Tanks of the Polish Armoured Forces
This article deals with the history and development of tanks of the Polish army from their first use after World War I, into the interwar period, during World War II, the Cold War and modern era.
Overview
During and after World War I, Britain and France were the intellectual leaders in tank design, with other countries generally following and adopting their designs. After World War I, many nations needed to have tanks, but only a few had the industrial resources to design and build them. Poland designed tanks from those it acquired and the Polish armoured forces were given the single turret 7TP tank which was the best Polish tank available in numbers when the war broke out, derived from the Vickers Mark E tank. The Polish forces with the 7TP Light Tank series put up a valiant defense against the invading German Army in the opening phases of World War 2, and although the new Polish 9TP tanks were being produced, few reached the Polish forces before the German invasion overwhelmed the Polish army. Poland acquired and developed tanks and tankettes for its armoured forces and after Poland had been overrun, a
Inter War
After World War I the
They also participated in the
In 1924, 6 Renault TSF radio command tanks were bought in France. They were based upon the FT hull, fitted with a radio in a big superstructure in a place of a turret. They were not armed. Also, in 1929-1930, some of newer Renault tank designs were bought. They were 5 Renault M26/27 tanks and 1 Renault NC-27 tank. The M26/27 was a development of the FT, with the same hull and armament, fitted with a new track mechanism and with Kegresse rubber tracks. The Renault NC-27 was a further development of the FT, with a redesigned hull and new chassis, but a turret with gun or MG armament remained similar (they were proposed to the French Army under the designation NC-1; its further development led to the French D1 tank).
The
Their advantages were: mobility, good obstacle crossing and small dimensions, making them difficult to spot. It was estimated, that they fit better as cavalry reconnaissance vehicles, than newly acquired wz.28 halftrack armoured cars. As a result, the Polish authorities decided to buy a licence for manufacturing Carden-Loyd Mk.VI.However, instead of producing Carden-Loyd Mk.VI, the Polish authorities decided to work an own, improved model, only generally basing on Carden-Loyd's composition which came to be known as the light reconnaissance tank TK-3 (also known simply as the TK) and a total of 300 TK-3 tankettes were built.
At the end of the 1920s, the
Due to this failure to purchase the master model and the possible license, at the end of 1930 the WIBI Tank Design Bureau began preliminary design work on their own wheeled/tracked tank, based on the Christie M1928 and Christie M1931 models, known under the working name "A la Christie".
The work was based on available data and advertising leaflets as well as notes and sketches that Captain Ruciński obtained from Christie. In 1932 the design drawings and a list of details were ready but soon the work slowed down because the designers were put in charge of a just-bought British
At the end of 1934, because of the liquidation of WIBI and establishing of the Design and Testing Centre of the Armoured Forces reporting directly to the Armoured Forces Command, most of the "A la Christie" project documentation was destroyed under the supervision of a special commission. Only a few hand-written notes and calculations were left.
On 10 March 1935 design work on a new model called 10TP was started. Major Rudolf Gundlach headed the design team consisting of, among the others, engineers Jan Łapuszewski, Stefan Ołdakowski, Mieczysław Staszewski, Kazimierz Hejnowicz and a process engineer Jerzy Napiórkowski.
Despite the fact that in 1936 the vehicle design was not completely finished, it was included in the programme of Armoured Forces that was a part of a general projection of growth and upgrade for the Polish Army for 1936-1942. This programme was approved by the Armament and Equipment Committee (Komitet do spraw Uzbrojenia i Sprzętu, KSUS) in January 1936. The 10TP tank was specified on the list of the equipment scheduled for four tank battalions in the new motorised units. Around this time a large number of the Polish FTs were sold fictitiously to Uruguay and China, and in fact went to Republican Spain.[3]
Assembly of the first tank prototype was commenced in 1937 in the Experimental Workshop (WD) located within the area of the
Building of the tank was completed in July 1938. It took so much time because some basic assemblies that were not produced in Poland had to be acquired abroad like an engine of a sufficient output. It was not before 16 August that the 10TP tank rolled out for a first longer ride. It was driven by an experienced military specialist Sergeant Polinarek under personal supervision of the Chief of the Trial and Experiment Department in the Bureau of Technical Studies on Armored Weapons (Biuro Badań Technicznych Broni Pancernych, BBT Br. Panc.) Captain Leon Czekalski. The trials were kept secret because the activities of the
Successive trials being stopped by minor faults lasted until 30 September and then the tank was sent to the WD where design modifications were made. On 16 January 1939 the tank was tested, under supervision of its Chief Designer along a short distance trip to Łowicz and in the spring between 22 and 25 April, it went beyond Grodno, traveling along a total distance of 610 km. After this trip, when a total of nearly 2000 km were logged, the vehicle was sent again to the WD where it was nearly completely stripped down to check the wear on particular parts and assemblies, identify causes of malfunctions and to repair the damage. In May, the refurbished tank was demonstrated to generals and other top ranking military authorities.
