key role in effective defense", noted the head of the Ministry of National Defense. The headquarters of the 1st Legions Infantry Division will be located in Ciechanów. A tank battalion will also be established in this city. "The choice of these locations is supported by military analyzes", noted Mariusz Błaszczak. The Deputy Prime Minister added that some units of the new division will be created this year.
The 1st Legions Infantry Division will be equipped with the most modern weapons. It will receive, among others, K2 tanks, Abrams tanks, K9 howitzers, Krabs and Gladius unmanned system (Picture source: Leszek Chemperek/ CO MON)
The 1st Legions Infantry Division will be equipped with the most modern weapons. It will receive, among others, K2 tanks, Abrams tanks, K9 howitzers, Krabs and Gladius unmanned systems. " We want to make the most of the purchased weapons, which are already reaching Poland", said Mariusz Błaszczak.
Gen. Brig. Norbert Iwanowski, former commander of the 15th Mechanized Brigade, and former head of the Intelligence Analysis Department at the General Staf, said: "I based it on three pillars: the first, designated by Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, is the framework for the shape of the division, its size and the equipment it will have. The second pillar is the experience of forming the 18th Mechanized Division. The third is both building the size of the division (it's about soldiers and equipment) and achieving combat capability in the domestic and allied context". The general announced that the 1st Legions Infantry Division would be capable of military combat and combat against non-military threats, such as the effects of natural disasters.
The new tactical relationship refers to the historical 1st Infantry Division of Józef Piłsudski's Legions. "This formation became famous for its tough and decisive attitude in 1920, when it regained Białystok from the Russians", reminded Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak.
