In Krosnowiec close Kłodzka, Turkish bomb squads handed over a temporary bridge to the Polish authorities, which connected the banks of the Biała Lądecka River. The construction of metallic elements imported from Turkey replaced the crossing completely destroyed during the flood which affected south-western Poland last September.
The transfer of the bridge to the Polish side took place during the military ceremony, which was attended by, among others, Gen. Marek Wawrzyniak, Head of the Board of Military Engineering, Brig. Gen. Dr. Krzysztof Stańczyk, commanding Operation Feniks, Colonel Emrah Börekçi, Turkish embassy attaché in Poland, as well as representatives of local authorities and residents. “This plan has not only an infrastructure dimension, it is besides a symbol of global cooperation,” says Gen. Marek Wawrzyniak. Officer recalled the participation of Polish soldiers in post-flood relief actions in Slovenia. At that time, Poles moved with the aid of their allies and built 2 bridges in areas affected by the natural disasters. – Building a bridge in Krosnowiec is not only a consequence of working together and engaging, but besides proof that in the most hard moments we can number on friends," said Gen. Wawrzyniak.
Although the construction of the crossing has been completed, this does not mean that it can be utilized from today. The bomb squads from the allied army have for the time being put into service a metallic structure that needs to be tested due to the fact that the regulations require that the fresh bridge be subjected to burden tests and adequate raids from both sides. This work has already been commissioned by civilian companies of the region. They will last a fewer days.
This is another bridge that was rebuilt after the flood under Operation Feniks. And not the last. How did the Brig-Gen convey? Krzysztof Stańczyk, military specialists inactive work in 3 locations – in the Śląski Site, Wawrzeńczyce and Siestrzechowice. Everywhere there will be crossings that will let the local community to return to average after a natural disaster.
A week of intense work
Turkish bomb squads in Krosnowice arrived a week ago.. They flew by plane to the airport in Wrocław, and with it the coaches reached the Kłodzka Land. At the same time, six trucks brought metallic elements of the bridge to Krosnowiec. Soldiers joined construction last Friday. all day they worked from morning until dark. In order not to waste time traveling to dinners, they were delivered to the workplace. On the another hand, they ate breakfast and dinner in the 22nd Mountain Infantry Battalion in Kłodzek.
The bridge they built is simply a truss-type construction – M2 Bailey Bridge. It is 35 m long, and it is 3.8 m wide. Vehicles with a mass of up to 60 t may be moving on it. The crossing is one-way, so the movement on it will take place shuttle.
Realization: Bogusław Politowski, Marcin Kopeć/ ArmouredTV
During the construction, 16 Polish specialists from the 5th Engineering Regiment of Szczecin helped the Turkish bomb squad, which was commanded by Colonel Ufuk Emre Kızıldağ. Poles secured dense equipment, specified as cranes or forklifts. The liaison officer of the task force of the engineering army group with the Turkish sub-division in Operation "Feniks" was Lieutenant Kamil Gawrych, commander of the engineering company from the 5th Engineering Regiment, who speaks of cooperation with the military from Turkey as an crucial service experience. I've never dealt with this nation's soldiers before. However, cooperation on the construction of the bridge was very good – the officer admits. – Turkish bomb squads were very committed to what they were doing. There were no communication problems due to the fact that they were communicating perfectly in English.
Construction in 3 acts
The work of Turkish and Polish soldiers on the construction of the bridge was divided into 3 stages. The first is to assemble the imported elements of the structure on the river bank. The full was set in the axis of the crossing at its front on peculiar rollers. The next stage, requiring large precision, is to push a bridge on the riverbed and set it on theheads on both sides. The bombarders utilized a seldom utilized BAT-type caterpillar condenser. It is an engineering-road device on a caterpillar chassis.
The final phase of the work was to check the plan and to impose on it plates on which vehicles would be moving. The operation of imposing a bridge on the Turkish river and Polish soldiers carried out last Wednesday, while on Thursday there were road plates on it. The full structure was ready to pass on to the Polish side and to carry out burden tests.
The allies completed their work before the deadline, so they had any time to relax. “After the arrival of the Turkish colleagues told me that after the task they would like to see what Poland looks like”, said Lt Gawrych. He adds that this request has been met. On Thursday, soldiers from Turkey visited Kłodzko and local monuments, including the Kłodzko Fortress, the first mention of which dates back to the 10th century.
Happy Residents
Krosnowice is simply a large village in the municipality of Kłodzko, where little than 3,000 people live. erstwhile the river’s uplifted waters broke the bridge over the 3280D region road last September, a large part of the inhabitants of the village found themselves in a hard position. – People had quite a few problem getting to work, school, shops or church. all day there were many kilometers of detours, which active not only additional costs, but besides a considerable waste of time," says Piotr Marchewka, Vice-Old Man.
As the local governmentman adds, the bridge in Krosnowiec is the longest of crossings, whose construction after the flood was planned in the municipality soon. possibly that's why helping Turkish soldiers is so crucial and appreciated.
The people of Krosnowiec know precisely why the Turkish military built them a bridge. They remember reports of the large earthquake that struck Turkey in 2023 and that Poles then rushed to help, sending paramedics to areas affected by the disaster and organizing a military field infirmary there. The Turks returned for their support by building a bridge in Poland.