.[6]
The designers, having analysed their experiences came to the conclusion that a tank of this type should be a purely tracked vehicle and any equipment needed for driving it on wheels was just an unnecessary weight. Getting rid of this weight allowed them to increase the armour thickness significantly while vehicle weight remained unchanged. Thus another development step of the 10TP was to be the 14TP tank. Its construction was started in the end of 1938 but it was not completed due to the war.[7][8]
Before the tank could enter
Another route the Polish army took was to purchase some of the British designed Carden-Loyd Mark VI two man tankette (Poland ordered 10 or 11 of those two man tankettes on 29 June 1929. After the fall of Poland Polish units that made it to France used those two man tankettes in 1940) From this designed evolved the TK-3 tankette (based on TK-1 and TK-2 tankettes, about 300 built) and TKS tankette (based on TK-3 tankette, about 390 built) which were the only versions built in significant numbers.
The
The 7TP was the Polish development of the British
About 132 tanks were produced between 1935 and the outbreak of the war, plus four iron prototypes. The designation 7TP meant "7 Tonne, Polish" (in fact its weight increased to 9 tonnes after the initial prototype). The 7TP was fitted with the 360-degree tank periscope which was of Polish design and was first used in the
Another tank being developed was the
The 20/25TP (dwudziestotonowy polski/dwudziestopięciotonowy polski - 20-tonne Polish/25-tonne Polish) was a Polish medium tank concept that was never built. There were three projects designed by KSUS and BBTBr.Panc. and PZInż which even managed to build a wooden model of it
In 1938 the Polish Army bought two R 35 tanks for testing and received a supply of the
The Polish forces also had a
World War II
The German invasion of Poland began on 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, while the Soviet invasion commenced on 17 September 1939 following the Molotov-Tōgō agreement which terminated the Nomonhan incident on 16 September 1939.[9] Polish to Germany forces in the September Campaign: 1,000,000 soldiers 4,300 guns, 880 tanks, 435 aircraft (Poland) to 1,800,000 soldiers, 10,000 guns, 2,800 tanks, 3,000 aircraft (Germany). A comparison of both armed forces clearly indicates the problems faced by Poland. Germany had 11 tank divisions compared to Poland's 1; four motorised divisions compared to none in Poland; and 40 infantry divisions compared to Poland's 30. An army group led by von Rundstedt attacked from the south while another army group led by von Bock attacked from the north with large mechanised forces.
Before the war, between 1936 and 1939, Poland invested heavily in the
The tank force consisted of two armored brigades, four independent tank battalions and some 30 companies of TKS tankettes attached to infantry divisions and cavalry brigades. [12] The TK-3 (TK) and TKS light turretless reconnaissance tanks, commonly called tankettes (in Polish: tankietka), were the most numerous armoured vehicles of the Polish Army at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. Their number of over 500 vehicles constituted formally a significant tank force. Unfortunately, they were not fully capable tanks, and, apart from few cannon-armed ones, could not fight against other armoured fighting vehicles.
Before the war, in 1939, the Polish Army still had 102 Renault FT light tanks, of which 70 formed the 2nd armoured battalion in Żurawica and 32 the two Armoured Trains Units (as armoured draisines). Some of these tanks were "iron" FT CWS. The combat usefulness of FT tanks in 1939 was very limited, since they were obsolete and extremely slow by the standards of the day, but they participated in the defense of Poland in September 1939; the 2nd Armoured Battalion formed three light tank companies (numbers: 111, 112, 113), equipped with Renault FT tanks.
