Escape from Kalisz Report

General Summary

In the pre-dawn hours of July 18, 2000, 2nd platoon bravo company of the 3-143 Infantry escape the encirclement of the US 5th Infantry Division at Kalisz.   They barely escape the ruins of Kalisz before Private Seabrook spots a Soviet roadblock set up in the woods south of the city. From the markings on their BTR-70, the survivors identify them as members of the 200th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of the 12th Guards Tank Division. Not wanting to engage in a pitched battle in both radio and easy reinforcement range, they carefully backed off and picked a different path through the woods to the south.   A few kilometers south, still looking for a way across the Prosna River to their west, the platoon spotted a patrol from the 12th Guards Tank Division. Although this unit was much smaller and lacked any vehicle or light armor support, Private Seabrook spotted a radioman near the middle of the patrol and the survivors chose to again expend precious fuel to give the patrol a wide berth.   By late morning, 2nd platoon was carefully traversing the woods 25km south of Kalisz. Spotting another Soviet foot patrol and noting a distinct lack of radios, they set up a hasty ambush, hoping to gain some intelligence and some supplies. Starszy kapral Kozioł initiated the ambush with her RPK, dropping the RPG gunner with a burst. The rest of the platoon quickly suppressed the Soviets and Private Novak convinced them if they surrendered, they wouldn't be killed. While Sergeant Lopez and Private Seabrook collected weapons and rations, Captain Reed treated the wounded RPG gunner. Private Novak determined that these were members of the 329th Motor Rifle Regiment, a component of the 124th Motor Rifle Division.   Around lunchtime, the group reached the Złoczew-Kępno road, hiding behind a low rise as a convoy from the 277th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 21st Motor Rifle Division rolled by, headed towards Kępno. The convoy consisted of a BTR-70 and 2 GAZ-66's. One of the trucks was full of soldiers while the 2nd was loaded with crates.   With the sun now occasionally peaking out from the clouds and a fine drizzle starting, the platoon found the bridge over the Prosna still standing and undefended. They rolled across, hopefully beginning what will be a long, dangerous trip west and back to friendly lines.   Shortly after lunch and some 10km southeast of Kępno, Private Lopez spotted a Soviet patrol escorting a long string of prisoners north. The prisoners were mostly teenage and military age men with a handful of 20-30-something women mixed in. All were in civilian clothing and all had their hands bound and were roped together. Three of the ten Soviet troops had obvious bandages and wounds. Pulling back a bit, the team set up a classic L-shaped ambush with Sabina anchoring the center of the position on the SAW mounted in the Humvee.   The ambush savaged the Soviet squad, wounding 7 of the 10 men before the prisoners dogpiled the remaining 3 and beat them unconscious. Captain Reed began stabilizing and treating the wounded while Private Novak talked to the civilians and Kozioł, Seabrook, and Lopez secured the Soviet prisoners. The 50-something Konstantyn Woźniak spoke for the rescuees and said they were residents of Kuźnica Słupska, a small farming village about 2km away. He said that the Soviet patrol came to their village, those 3 men already injured, claiming that the villagers had either ambushed them or was harboring the partisans who had ambushed them nearby. Outgunned and unwilling to risk the rest of the villagers, they allowed the Soviets to round up everyone they thought capable of carrying a gun.   After chatting with the villagers, Novak interrogated the Soviet officer leading the patrol. He identified himself as Starshiy Leytenant Boleslav Antonov, platoon commander in the 277th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 21st Motor Rifle Division, stationed in Kępno. They were ambushed north of the village while on patrol and believed the villagers responsible, so they rounded up the likely culprits as prisoners and were marching them back to Kępno when 2nd platoon ambushed them. While treating the wounded, Captain Reed determined that the wounds suffered by the Soviets in their earlier ambush were from NATO 5.56mm, meaning it was probably other 5th Division survivors that hit them, not Polish civilians.   Prisoners secured, Konstantyn offered 2nd platoon a place to hide out while distilling more fuel, but the 10 Soviet prisoners represent a problem. If freed, they will certainly report both what happened and the Americans' presence to their battalion back in Kępno. Deciding to put that problem off for now, the survivors and the civilians marched their prisoners back to Kuźnica Słupska.

Rewards Granted

From the foot patrol of the 329th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 124th Motor Rifle Division

• 9 AKM's
• 15 AKM reloads
• 1 RPG-16launcher
• 1 RPG-16 rocket
• 2 bayonets
• 9 rations of domestic food, likely to spoil by July 24, 2000
• 9 rations of water

• 10 AK-74's
• 10 AK-74 reloads
• 9 steel helmets
• 10 rations of domestic food, likely to spoil by July 20, 2000
• 10 rations of water

• 3 bolt-action rifles
• 95 rounds of .30-06
• 2 lever-action rifles
• 48 rounds of .30-30
• 5 pump-action shotguns
• 90 shells of 12 gauge 00 buckshot