The armoured train Śmiały (polish for 'Bold'), also called armoured train number 53 was a Polish armoured train used by the Polish army during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. The train is famous for having served under four flags - Austrian, Polish, Soviet and German and its participation in several wars in the period from 1914 to 1945.
In 1918 the Poles captured an Austrian armoured train. The train was renamed Śmiały and entered service in 1918. Then it was sent to Lwów to fight against the Ukrainians in the Polish-Ukrainian war. In the period up to the second World War the train was stationed in the 2.Dywizjon Pociągów Pancernych (2nd Battalion of Armoured Trains) located in Niepołomice near Kraków.[1] As all other Polish armoured trains of the period it was modernised by receiving improved wagons and a Ti3 type armoured locomotive.
In September 1939 the train was assigned to the Łódź Army. After participating in a couple of battles in the opening days of the War the train was withdrawn to Warsaw then to Brześć and finally to Lwów where it was captured by the invading Soviet Army. The train then served in the Soviet Army till it was captured by the Germans in 1941.
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