The honor guard ceremony at the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb in Warsaw’s Marshal Józef Piłsudski Square concluded with President Karol Nawrocki and key national leaders laying wreaths as part of the Polish Army Day celebrations.
Guard Change Ceremony Before the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb
The ceremony of the changing of the honor guard at the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb concluded on Warsaw’s Marshal Józef Piłsudski Square, featuring President Karol Nawrocki, Speaker of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak‑Kamysz, and representatives of the Polish Armed Forces. Politicians and military representatives presented a wreath on behalf of the nation at the Tomb. President Nawrocki then laid wreaths at the Smolensk disaster victims monument and at the monument to President Lech Kaczynski. At the close, the president, the Minister of Defence, the Speaker of the Sejm, and Polish military representatives laid a wreath at the monument to Marshal Józef Piłsudski.
Defile
On Friday at 12:00 PM, a parade will commence on Warsaw’s Wałgród in celebration of Polish Army Day. More than 4,000 soldiers from all branches of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland will participate, showcasing nearly 50 aircraft and 300 units of the most advanced equipment in the Polish Army’s arsenal. For the first time, the land and air parade will also be complemented by a naval component—naval vessels will take part in a parallel sea parade on the Baltic waters near Hel.
Polish Army Day and Remembrance of the Warsaw Battle
Polish Army Day falls on August 15 and commemorates the Battle of Warsaw in 1920, known as the “Miracle on the Vistula,” fought during the Polish‑Soviet war. The triumphant victory of the Poles over the Red Army secured Poland’s independence and safeguarded Europe from Bolshevik revolution. The battle is considered one of the 18 most significant battles in world history. In the parade on Wałgród, more than 4,000 Polish soldiers will march, and allied troops from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Romania, as well as the multinational Northeastern Division and Eurocorps, have been invited to participate.
Equipment
Participants of Army Day will be able to admire dozens of aircraft and 300 units of cutting‑edge equipment used by the Polish Armed Forces, including Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, Baobab‑K mine‑clearing vehicles, K2 and Abrams tanks, F‑16 fighter jets, and helicopters. At 10:00 AM on Army Day, a parade will be held on the square, followed by a solemn guard change ceremony at the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb.
