Look! The NATO reinforcements have arrived! The 1st Assault Battalion (1 Batalion Szturmowy) of the Polish People’s Army, dressed and equipped in NATO gear. c.1965, Dziwnów, Poland. [1024×768]

The 1st Assault Battalion was founded with the intention of locating NATO nuclear launch silos in Europe and neutralizing them. They were trained in airborne and amphibious landings, as well as in operations behind enemy lines. They were issued NATO uniforms (or crude copies), weapons, and equipment, even acquiring an authentic M113 APC! The members were taught English, German, and other Western European languages; they also read American books about their special forces. Further down its existence, their mission as special forces became generalized, and in 1995, they were reorganized as the 1st Special Commando Regiment, and in 2011, finally became the JW Komandosów