A standard tank of the Polish Army during the invasion of 1939 was the
One of the main tank battles was at the
After the German breakthrough at Borowa Gora, the Germans and their tanks and soldiers headed for the Polish town of Piotrków Trybunalski. German tanks attacked the town, but Polish 155 mm howitzers destroyed several tanks and the Germans fell back, returning again later that day.
The Germans managed to destroy 7 Polish tanks with artillery, but just after, they lost five of their Panzer tanks. After receiving several more direct hits and losing two more large Panzer tanks, the German tank crews simply ran away. Polish 7TP tanks pursued and kept beating the rest of the tanks off. The German soldiers now met the Polish infantry and attacked, but they were repelled by the Polish tanks.
Soon, all the Germans retreated and by the end of September 6, no hostile forces were in Piotrków Trybunalski. On September 7, Marshal
The core of the Polish force consisted of most of
While most of Polish Army had been successfully mobilised prior to 1 September 1939, on that date many sub-units of Prusy Army were still being formed or transported. By 4 September 1939, when the German forces broke through the overstretched Polish defences, the Prusy army was far from battle-ready. Its Northern Group at that date consisted of
, and the 81st Motorised Sappers Battalion.Apart from units of the Prusy Army, the Polish side also included a number of smaller units from Łódź Army. In the city of Piotrków Trybunalski itself the
It is unclear how many of the new Polish 9TP tanks were actually produced, although it appears at least 11 9TP tanks were delivered and used by the Polish Army at the start of hostilities as most Polish forces had the 7TP. The 11 tanks could have been either standard 7TP or 7TP with some of the modifications included, but not all of them.[14] The tanks of this batch were incorporated in the 2nd Light Tank Company and took part in the fights during the Siege of Warsaw and served with distinction until the capitulation of the city on 27 September 1939.[14]
In September 1939, Polish Army had only 136 7TPs (24 dw, 97 jw and 11 jw produced in September 1939 along with 4 prototypes made of regular plate), which equipped two Polish light tank battalions (each with 49 tanks) and other units. During Polish Campaign, Polish 7TP Light Tank units put up a valiant defense against the invading German Army in the opening phases and the 7TP proved to be a match for any German Panzer. The Poles had placed great value on the River Vistula to act as a natural barrier to any form of military advance. The Germans crossed the river on Day 5 of the attack. By this time, the Polish air force had been defeated and this had stripped the Polish Army of any form of air cover – it also meant that the Polish tanks and army were easy targets for the Luftwaffe which was free to operate in Poland after September 2. When the Russians invaded eastern Poland on September 17, the defeat of Poland was sealed. On September 24, Warsaw was bombed by 1,150 German aircraft.
Ironically, many point to the impact of German tanks during the campaign. Yet it is known that many of the tanks used during the attack were equipped only with machine guns or small calibre guns rather than cannons as compared to later tank designs. What did the damage was the constant onslaught of all parts of the blitzkrieg, including large numbers of tanks, that never allowed the Polish Army to gather its breath and re-group. Complete air superiority gave the Germans every opportunity to attack the retreating Polish forces and destroy their tanks. The Ju 87 Stukas were a constant threat to the Polish tanks and forces, and six Polish divisions trapped by encircling German forces were forced to surrender after a relentless four-day bombardment.
On September 27, Warsaw surrendered. The Polish military put up a brave fight, but they were the first army to feel the full might of the German Blitzkrieg, the same tactic that was to push the British and French armies back to Dunkirk in 1940. In Poland, tanks versus a primarily non-mechanised army could only lead to one result.
The campaign against Poland ended on 6 October 1939 with Germany and the Soviet Union
The Polish 2nd Armored Regiment in France
After the September 1939 defeat, the Polish Army was re-created in France. The armoured units were created there as well (the 10th Armoured-Motorized Brigade of Col. S. Maczek). The first training tanks, however - 42 FTs - were given to the Poles only in March 1940. Many of them were not armed at all, some were armed with 7.5mm Mle.31 MG, only few had 37mm SA-18 guns. Only in May 1940, the first battalion of the 10th Brigade was given the new tanks Renault R-35 and sent to the front in a hurry. After that, the 2nd battalion was equipped with Renault/AMX R-40 tanks and sent to the front.
