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President takes delivery of Independence Day tank

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 09.11.2012 13:58
President Bronislaw Komorowski has received a vintage Renault FT-17 tank, which will lead his march through Warsaw in celebration of Polish Independence Day on Sunday.

photo
photo - jacek turczyk

The Renault FT-17 – which was in production from 1917, with its, then, revolutionary design complete with revolving turret - will be part of events to mark Poland regaining its status as an independence state after the collapse of Russian, Prussian and and Austral-Hungarian empires following the end of the First World War.

“This veteran fought for the Polish state and its borders – look, you can see the bullet wholes,” President Komorowski said as he received the tank from Land Forces Lieutenant General Zbigniew Głowienka in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.

Major Tomasz Ogrodniczuk of the Polish army Museum said the tank had fought in the 1920 war with the Soviet Union but had eventually fallen into the hands of the Red Army.

The Russians later passed it on to Afghanistan communists.

President Hamid Karzaj later presented back to Poland, where it now housed at the Polish Army Museum.

President Komorowski's march will be one of numerous demonstrations to mark Independence Day, which, last year, saw fighting breaking out between nationalist and anti-fascist protesters. (pg)

source: PAP

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