On 23 February 2010, the Commander of the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) Lieutenant General Rainer Korff paid a visit to the 610th Signal Battalion which is stationed in Prenzlau, Germany and, in this way, finalized inspecting battalions of the Command Support Brigade.
In Wałcz
The MNC NE Commander and the Chief of the Garrison Headquarters Support Division Colonel Norbert Hanisch went to Wałcz on 11 February 2010, where they met the CSB Commander Colonel Jarosław Mika and commanders of all four battalions of the CSB – the Commander of the Polish 100th Signal Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Marian Matoszka, the Commander of the Polish 104th Support Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Łukaszczyk, the Commander of the Polish 102nd Force Protection Battalion Major Sławomir Gembarski and the Commander of the 610th Signal Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Peter-Klaus Bomhard. General Korff was introduced to the history and tasks of the three Polish battalions as well as their equipment. He was also invited to see their Room of Tradition where mementos of the past times are kept. Afterwards, the MNC NE Commander participated in the presentation of the battalions’ equipment, including elements of the new satellite communication system, trucks, wheeled reconnaissance armoured vehicles etc. An important part of the visit was also a meeting with the Mayor of Wałcz Mr Zdzisław Tuderek, proving excellent relations and cooperation between the Command Support Brigade and the city authorities.
In Prenzlau
The main idea of the Commander’s visit to Prenzlau was to get familiarized with the capabilities of the 610th Signal Battalion even though he had some professional relations to the battalion in the past, e.g. during the River Elbe Flood Mission in 2002. 'It is important for the Commander to know what kind of support in command and control issues the Command Support Brigade is able to provide. Without knowing that, it is not possible to command the Corps in theatre', General Korff stressed.
General Rainer Korff, together with the Chief of the Garrison Headquarters Support Division Colonel Norbert Hanisch, arrived in Prenzlau in the early morning on 23 February. They were warmly welcomed by the Deputy Commander of the 13th Armoured Division Brigadier General Klaus von Heimendahl and the Commander of the 610th Signal Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Peter-Klaus Bomhardt. As a matter of fact, the 610th Signal Battalion is directly subordinated to the Deputy Commander of the 13th Armoured Division (German chain of command).
Impressions
During a briefing delivered by the Commander of the 610th Signal Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Bomhardt, General Korff learned about the structure of the battalion, its specific tasks as well as the equipment. The Commander of the Command Support Brigade Colonel Jarosław Mika also participated in that meeting. After common lunch, two companies presented their capabilities to General Korff. The acting Commander of the 2nd Company and Commander of the 3rd Company mainly talked about their tasks and signal equipment. Afterwards, a static display was organised in order to show the capabilities of the 610 Signal Battalion in practice, including the presentation of the Command Control and Information System Szafran. 'Now, with these good impressions and a deep overview, I have a good picture of what the Command Support Brigade is able to perform,' said General Korff. 'It is very good to see the high quality of training and exercise level: the whole Command Support Brigade is able to fulfill their mission in accordance with the Corps' concept'. The MNC NE Commander was fully satisfied with the visit also because of one more reason: 'it was also very good to be with the troops again', he admitted.
Interestingly enough is to stress that the Command Support Brigade is just preparing for an annual signal exercise code-named Compact Yellow, which is just about to start next week in the Baltic Barracks in Szczecin.