Formation of Polish Armoured Forces in Soviet Union
At the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany divided Poland in a twin invasion agreed in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. About 200,000 soldiers of the Polish army who were in the newly occupied territory were taken prisoner by the Red Army. Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Poland were re-established when Nazi Germany reneged on its pact with its erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union, and attacked it on 22 June 1941 in Operation Barbarossa. An agreement between Stalin, Churchill, Eden and the Polish government-in-exile in London led by General Sikorski was signed on 30 July 1941 whereby all Poles held by the Soviet Union were to be freed so as to form an army to help the fight against Hitler. Stalin also agreed that this military force would be subordinate to the Polish government-in-exile based in London. The Polish military leader in exile, General Sikorski, named General Władysław Anders as commander of the new army. The Polish forces reorganized in the Soviet Union in March 1942 and the name Anders' Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the period 1941–42, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders.
On 20 September 1941
- Organisation Centre of Tank Units - c.o. Capt Bronislaw Rafalski
- Tank Training Centre - c.o. Major Felsztynski (Order 150/tjn. Br.Panc.)
The core of the Tank Training Centre was to consist of the 5th and the 6th Tank Battalions. At the beginning the Centre was located in the region of Carabalty in the vicinity of Frunze. The training started on 15 Feb. 1942. In the second half of 1942, during the big German offensive in the Caucasus, Stalin agreed that the Polish formation could be used on the Middle Eastern front in Persia (Iran). Towards the end of March troops were evacuated to Iran and he "Anders Army" was transferred from Krasnovodsk across the Caspian Sea to the port of Pahlavi (today Bandar-e Anzali) and a makeshift city comprising over 2000 tents (provided by the Iranian army) was hastily erected along the shoreline of Pahlavi to accommodate them.
The Polish II Corps
After their arrival in Persia, more men were added via the overland route from Ashkhabad in Uzbekistan to the railhead at Mashhad in Persia. The "Anders Army" thus passed from Soviet control to British control. It was renamed the Polish Second Corps and joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West. They made its way through Iran to Palestine where the Jewish Poles left and joined Jewish veteran settlements there.(These Jewish soldiers was dubbed the "Anders Aliyah" and played an important role in the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.)
After the evacuation to the Middle East, Gen. Anders ordered re-organisation of the army. On 4 April 1942 he ordered formation of the 2nd Tank Brigade. Gen. Paszkiewicz (c.o. of the brigade) outlined structure of the brigade and appointed commanding officers. Initially Tank Training Centre was attached to the brigade but later became a part of the Army Training Centre under a name of Transport and Tank Training Centre commanded by Major Szostak. The units in Palestine were formed into a new Carpathian Division incorporating the former Polish Carpathian Brigade ("the rats of Tobruk") who had just been moved to Palestine after successful defense of Tobruk in Libya alongside the Australians.
Initially there was a shortage of the training equipment and even some light Italian tanks had to be transported to the Centre from the battlefields of North Africa. Training was progressing slowly due to the heat. On October 19, 1943 a full quota of Sherman tanks was received to train units of the 2nd Tank Brigade. The entire training of the tank units of the 2nd Polish Corps was conducted by the Centre, commanded by Lt.Col. Szostak. In March 1944 the Centre was stationed in St. Basilio and Metra in Italy and became part of the Reserve Armoured Troops Centre of the 2nd Polish Corps (Gen Anders order dated 15 April 1944). Some soldiers volunteered to supplement the Polish Armoured Corps in England, and were sent to Britain to fight in Europe. The 2nd Corps itself took part in the Mediterranean campaign with the British 8th Army and fought in Italy including Monte Cassino. On 6 August 1944 the Centre became known as the 7th Armoured Regiment.
The Polish 1st Armoured Division in the United Kingdom
The
This series of offensive and defensive operations came to be known as the
Following the
Tanks in the Polish People's Army
The
The LWP Polish formation fought along the Allied side in the USSR, after the
The Polish First Army participated in the
The primary tank was the T-34, both in the T-34-76 and T-34-85 versions.
