, (Military Unit Formoza) (2007-2011 ) (Naval Special Operations Unit), previous names: (Polish Navy Special Operations Sections), (Special Frogmen Groups).

History

JWF is now part of Wojska Specjalne (1975-2008 - part of the Polish Navy). The Formoza was founded in 1975. Its first commanding officer was (now a retired) ''certified commander'', kmdr por. dypl. Józef Rembisz. The Research Group on Marine Divers (Zespół Badawczy ds. Płetwonurków Morskich) was created in 1974 in order to develop a concept for the organisation and formation of a specialized marine sabotage division. The unit was originally intended to comprise three sections of frogmen, a technical section, section and management. But it was necessary to change this premise; a frogman could not go under the water without a safety leash. It was found possible to omit this regulation. A basic team now consists of a pair formed to safeguard each other, three pairs create a special group, five groups – a section. At the very beginning, conscripted soldiers served in the unit, nowadays the unit is entirely professional, which has increased its operating effectiveness. A three-year training system was preserved, for instance, during the first year, mainly shooting, swimming long distances, driving vehicles and foreign languages are practiced. In September 1987, the unit changed its name to Special Operations Department and the Special Naval Frogman Groups were created in 1990. The unit has formidable striking power, two frogmen may sink or take control of an enemy's ship, several of them may block even a large group of ships. The current official name Formoza comes from a Polish Navy seamen nickname of unit's training base "Formoza" (from relation between

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

and

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and ROC Taiwan - Formosa) - a former WW2 German torpedo test platform, 500 m away from coast in Gdynia Naval Harbour (Formoza means Formosa in Polish).

Present Day

The headquarters are stationed in

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It is subordinated to Wojska Specjalne. Reportedly, the Special Operations Sections consist of six groups and a base. Jednostka Wojskowa Formoza is prepared for special operations in times of peace, crisis and war. Its basic tasks include the carrying out of operations on the sea, under water and in on-shore facilities, as well as land special operations. Usually the Formoza co-operates with a water subunit of the

JW Grom JW GROM (full name: ''Jednostka Wojskowa GROM im. Cichociemnych Spadochroniarzy Armii Krajowej'', English: ''Military Unit GROM named in honour of the Silent Unseen of the Home Army'') is a Polish special forces unit and forms part of the Spe ...

, the

frogmen A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...

subunit of the Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosów (formerly 1 Pułk Specjalny Komandosów) and some of its equivalents in the navies of the states belonging to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Equipment

Standard armament of the mariners from the Special Operations Sections: * 9×19mm SIG Sauer P226 pistol, * 9×19mm MP5A3 & MP5N pistol, * 5.56×45mm H&K G36KV assault rifle * .300 AAC Blackout with conversion kits to 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×39mm

SIG MCX The SIG MCX is a family of firearms designed and manufactured by SIG Sauer, produced in both selective fire and semi-automatic only models, and features a short-stroke gas piston system, which is inherited from the earlier SIG MPX submachine g ...

* 5.56×45mm

FN Minimi The FN Minimi (short for french: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun/squad automatic weapon developed by Ernest Vervier for FN Herstal. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more tha ...

Para machine gun * 7.62×51mm

M14 rifle The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, r ...

* 7.62×51mm

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in th ...

sniper rifle

References

Specwar.info - FORMOZAOfficial website - polish
*Chloupek, Ireneusz "Formoza". Special-Ops 7/8 2010. ISSN 2080-8771 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jednostka Wojskowa Formoza 1975 establishments in Poland Counterterrorist organizations Military units and formations established in 1975 Naval special forces units Special forces of Poland