[url]http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/002/653hsdpu.asp [/url]

CRC

Poland took a huge relations hit with many European nations over supporting the US in the war on terror.

Why did we do that? Because the Polish never forgot how much America helped us during WW2 and how much America supported us after the Soviet Union fell.

Thaks America!

Av.

Also: do you prefer being allies with the ineffectual French or the Germans who invaded you; or the US?

Poland has a long warrior tradition, it is only now starting to recover its strength again. Expect to see more like ths n the future.

I agree, move the bases from Germany and other ingrate nations to poland and those who were/are with us.
Ok, enough chit chat....WHERE ARE THE PICS OF THE COMMANDOS AND THEIR WEAPONS !!!

Poland sees itself as the bridge between the US and the former Warsaw Pact countries of East Europe.  Even back in '98-'99 when Allied Force kicked off in Kosovo (just 3 weeks after Poland joined NATO) they wanted to play.  They didn't have the gear to participate in the air war, but offered troops for a possible ground campaign.  They know their future lies with the USA and not with the Germans or French.

The Polish belive that secret units ought to be SECRET!

There are a few pictures out there, I have one posted below.

Just a note though, when the GROM unit was photographed in Iraq, their commander, Col. Roman Polko, was recalled to Warsaw and disciplined by his superiors.

Other notes about Poland and the War:
Before the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, former Polish President Lech Walesa urged the United Nations to back the action and criticized the UN for its "ineffectiveness."

Poland's 460-member Sejm (lower house of parliament) supported the government's plan to send a Polish military contingent to Iraq with 328 votes for, 71 against and 38 abstaining. The strongest opposition to the move came from the radical farmers' group Self-Defense and the League of Polish Families, a right-wing Catholic party.

Poland came under attack from France and Germany after it joined a number of other European countries in a formal declaration of support for the Bush Administration's hard-line stance on Iraqi disarmament. French President Jacques Chirac indicated countries could jeopardize their bid for European Union membership through such activity.

In the wake of 9-11 Poland pledged its support for the U..S-led anti-terrorist campaign and supplied troops for the operation in Afghanistan.

Picts!

[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/IG_LoadImage.asp?iImageUnq=12819[/img]

[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/IG_LoadImage.asp?iImageUnq=12820[/img]
That is the picture that caused a hell of a lot of fuss back in Poland and had their commander recalled.

[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/IG_LoadImage.asp?iImageUnq=12821[/img]

I can see they still have a lot to learn about handguns. [:D]





Uh, care to explain this?  My feeble brain does not get it.

GO TEAM!!  [sniper2]

When the GROM unit was photographed in Iraq, their commander, Col. Roman Polko, was recalled to Warsaw and disciplined by his superiors.

Basically, Poland had been telling everyone that Polish troops were being used in a "support" role. The official line was that they sent chemical decon troops and a logistics ship.

Obviously they Polish leaders were none too happy when pictures of GROM started to show up in the papers, and then President Bush made a statement thanking GROM troops for their assistance at Um Qusar (sp?).

GROM is a "secret" special forces unit, much like Delta is here.

Av.

[img]http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Poland/grom10.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Poland/grom-skok.jpg[/img]

I heard that Poland sent about 2,000 troops to the Gulf.

And when they got there, Mexico had no idea what to do with them.

Stuff it, Steve!  Everyone, Stevie here has a gold-colored Jeep with a license plate that spells out "Horny".

And I am Milo Bloom.

From the looks of this I'd rather have a half-dozen Poles supporting me than an entire French battalion.  I like the idea of a European nation that can think and act independently, and go against the EU flow.

Well done, Poland!

The borders of Poland have shifted after several wars.  What is now Poland includes what was once Prussia.  The name Prussia may ring a military bell.  

My best friend's wife works for them.  Maybe we can go shooting sometime!

i thought prussia was absorbed mostly into germany? dont have a pre and post WW1 map handy.

GO POLAND
GO GROM
[50]

Germany's borders only solidified to any extent in the past century or so, before that it was a collection of states united by a language, but not necessarily cultures. Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Austria all at one time or other had conquered the majority of what is now Germany. And of course the Mongols had conquered all of Eastern Europe and raided to the Atlantic.

Germany as a major military power was only a temporary phenomenon, about 50 years.  Individual German States have long military traditions (Hesse in particular). But they were not effecitvely unified (which is why Napoleon rolled over the rest of Europe in such short order...no-one united against him until it was too late.

Probably the United States and Great Britain have the longest record of STABLE government of all European or European born nations.  The US Republic has stood for over 200 years, England for quite a bit longer than that, but France was conquered by Germany in the 30's, has suffered severe governmental re-organization since then, and suffered several governmental revolutions prior to that.  The same is true of Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Etc.   So Europe really has very little to crow about.