Ursus wz.29

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Samochód Pancerny wzór 29
General characteristics
Crew 4 (driver, backward driver, commander/gunner, rear gunner)
Length with MG: 5.49
without MG: 5.15 m
Width 1.85 m
Height 2.48 m
Weight 4.8 t
Armour and armament
Armour 4-10 mm
Main armament 37 mm SA-18 Puteaux L/21 gun
Secondary armament 2 x 7.92 mm wz. 25 Hotchkiss machine guns
Mobility
Power plant Ursus-2A 4 cylinder gasoline
35 hp (26 kW)
Suspension wheels, 4 x 2
Road speed 35 km/h
Power/weight 7.3 hp/tonne
Range 380 km

Samochód Pancerny wzór 29 (armoured car 1929 pattern), commonly known as Ursus or CWS, was the Polish interwar heavy armored car. A handful of these vehicles saw combat during the Polish-German War of 1939.

[edit] History and description

The car was designed in 1929 by Rudolf Gundlach. The vehicle was based on the chassis of the Ursus A 2-ton truck (Italian S.P.A. 25C modified by Ursus Mechanical Works in Warsaw), the armored body was built by CWS, Warsaw. The initial armament consisted of the French 37 mm low velocity gun in the turret front, 7.92 mm machine guns in the turret left-rear and right-rear at 120 degrees to the gun (all operated by the commander), and another 7.92 mm MG in the hull rear (operated by the rear gunner). Although this arrangement helped to achieve good balance of the turret, it was awkward to use. In the mid-30s the right turret MG was removed. The car carried 96 rounds for the main gun and 4032 MG rounds in 16 252-round belts.

The vehicle was sufficiently armed and armored for late 1920s, but was underpowered, lacked all-wheel drive (which led to poor off-road mobility) and had high silhouette. Because of these shortcomings, only between 10 and 13 cars were built.

[edit] Combat history

Although obsolete by 1939, the car was stiil in service at the outbreak of the Second World War. 8 vehicles were assigned to the 11th armoured battalion of the Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade, Army Modlin, as a reconnaissance unit. The vehicles acted well in combat, but by 16 September all of them were lost.

[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
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