2nd Armoured Brigade (Poland)

2nd (Warsaw) Armoured Brigade (Polish: 2 Warszawska Brygada Pancerna) was a unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West that existed from 1942 to 1945. From 1945 to 1947 it was redesignated as the 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division. (Polish: 2 Warszawska Brygada Pancerna) The unit was the armoured wing of the 2nd (Polish) Corps.

Headquarters

General officer commanding: Brig. General Gustaw Paszkiewicz then Brig. General Bronisław Rakowski.

Following the upgrade to Division, Rakowski became GOC 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division. Colonel Ziemowit Grabowski became CO 2 Armoured Brigade.

1945 Upgrade to Division

In 1945 the Brigade was upgraded to Division strength and it stood as follows:

Emblem of the Polish 2nd Warszawski Armoured Division

Polish 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division. CO: Brig.Gen. Bronisław Rakowski
- Carpathian Uhlan/Lancer Regiment (Divisional Recce)
- 2nd Warsaw Armoured Brigade
  - 4th 'Scorpion' Armoured Regiment
  - 1st Krechowiecki Uhlan Regiment
  - 6th 'Children of Lwów' Armoured Regiment
  - 2nd Motorised Independent Polish Commando Company
- 16th Pomorska Infantry Brigade
  - 64th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
  - 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
  - 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
    - 16th Pomorski Support Company
- Other Divisional Units
  - HQ Division Artillery
  - 7th Horse Artillery Regiment
  - 16th Pomorski Light Artillery Regiment
  - 2nd Anti-tank Regiment
  - 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
  - 2nd Warszawski Signals Battalion
  - 2nd Warszawski Engineer Battalion
    - 9th Forward Tank Replacement Squadron
    - 9th Supply Company
    - 19th Supply Company
    - 28th Supply Company
    - 9th Workshop Company
    - 16th Workshop Company
    - 2nd Armoured Division Military Police (Provost) Company
      - 9th Field Court
      - 343 Anti-malaria Section

Tank names and markings

Tanks in the 2nd Armoured Brigade (and later Division) were all named, the names being painted in the squadron colours. The turret also had a diamond, triangle, square or circle painted to show squadron number.

Stencilled versions of the regimental badges featured on the tank turrets; either separately or inside the squadron signs: a scorpion for the 4th Regiment, a lion for the 6th Regiment and two palm trees and a crescent moon for the Carpathian Lancers. The exception to this were the Krechowiecki Lancers who used a horse head symbol.
Some of the name were replicated and the version was indicated by a Roman numeral so, for example, there was a Rekord I, Rekord II and a Rekord III.
A Sherman Tank of the 1st Squadron, Krechowiecki Lancers Regiment

2nd Armoured Brigade HQ Platoon
Tank names: Quizil-Ribat Hill-69 Quassasin Rossario MTE-Cassino Taza-Khurmatli

4th “Scorpion” Armoured Regiment
HQ Squadron
Il-Vicinato Monte-Cassino Gustaw Gdynia Gdansk Grochow Gardziel Gryf Gron Grodna

Breast badge of the 4th ‘Skorpion’ Armoured Regiment

1st Squadron
Mass Albaneta Tobruk Taifun Turnia Trzyniec Tempo Tygrys Taran Tur Terror Tempo Ter Topor Tuchola Tyran Tranto Tapir Taras Tarzan Tomahawk Torun Turon Tczew Toniek Taranto Tyran

2nd Squadron
Poganin Pirat Powab Pawian Piesc Pigmej Pazur Piorun Przeboj Pantera Perkun Parada Perla Pomsta Puma Piesc Paluszek Paluch Pajac Pudel Plomien Paf Puchacz Puhar Poleszuk Perkun Pat Plomien Portos Paz Pegaz Potwor Pif Pogon Phantom Ridge Potor

3rd Squadron
Szatan Sztorm Sirocco Sultan Szach Stryj Sanok Styr Smyk Sum Sajdak Salamandra Slon Smok Saracen Sarmata Satyr Sroka Sintria Sep Solec San

1st Krechowiecki Lancers Regiment
HQ Squadron

Krechowiak Koziatyn Komarow Krokodyl Korosten Krylow

Badge of the 1st Krechowiecki Lancers

1st Squadron
Burza Bizon Brawura Brat Buzenko Bestja Bystry Bohun Brytan Bekas Blyskawica Bobr Bajka Buzdygan Basn Bawol Boa Bolko Boruta Bromka Brutal Busola Babinicz Ballada Baska Bat Beduin Birkut Biruta Bohdanka Bozenka Brzask Biruta Bor

2nd Squadron
Rozmach Rycerz Raider Rowne Renifer Rejtan Radom Rozbojnik Rys Rak Ryba Rekin Rey Rekord Raszyn Rebacz Rozeta Romek Raid Reymont Rumak

3rd Squadron
Zwyciezca Zboj Zadzior Zadlo Zemsta Znicz Zadymka Zawisza Zagloba Zyrafa Zamiec Zamosc Zbyk Zyw Zagonczyk Zerwikaptur Zryw Zubr Zuch Zwierz Zbik