List of Polish armoured fighting vehicles

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This is a list of armoured fighting vehicles used by Polish forces.

Contents

[edit] Armoured cars

  • Peugeot 1918 armoured car (Poland bought 20 Peugeot 1918 armoured cars from France in 1920)
  • Ford FT-B Armoured car (Ford Model T with added armour and a turret with one machine gun, 17 build)
  • Austin-Putilov armoured car (Poland captured during the Russian Civil War and Polish-Soviet War more than 20 Austin-Putilov armoured cars in different variants. Some were subsequently employed by the Polish. Five remained in service after the war, some until the 1930s.)
  • wz. 28 armoured car
  • Samochód pancerny wz. 34 (based on wz. 28 armoured car, around 80 build)
  • wz. 29 "Ursus" armoured car (11 build)
  • AB-41 armoured car (Used for training by the Carpathian Lancers in Egypt from June 1942.)
  • Kubuś (made by Warsaw uprisers. Kubuś, translated as "Jackie", a nick name of "Jacob", is currently preserved in the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw. It was built upon a Chevrolet truck chassis, and used during the first days of the Warsaw uprising in August of 1944. It was designed to carry an assault squad and had no fixed weapons. Firing ports for installed for 2 LMGs and rifles or SMGs. It was used during the attack on Warsaw University.)
  • BA-20 (Polish units received 4 BA-20 armored cars (also in railroad version - BA-20ZD), which were joined to 31. and 59.Division of Armoured Trains of 1.Polish Army(1.WP) Polish BA-20 were used since 1944 to January 1945. Polish divisions with BA-20 fought mainly near Warsaw. After January 1945 they were probably given back to the Soviets. Most probably had standard Soviet painting (dark geen/olive drab) with Polish insignias (white eagle).)
  • BA-20ZD (Polish units received 4 BA-20 armored cars (also in railroad version - BA-20ZD), which were joined to 31. and 59.Division of Armoured Trains of 1.Polish Army(1.WP) Polish BA-20 were used since 1944 to January 1945. Polish divisions with BA-20 fought mainly near Warsaw. After January 1945 they were probably given back to the Soviets. Most probably had standard Soviet painting (dark geen/olive drab) with Polish insignias (white eagle).)
  • BA-64
  • BRDM-2
  • Dzik-AT (AT for antyterrorystyczny - anti-terrorist) (with 3 doors, room for up to 8 people and 10 firing ports. It succeeded BTR-60 in Polish police)
  • Dzik-2 armoured car (with 5 doors, room for up to 8 people, 8 firing ports and a rotating machine gun turret in the roof)
  • Dzik Cargo (with 2 doors, 2 firing ports, room for up to 3 people and a cargo hold)
  • KTO Rosomak (Kołowy Transporter Opancerzony Rosomak - Wheeled Armoured Carrier Wolverine) (Finish Patria AMV (Advanced Modular Vehicle) in Polish service. Poland uses 313 of those in an AFV version with the Italian Oto Melara 30 mm turret and 377 AMVs in various other configurations to be delivered between 2004 and 2013. All of them have the ability to swim. Some of the Polish vehicles are currently employed in Afghanistan.)

[edit] Armoured personnel carriers

  • Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251/1 Ausführung D (Two, possibly more SdKfz-251/1 ausf. D were captured and used during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. One was named "Szary Wilk" (in English - Grey Wolf. Originally named "Jas" - in English - "Johnny"), and was modified by adding an armored roof made by adding two armor plates opening to the sides. When closed, they made a kind of a sloped "house roof" above the crew compartment. Between them and hull sides were rifle ports. At least one other SdKfz-251/1 ausf. D was captured and named "Starowka" which is the name of the oldest district of Warsaw.)
  • Sonderkraftfahrzeug 250/10 leichte Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK) (It was captured and later used in 13th Polish Artillery Regiment of 1st Polish Army, March-May 1945, Poland. This vehicle was painted in standard ex-German colors: dark sand (dunkelgelb RAL 8002, FS 33275-33434). German cross was over painted by most probably green paint.)
  • BTR-60PU Armoured personnel carrier (Polish army used few BTR-60PU)
  • BTR-60 Armoured personnel carrier (unknown variant details) (ZOMO and later polish police used those Armoured personnel carriers)
  • TOPAS (Poland used about 200 of those until half of 1980s when they've been taken out service.)
  • OT-62 SKOT-2A Armoured personnel carrier (also known by the Czechoslovak designation OT-64) (Polish-Czechoslovak Armoured personnel carrier, armed with 1 14,5 mm KPWT high caliber machine gun, 1 7,62 mm PKT machine gun)
  • OT-62 SKOT-2AP Armoured personnel carrier (also known by the Czechoslovak designation OT-64) (Polish-Czechoslovak Armoured personnel carrier, armed with 1 14,5 mm KPWT high caliber machine gun, 1 7,62 mm PKT machine gun)