Post-war
After World War II, Polish
After the war, the Polish Army was reorganized into six (later seven) military districts. These were the Warsaw Military District, headquarters (HQ) in Warsaw, the Lublin Military District, HQ in Lublin, the Kraków Military District, HQ in Kraków, the Lodz Military District, HQ in Lodz, the Poznan Military District, HQ in Poznan, the Pomeranian Military District, HQ in Torun, and the Silesian Military District, HQ in Katowice, created in autumn 1945.
Cold War
With massive quantities of weapons and tanks from World War II, the Soviet Union was able to help build the armoured forces of the satellite states within its sphere of influence quickly and the Polish Armoured Forces received some of these.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Polish Army was under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky, who was given the additional title Marshal of Poland and was also Minister of National Defense. It was increasingly tied into the Soviet structures however this process was stopped in the aftermath of the Polish October in 1956.
The LWP also took part in the suppressing of the
In the late 1980s, the
The Gliwice-based Research and Development Centre of Mechanical Systems OBRUM (Polish: Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Urządzeń Mechanicznych) was chosen as the main design bureau. However, initially the work progressed at a very slow pace, mainly because the Polish General Staff was also considering the purchase of a newer version of T-72 (T-72S) or the modern T-80.
After the political changes of 1989 and the dissolution of the
Starting from July 1991 T-72 modernization programs were implemented by the Bumarcombine which had been producing T-72s under Soviet license. The modernized main battle tank was designated PT-91 Twardy. In 1993 the Polish Defense Ministry ordered 20 PT-91 tanks to be used for field trials and Armed Forces tests.
The main battle tank's protection from high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectiles and missiles was increased by new Erawa dynamic armor developed by the Poland Military-Technical Institute which consists of 394 tiles with explosives, detonating in case of a direct hit. The Twardy used steel anti-HEAT screens instead of the rubber used on the T-72. The Erawa's main difference from the Soviet analogs is that Erawa's containers fit almost without gaps while on the Soviet modernised T-72 the gaps reach 10 – 15 mm noticeably decreasing defense effectiveness.
Experiments showed that the Erawa dynamic defense decreased the high-explosive jet impact depth by 50 - 70% and penetrator (APFSDS) projectiles by 30 - 40%. Furthermore, explosive containers do not detonate when hit by shot of up to 30 mm calibre, shell or mine fragments, or when covered in burning napalm or petrol.
The Twardy was armed with the same 125 mm
The
The modernized tank's increased weight led the developers to add a more powerful engine, a 12-cylinder S-12U diesel engine, a modernized version of the Soviet V-46-6 produced in Warsaw by PZL-Wola (850 hp instead of 780). The main improvement was the modernized fuel and air injection system. This caused a noticeable decrease in the tank's road endurance. The latest Twardy variants have the 1000 hp S-1000 engine with a turbocharger.
Leopard tanks from Germany
In November 2013 Polish Defense Ministry acquired 119 tanks from the German Army. These include 105 Leopard 2A5 tanks and 14 2A4 variants, and stated they want the Leopard to be the main tank operated by the Polish Army.[citation needed]
"The version which we are acquiring will remain operational for many years to come without the need to be modernized," a Polish Defense Ministry official said.[citation needed] Deliveries are scheduled from 2014 to 2015. The contract is worth €180 million (US $243 million), according to the Polish MoD. The procurement also covers related military equipment, including transportation vehicles, machine guns, training and radio location systems. In 2003 Poland obtained 128 of these Leopard tanks from Germany for the bargain basement price of $21.6 million along with 23 MiG-29 fighters for only $30 million. The tanks were selected by Polish tank experts from among the three hundred Leopard 2s recently placed in storage after being taken out of service by the downsized German Army. The original 128 Leopards still had at least 75 percent of their operational life remaining. That deal included 8 Buffel armored recovery vehicles, four Biber bridgelayers, four Keiler mine-clearing tanks, and ten M577 command post vehicles. The Polish military is aiming to overhaul these 128 Leopard 2A4 tanks it already operates.
