The 7th Pomeranian Coastal Defence Brigade () is a
mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps).
As defined by the United States Army, me ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
of the
Polish Land Forces
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history str ...
(based at
Słupsk
Słupsk (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specifically in its part known in contemporary Poland as Central Pomerania ...
).
History
It was formed in 2001 from the 7th Pomeranian Mechanized Brigade (of the 8th Coastal Defence Division). Now it is a brigade of the 12th Mechanized Division based at
Szczecin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
. It bears traditions of the disbanded 7th Sea Landing Division (known as the ''Blue Berets''), previously themselves the 23rd Landing Division (
:pl:23 Dywizja Desantowa) from 1958 to 1963, therefore it is sometimes referred to the
marines
Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...
of Poland, modeled after the French
Troupes de marine of the French Army. The 7th Sea Landing Division was reportedly involved in internal security tasks during the disturbances of 1981–82, according to contemporary NATO assessments.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_archives/20111130_19820106_RECORD-MC-052-81_RESTR_PARTIAL_ENG_PDP.PDF, title=Summary Record: 52nd Meeting of the Military Committee in 1981 (14 December 1981), last=NATO Military Committee, date=6 January 1982, website=, access-date=20 December 2017]
However, as of 2007 there are no plans by the Polish Land Forces to create an active marine unit. Therefore, the 7th Brigade carries out only limited-scale exercises of amphibious assaults.
The brigade is also the de facto successor of the 1st and 2nd Marine Rifle Regiments that were formed for the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland.
Structure
It consists of the following subunits:
* 7th Coastal Defense Brigade in
Słupsk
Słupsk (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specifically in its part known in contemporary Poland as Central Pomerania ...
** Command Battalion in Słupsk
** 1st Mechanised Battalion in
Lębork
Lębork (; ; ) is a town on the Łeba River, Łeba and Okalica rivers in the Gdańsk Pomerania region in northern Poland. It is the capital of Lębork County in Pomeranian Voivodeship. Its population is 37,000.
History Middle Ages
The region fo ...
with
BMP-1
The BMP-1 is a Soviet Union, Soviet Amphibious vehicle, amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle that has been in service from 1966 to the present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (), meaning "infantry fighting vehicle, 1st ...
infantry fighting vehicle
An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...
s
** 2nd Mechanised Battalion in Słupsk with BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
** 3rd "
Academic Legion" Mechanised Battalion in
Trzebiatów
Trzebiatów (pronounced ; ; ) is a town in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, with 10,119 inhabitants (2016). Trzebiatów is located on the Rega River in the north-western part of Poland, roughly 9 kilometers south of the Baltic Sea, Balti ...
with BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
** Artillery Group with
2S1 Gvozdika
The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (, "Dianthus caryophyllus, Carnation") is a Soviet Self-propelled artillery, self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and is in service in Russia and other countries . It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mount ...
122mm self-propelled howitzers
** Anti-aircraft Group with
Hibneryt
The Hibneryt is a Polish armored radar-directed self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system. A ZU-23-2 or ZUR-23-2S short-range air defense towed twin 23 mm autocannon fitted onto the Star 266's truck bed which has been modified and elevated to a ...
anti-aircraft systems and
Grom
The GROM Military Unit ( Polish: ''Jednostka Wojskowa GROM''), is a Polish special forces unit and forms part of the Special Troops Command of the Polish Armed Forces. It is believed to consist of around 250 operatives plus support personnel. G ...
surface-to-air missiles
** Reconnaissance Company
** Engineer Company
** Logistic Battalion
References
Army brigades of Poland
Marine corps units and formations
Military units and formations established in 2001