[edit] Infantry fighting vehicles

  • BMP-2 (Poland used 60 of those but sold them to other countries)
  • BWP-1 (Polish BMP-1 (Bojowy Wóz Piechoty - Combat Infantry Vehicle))
  • BWR-1S (Polish BRM-1 (Bojowy Wóz Rozpoznawczy - Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle))
  • BWR-1K (Polish BRM-1K (Bojowy Wóz Rozpoznawczy - Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle))
  • KTO Rosomak (Kołowy Transporter Opancerzony Rosomak - Wheeled Armoured Carrier Wolverine) (Finish Patria AMV (Advanced Modular Vehicle) in Polish service. Poland uses 690 of those in APC and AFV versions with the ability to swim.)

[edit] Tankettes

[edit] Tanks

[edit] Light tanks

[edit] Medium tanks

[edit] Cruiser tanks

[edit] Infantry tanks

[edit] 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 send to Officers Armor School (Oficerska Szkola Wojsk Pancernych) at Poznań city. (this IS-3 is still on exhibition.))

[edit] Main battle tanks

[edit] Tank destroyers

  • Jagdpanzer 38(t) (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 138/2) "Hetzer" (one captured by Warsaw uprisers and was nicknamed "Chwat".).
  • Mark I Valentine SP 17pdr Archer tank destroyer (Used by 7th anti-tank artillery regiment of 2nd Polish Corp in Itally, 1944)
  • SU-76 (SU-76 was one of the main tank destroyers of Polish units in Soviet army and later of the LWP (Ludowe Wojsko Polskie - People's Army of Poland) which was army of the PRL (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa - People's Republic of Poland))
  • SU-100 (Polish Army received during two SU-100s during World War II from the Soviets. More were delivered after the war. The Poles used these self propelled guns into the late 50s. Some of them were rebuilt into engineering vehicles . One SU-100 is on exhibition in NATO Officer Armor School at Poznan in Poland.)
  • SU-57 (also known as T48) (One of the least known American tank destroyers. Armed with a 57 mm main gun, this halftrack was not produced in series for the USA (hence it's "T" designation). GMC did produce the vehicle for the British. By the time it entered service, the main gun was found wanting. Instead, the 650 vehicles were shipped to the USSR, who at the time wanted anything they could get. A small number found their way into the Polish People's Army in 1945. One of them is currently at the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.)
  • SU-85 (Polish received SU-85 number 324 built in Factory no.402221 Swierdlovsk and used in the 13th Polish Artillery Regiment. This vehicle was used during battles in Czechoslovakia in 1945. This SU85's wartime kill record was: 2 tanks, 14 cannons, 16 mortars and 114 trucks - impressive!)
  • 2P27 tank destroyer

[edit] Self-propelled guns

  • ISU-122 (Polish Army received 22 ISU-122 self-propelled guns from the Soviets during the Summer of 1944. Polish ISU-122 took part in the battles in Czechoslovakia and the Berlin Operation. Polish lost 16 units in combat. You may still see 4 ISU-122 in Poland today. They are located at the Museum of the Polish Army at Warsaw, The Military Museum at Kołobrzeg, The Military Museum at Poznań, and at The Officers NATO Armor School at Poznań.)
  • ISU-152 (The Poles received 10 ISU-152s from the USSR (more were received after the war). The first were delivered in November 1944. It was ISU no.40532 joined to 3rd Training Tank Regiment (Szkolny Pulk Czolgow). Polish ISU-152s were used in combat during the battles on Wal Pomorski (Baltic harbor), near Szczecin city, (old North Prussia), and in the Berlin Operation. During the Berlin Operation, the 13th Polish Artillery Regiment equipped with SU-85 and ISU-152 fought near Klietz city and went deep into German territory. Polish ISU-152 were scrapped in early 60s. Some of these ISU were rebuilt to engineering vehicles. Today there are 2 surviving ISU-152s in Poland (at the Officers Tank School at Poznan and in the Military Museum at Kolobrzeg) and at least one in Russia (Dukla city).)
  • SU-152 (Polish Army received three Soviet SU-152s. Two were given to the Officers Tank School and one to the 3rd Training Tank Regiment. All three Polish SUs were used as trainers in years 1945-`49. One SU-152 is on exhibition on cemetery of Soviet soldiers at Cybinka in Poland.)
  • 2S7 Pion (Poland used those from 1985 to 2006)
  • ShKH DANA wz. 1977 (Poland uses those since 1983)
  • 2S1 "Goździk" (Poland uses 533 of those)

[edit] Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons

[edit] Amphibious vehicles

[edit] See also