Abrams tanks from United States
Poland ordered a total of 366 Abrams M1A1 tanks adapted to the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces in January 2022.[18] Poland received the first company of 14 M1A1 Abrams tanks which is one part of the deal worth $1.4 billion for 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks at the Port of Szczecin on 28 June 2023.[19] The M1A1 tanks will allow Warsaw to replace the T-72 and PT-91 tanks it sent to Ukraine for its war with Russia, and will join the Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A5 tanks acquired from Germany. The second part of the deal, is an additional 250 Abrams of the M1A2 variant, to be delivered in 2024.
K2 black Panther Tanks from South Korea
Twenty-eight K2 tanks were delivered to Poland in 2023 from South Korea in fulfilment of a order agreed to in 2022 to deliver a total of 180 K2 tanks to the Polish Armed Forces.[20] Poland then signed a $14.5 billion arms deal in March 2023 for potentially a total of 1,000 South Korean-designed K-2 Black Panther main battle tanks. The contract with the Republic of Korea provides for the production of main battle tanks in Poland which will be designated K2PL. The launch of localized production is scheduled for 2026.[21] In December 2022, 180 Hyundai K2 Black Panther tanks began arriving in Poland pulled from ROK Army units for rapid delivery, as this was important as Poland did not want a potential prolonged wait for German Leopard 2's. In the deal, Poland plans to domestically manufacture the remaining 820, which will join the US Abrams M1A1 tanks that Poland ordered and have began to arrive, to transform Poland's military as it builds up its armored forces in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[22] The Polish Army in late March 2023 held live fire exercises to train on the South Korean-built K2 Black Panther tanks.
Overview per tank used by Polish Armoured Forces
Light tanks
- Renault FTlight tank (Poland used 174 FT light tanks in different versions: char canon, char mitrailleuse, char signal, NC-1 and M 26/27)
- Renault FT CWS light tank (based on Renault FT light tank)
- 4TP light tank (Also known as PZInż.140 light tank) (only one prototype built)
- Renault Char léger Modèle 1935 R light Infantry tank (Poland used 50 of those tanks)
- Kiwerce, Poland. The unit joined the task force "Dubno"and lost all of its tanks during the marches and fighting with German and Soviet armies and Ukrainian insurgents.)
- Mark E) (Polish army used 38 of these tanks since 1932 with small improvements: 22 Type B and 16 Type A tanks)
- Vickers 6-Tonlight tank (also known as Vickers Mark E light tank))
- 7TP jw light tank (based on Vickers 6-Ton light tank (also known as Vickers Mark E light tank))
- 10TP light fast tank (Only one prototype built)
- Ludowe Wojsko Polskie) used 53 T-70s. Polish lost 12 T-70s in combat. T-70s were used mainly in 1st Polish Tank Regiment (Pierwszy Pułk Czolgów), the 3rd Training Tank Regiment (Trzeci Szkolny Pułk Czołgów) and at least one in 27th Regiment of Self-propelled Altillery (Dwudziesty siódmy Pułk Artylerii Samobieżnej). The Polish High Officers Tank School had 18 units. After World War II, Polish T-70s were used in combat against the Ukrainian UPA (Nationalist) units in years 1945-1947. A T-70 was found in the Bieszczady forest and restored. It is now in very good condition and on exhibition in High Officer Tank School at Poznań city.(Wyzsza Szkoła Wojsk Pancernych w Poznaniu).)
Medium tanks
- Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung G were captured by the Carpathian Lancers in Egyptin 1941. All three were numbered consecutively 1 to 3. All vehicles were used for training only.)
- M4A4 Sherman V medium tank (The M4 Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 1st Armoured Division, fighting from Falaise (France) to Wilhelmshaven (Germany) used M4A4 Sherman V and M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly and from December 1944 - M4A1(76)W Sherman IIA.)
- M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly medium tank (The M4 Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 1st Armoured Division, fighting from Falaise (France) to Wilhelmshaven (Germany) used M4A4 Sherman V and M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly and from December 1944 - M4A1(76)W Sherman IIA.)
- M4A1(76)W Sherman IIA medium tank (The M4 Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 1st Armoured Division, fighting from Falaise (France) to Wilhelmshaven (Germany) used M4A4 Sherman V and M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly and from December 1944 - M4A1(76)W Sherman IIA.)
