7TP
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Single-turret 7TP |
|
| 7TP | |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) |
| Length | 4.6 m |
| Width | 2.4 m |
| Height | 2.27 m |
| Weight | 9.9 tonnes |
| Armour and armament | |
| Armour | 17 mm |
| Main armament | 1×37 mm Bofors wz. 37 |
| Secondary armament | 1×7.92 mm Ckm wz.30 |
| Mobility | |
| Power plant | Diesel Saurer VGLD 110 hp (80 kW) |
| Suspension | leaf-spring bogie |
| Road speed | 37 km/h |
| Power/weight | 11 hp/tonne |
| Range | 150 km |
The 7TP was the Polish light tank of the Second World War. A distant relative of British Vickers 6-ton, it was significantly better than the contemporary German designs, notably the Panzer I and Panzer II. A standard tank of the Polish Army during the Polish Defensive War of 1939, its production never exceeded 140 pieces. Its chassis was used as the base for C7P artillery tractor.
[edit] History
The 7TP was the Polish development of the British Vickers 6-ton (Mk.E) tank licence. The main new features of 7TP were: better, more reliable and powerful diesel engine, very good 37 mm anti-tank gun and a bit thicker armour (in front, 17 mm instead of 13 mm), together with many minor modifications and additions (like Gundlach tank periscope (pictured), different air conditioning system and a radio). Only about 132 tanks were produced between 1935 and the outbreak of the war (+4 iron prototypes). The designation 7TP meant: 7-Ton, Polish (in fact its weight increased after the initial prototype was made and the actual serial tanks weighted approximately 9 tonnes).
Like its British predecessor, the 7TP was initially produced in two variants: twin turret version armed with 2 Ckm wz.30 machine guns, and a single turret version, armed with 37 mm Bofors wz. 37 gun. After initial tests it became clear that the twin-turret variant was by large obsolete and lacked firepower so it was abandoned in favour of the more modern single turret design.
Until the outbreak of World War II most of twin turret tanks were converted to single turret version standards and only 24 of that type remained in the Polish service (as opposed to roughly 108 of the other type). It is to be noted that twin and single turret variants had no specific designations. In some modern books they are designated with abbreviations: "7TP dw." and "7TP jw." (Polish abbreviation for jednowieżowy and dwuwieżowy). However, these were not the official names of the variants and are used for simplicity's sake only.
All 7TP tanks took part in combat in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. Most of them were attached to two light tank battalions (the 1st and the 2nd) fighting as a part of the Polish motorized brigades. The remaining tanks, that is the ones used for training as well as tanks that were finished after the outbreak of the war, were used in an improvised tank unit fighting in the defence of Warsaw. Although technically supperior to any of the German light tanks of the era, the 7TP was too scarce to change the outcome of the war.
The 1st Light Tank Battalion (49 single turret tanks) fought in the ranks of the Prusy Army as part of the strategic reserve force of the Polish Army. It entered combat on September 4, 1939 and fought with distinction in a variety of roles, mostly as a mobile reserve and for covering the withdrawal. It fought in a number of battles, most notably in the battles of Przedbórz, Sulejów, Inowłódz, Odrzywół and Drzewica. On September 8 it managed to stop the German advance on the centre of the Polish forces, but the following day it got separated from the main force and had to be withdrawn to the rear. Part of the battalion was destroyed in the Battle of Głowaczów, while the remainder on September 13 managed to break through to the other side of the Vistula, where it joined the Lublin Army and Col. Stefan Rowecki's Warsaw Armoured-Motorised Brigade. As part of that unit, the battalion took part in the Battle of Józefów and formed part of the spearhead of the Polish units trying to break through to Lwów and the Romanian Bridgehead. After the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski, on September 21, 1939, the remaining tanks were destroyed by their crews and the unit surrendered to the Germans.
The 2nd Light Tank Battalion (49 single turret tanks) was attached to the Piotrków Operational Group of the Łódź Army. It entered combat on September 4 near the river of Prudka, Belchatow. The following day it was ordered to lead the Polish counter-assault on Piotrków, but the attack failed and the unit suffered heavy losses. The battalion was then rallied and withdrawn to Warsaw and then to Brześć, where it shielded the mobilization of the Polish 60th Infantry Division. On September 15 it took part in a two-days long Battle of Włodawa, but suffered heavy losses due to air bombardment and was withdrawn southwards. The remaining tanks had to be destroyed by the crews due to lack of oil and on September 17, after the Soviet Union joined Germany in her war against Poland, the crews and the staff of the unit crossed the border with Romania.
The remaining tanks found in Warsaw were formed into 1st and 2nd Company of Light Tanks by the Command of the Defence of Warsaw. The 1st company had 11 twin-turreted tanks, previously used for training. In the opening stages of the Siege of Warsaw the unit took part in heavy fights for the Warsaw's suburb of Okęcie and the major airport located there. Due to lack of anti-tank armament, the tanks of the 1st company suffered losses and were withdrawn to the rear on September 12, where the unit was joined with the 2nd company.
The 2nd company had 11 single-turret tanks, as well as an unknown number of other armoured vehicles. It took part in successful defence of the borough of Wola against German infantry and armoured units. It was also used for tactical counter attacks, among others for the village of Wawrzyszew, where the company managed to disrupt enemy preparations for the assault. On September 15 the company was ordered to form a spearhead of the Polish attack aimed at linking up with the forces of the Poznań Army withdrawing after the Battle of Bzura through the Kampinos forest north of Warsaw. The attack ended up as a minor success, although the German aerial bombardment caused heavy losses both in personnel and in tanks. The remaining 7TP tanks were used on various sectors of the front until the end of the defence of Warsaw on September 27, when they were destroyed by their crews.
The combat experience proved that the Bofors wz. 37 anti-tank gun used in 7TP was able to penetrate the armour of any of the German tanks of the time, including the modern Panzer IV. On the other hand, the tank was armoured too lightly, especially against aerial bombardment. Altogether, it is estimated that 20 tanks were captured by the Germans almost intact while one was captured by the Soviets. Additional 20 were successfully withdrawn to Romania and Hungary, while almost 40 had to be abandoned due to engine problems and lack of fuel. No complete 7TP tanks have survived to this day, although it is planned to build a copy of the tank for the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw.
[edit] See also
- Gundlach tank periscope
- T-26, a similar Soviet tank
- Comparison of early World War II tanks
[edit] External links
| Polish armoured fighting vehicles of World War II | ||
| Tanks | Armoured cars | |
|---|---|---|
| 7TP | FT-17 | R 35 | TK-3 | TKS | Vickers E | wz.28 | wz. 34 | wz. 29 | |
| Artillery tractors | Cars and Lorries | |
| C2P | C4P | C7P | PZInż 302 | PF 508 | PF 518 | PF 508/518 | Ursus A | PF 621 | PF 618 | wz. 34 | |
| Armoured trains | ||
| Poznańczyk | Śmierć | Danuta | Śmiały | Gen. Sosnkowski | Paderewski | Pierwszy Marszałek | Piłsudczyk | Groźny | Bartosz Głowacki | Smok Kaszubski | Zagończyk | Stefan Czarniecki | ||
| Prototypes and experimental designs | ||
| 10TP | 4TP | PZInż 130 | PZInż 152 | PZInż 202 | PZInż 222 | PZInż 303 | PZInż 342 | PZInż. 703 | PZInż. 713 | PZInż. 723 | PZInż. 603 | TKD | TKS-D | ||