- M4A2 Sherman III medium tank (The Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 2nd Warsaw Armored Brigade, fighting in Italy, used M4A2 Sherman III, later also M4 Sherman I, M4 Sherman IC Firefly, M4A1 Sherman II and M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman IVBY.)
- M4 Sherman I medium tank (The Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 2nd Warsaw Armored Brigade, fighting in Italy, used M4A2 Sherman III, later also M4 Sherman I, M4 Sherman IC Firefly, M4A1 Sherman II and M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman IVBY.)
- M4 Sherman IC Firefly medium tank (The Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 2nd Warsaw Armored Brigade, fighting in Italy, used M4A2 Sherman III, later also M4 Sherman I, M4 Sherman IC Firefly, M4A1 Sherman II and M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman IVBY.)
- M4A1 Sherman II medium tank (The Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 2nd Warsaw Armored Brigade, fighting in Italy, used M4A2 Sherman III, later also M4 Sherman I, M4 Sherman IC Firefly, M4A1 Sherman II and M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman IVBY.)
- M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman IVBY medium tank (The Sherman was the basic tank in Polish armoured units in the West 1943-1947. The 2nd Warsaw Armored Brigade, fighting in Italy, used M4A2 Sherman III, later also M4 Sherman I, M4 Sherman IC Firefly, M4A1 Sherman II and M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman IVBY.)
- M4A1 "Grizzly" (Though this tank is preserved at the Polish Army Museum. There is no evidence that the Polish army ever used this vehicle. The vehicle was obtained after the demise of the USSR.)
- Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung H was used by the Warsaw Tank Brigade of the 2nd Corpsin Italy in 1944.)
- T-34/76 Model1943 medium tanks.)
- T-34/76 Model1943 medium tanks.)
- T-34/85medium tank
- T-34.85M1medium tank (Polish refurbishing program, similar to Soviet Model 1960)
- T-34/85M2 mediumtank (Polish refurbishing program, similar to Soviet Model 1969)
Cruiser tanks
- Cromwell Cruiser tank (Used by Polish 1st Armoured Division (Polish 1 Dywizja Pancerna))
- Crusader Cruiser tank (Used by Polish 1st Armoured Division (Polish 1 Dywizja Pancerna))
Infantry tanks
- Mark I Matilda I (A11) Infantry tank (In the years between 1940 and 1942, Polish units used 18 Matilda I Mark I (A11) tanks. First by the 10th Brygada Kawalerii Pancernej (Armor Cavalry Brigade), which guarded a part of Scotland's beaches near Dundee and Montrose. After 1941, the Matildas were sent to training units for the teaching of mechanical techniques and driving. In 1942, the British received all the Matilda I Mark I (A11) tanks back from the Polish.)
- Mark IV Churchill (A22) Infantry tank (Used by Polish 1st Armoured Division (Polska 1 Dywizja Pancerna))
Heavy tanks
- IS-2 (also known IS-122) heavy tank (Poland used 71 of those tanks)
- IS-3 heavy tank (Polish Army received only two IS-3 tanks. These tanks were delivered in 1946. The first was used in Military Technic Academy at Warsaw (Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna), second Polish IS-3 was sent to Officers Armor School (Oficerska Szkola Wojsk Pancernych) at Poznańcity. (this IS-3 is still on exhibition.))
Main battle tanks
- T-54main battle tank
- T-55main battle tank
- T-55A main battle tank
- T-55 AM Meridamain battle tank (modernized T-55 main battle tank)
- T-55AD-2Mmain battle tank (modernized T-55 main battle tank, a command variant)
- T-55AMSmain battle tank (modernized T-55 main battle tank)
- T-55AD-1Mmain battle tank (modernized T-55 main battle tank)
- T-72 main battle tank
- T-72M main battle tank
- T-72M1 main battle tank
- T-72M1D main battle tank
- T-72M1M main battle tank
- PT-91 "Twardy"main battle tank (based on T-72M1 main battle tank, 233 built)
- PT-91 "Twardy"main battle tank standard)
- T-72M1R main battle tank (modernized T-72M and T-72M1 with new optics and communication, 230 ordered, up to 318 possible, as of end of 2021 over 50 delivered)
- PT-94 "Goryl"main battle tank (Project of a Polish main battle tank designed using experience gained on PT-91 project. The tank would be similar in its design to Merkava. This program was also known under the name Anders. The program was cancelled due to lack of funds.)
- PT-91A "Twardy"main battle tank (first proposition for export)
- PT-91Z "Twardy"main battle tank (demonstrator of export variant showed on military exhibitions)
- PT-91M "Twardy" main battle tank (production export variant for Malaysia, 48 built)
- PT-91E "Twardy"main battle tank (demonstrator of export variant showed on MSPO 2006 military exhibitions, Poland)
- transportationcosts, additional 14 received in 2015-2016)
- Leopard 2A5 main battle tank (Poland received 105 Leopard 2A5 main battle tanks in 2015-2016 from German Army reserve stocks)
- Leopard 2PL main battle tank (modernized Leopard 2A4 main battle tank, all 142 are being modernized, as of end of 2021 around 25 delivered)
- M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams main battle tank (250 ordered in April 2022, to be delivered 2025-2026)
- K2PL Black Panther 1,000 ordered, the first 180 (new production) to be made in S. Korea, the balance to be made Poland, first 10 delivered to Poland Oct. 2022, the balance of the 180 to be delivered 2023. This 180 was to go to the S. Korean army but they relinquished their order to Poland, subsequent new production K-2's will go to the S. Korean Army.
See also
- History of the tank
- Tanks in World War I
- List of interwar armoured fighting vehicles
- Tanks in World War II
- Comparison of early World War II tanks
- Tank classification
- List of military vehicles
Bibliography
- A. Suchcitz, M. Wroński: Barwa Pułku 7 Pancernego- zarys monograficzny. Wydawnictwo Instytutu Tarnogórskiego. Tarnowskie Góry 2002.
- Lalak Zbigniew: Broń pancerna w PSZ 1939-1945. Pegaz-Bis: O.K. Media. Warsaw 2004. ISBN 83-922002-0-9
- Marian Żebrowski - "Zarys historii polskiej broni pancernej 1918-1947". Zarząd Zrzeszenia Kół Oddz. Broni Pancernej. Londyn 1971.
References
- ^ W. F. Reddaway. The Cambridge History of Poland, Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. 1971. p. 477
- ^ Orest subtelny. (200). Ukraine: a History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pg. 370
- ^ 3. R. Szubański, "Polska broń pancerna 1939"; Warsaw 1989
- ISBN 1-897884-29-X.
- ^ Magnuski, Janusz, Armor in Profile 1/Pancerne profile 1, Warsaw: Pelta (1997) trans. by Witold Kałużyński
- ^ 7TP vol.II,Janusz Magnuski, Militaria 317,Warszawa 2009.
- ^ Janusz Magnuski: "Czołg 10TP"; "Nowa Technika Wojskowa" nr. 6/96
- ^ (in Polish) Lekki czołg 10 TP
- ^ Goldman p. 163, 164
- ^ Seidner,
- ^ Seidner,Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the defence of Poland, pages 270–94
- ^ Seidner,Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the defence of Poland, pages 122–123
- ^ 7TP vol.II,Janusz Magnus#1, Militaria 317,Warszawa 2009.
- ^ ISBN 83-206-0847-3.
- ^ The battle: history Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Memorial of Coudehard - Montormel
- ^ The battle: August 19th, 1944: the closing of the pocket Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Memorial of Coudehard - Montormel
- ^ Jerzy Lukowski, Hubert Zawadzki: A Concise History of Poland, 2006. Google Books (17 July 2006). Retrieved on 23 June 2011.
- ^ "Poland – M1A2 SEPv3 Main Battle Tank". www.dsca.mil. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Poland Gets First Batch of US-Made Abrams Tanks". The Defense Post. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Poland to buy jets, tanks and howitzers from South Korea, says minister". Reuters. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Poland signs joint venture with South Korea to produce locally K2 tanks". www.armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "New consortium to enable production and servicing of K2 tanks in Poland". tvpworld.com (in Polish). Retrieved 7 November 2023.