Armored vehicles of Poland in the Second World War. Polish tanks in World of Tanks (I-VI tier). Poland - condition and tactics of armored forces
"You can beg for everything! Money, fame, power, but not the Motherland ... Especially one like my Russia"
By the beginning of the events 72 years ago, "pan Poland" had a rather small supply of armored vehicles. On September 1, 1939 in Polish armored forces ah (Bron Pancerna) there were 219 tankettes TK-3, 13 TKF, 169 TKS, 120 tanks 7TP, 45 R-35, 34 Vickers Mk.E, 45 FT-17, 8 armored vehicles wz.29 and 80 wz.34. 32 FT-17 tanks were part of the staff of armored trains and were used as armored tires. During the hostilities, most of the equipment was lost, some went as trophies to the Wehrmacht and a small part to the Red Army.
Tankette TK-3
Developed on the basis of the British Carden-Loyd Mk VI tankette (one of the most successful in its class, exported to 16 countries, produced under license in Poland, the USSR, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Japan). Adopted by the Polish Army on July 14, 1931. Mass production carried out state enterprise PZInz (Panstwowe Zaklady Inzynierii) from 1931 to 1936 was the first completely Polish armored tracked vehicle. About 600 units were made.
TTX. Layout with a front location of the transmission compartment and with the engine in the middle. The suspension is blocked on a semi-elliptical spring. Riveted armored hull closed on top. Armor 6-8 mm. Combat weight 2.43 tons. Crew of 2 people (the commander used the machine gun). Overall dimensions: 2580x1780x1320 mm. Ford A engine, 4-cylinder, carbureted, in-line, liquid-cooled; power 40 hp Armament: 1 Hotchkiss wz.25 7.92 mm machine gun (or "Browning"). Ammunition 1800 rounds. Highway speed 45 km/h. Cruising on the highway 150 km.
TKS version - new armored hull (increased armor in vertical projection, reduced roof and bottom armor), improved suspension, observation devices and weapon installation (machine gun is placed in a ball mount). Combat weight increased to 2.57. With an engine power of 42 hp. (6-cylinder Polski Fiat) speed dropped to 40 km/h. Ammunition for 7.92 mm machine guns: wz .25 - 2000 rounds, wz .30 - 2400 rounds.
TKF variant - Polski Fiat 122V engine, 6-cylinder, carbureted, in-line, liquid-cooled: power 46 hp Weight - 2.65 tons.
Gun versions. TKD - 47 mm wz.25 "Pocisk" cannon behind a shield in front of the hull. Ammunition 55 artillery rounds. Combat weight 3 tons. Four units converted from TK-3. TKS z nkm 20А - 20-mm automatic gun FK-A wz.38 of Polish design. Initial speed 870 m/s, rate of fire 320 rds/min. ammunition 250 rounds. Rearmed 24 units.
On the basis of wedges in Poland produced light artillery tractor S2R.
Wedges were the main type of Polish armor. TK-3 (released 301 units) and TKS (manufactured 282 units) were in service with armored divisions of cavalry brigades and individual companies reconnaissance tanks subordinated to the army headquarters. Tankettes TKF were part of the squadron of reconnaissance tanks of the 10th cavalry brigade. Each of the listed units had 13 wedges (company).
Tank destroyers armed with 20-mm cannons were in the 71st (4 units) and 81st (3 units) divisions, the 11th (4 units) and 101st (4 units) companies of reconnaissance tanks , a squadron of reconnaissance tanks of the 10th cavalry brigade (4 units) and in a squadron of reconnaissance tanks of the Warsaw Motorized Armored Brigade (4 units). It was these machines that were the most combat-ready, since tankettes armed with machine guns turned out to be powerless against German tanks.
Tankette TKS with 20 mm cannon
The 20-mm guns of the Polish tankettes FR "A" wz.38 pierced armor up to 25 mm thick with a 135-gram projectile at a distance of 200 m. The effect was enhanced by their rate of fire - 750 rounds per minute.
The 71st Armored Division, which was part of the Greater Poland Cavalry Brigade, operated most successfully. On September 14, 1939, supporting the attack of the 7th Regiment of Mounted Riflemen on Brochov, the tankettes of the division destroyed 3 German tanks with their 20-mm guns. If the re-equipment of tankettes had been completed in full (250 - 300 units), then the losses of the Germans from their fire could have been much greater.
Captured in the first days of the war, a German tank officer appreciated the speed and agility of the Polish tankette, stating: "... it is very difficult to hit such a small cockroach from a cannon." Polish tanker Roman Edmund Orlik in September 1939 on a TKS tankette with a 20-mm gun, together with his crew, knocked out 13 German tanks (among which, presumably, one PzKpfw IV Ausf B).
In 1938, six TKS tankettes were purchased by Estonia. In 1940 they became the property of the Red Army. On June 22, 1941 in the 202nd motorized and 23rd tank divisions The 12th mechanized corps had two tankettes of this type. During the withdrawal of troops on alert, they were all left in the parks.
Polish armored forces occupy the Czechoslovak village of Yorgov during the operation to annex the Czechoslovak lands of Spis.
Tank 7TR
"Semiton Polish" - the only serial Polish tank of the 1930s. Developed on the basis English lung Vickers Mk.E tank (created by Vickers-Armstrong in 1930. rejected by the British army, widely exported - Greece, Bolivia, Siam, China, Finland, Bulgaria, one tank for demonstration was sent to the USA, Japan, Italy , Romania and Estonia; served as the basis for the production of the Soviet T-26 tank, the Polish 7TR and the Italian M11 / 39, which many times exceeded the production of the base vehicle).
From the UK in 1932, 22 Vickers Mk.E mod.A twin-turreted vehicles were delivered.
TTX:
Combat weight, t: 7
Crew, people: 3
Armor, mm: 5 - 13
Armament: two 7.92 mm machine guns mod 25
Ammunition: 6600 rounds
Highway speed, km/h: 35
Power reserve on the highway, km: 160
And in 1933, 16 Vickers Mk.E mod.V single-turret vehicles
TTX:
Combat weight, t: 8
Crew, people: 3
Armor, mm: 13
Armament: 47 mm gun "Vickers-Armstrong" model E (or 37 mm "Puteaux" М1918)
one 7.92 mm machine gun "Browning" model 30 (or model 25)
Ammunition: 49 shots, 5940 rounds
Engine: carbureted, "Armstrong-Sidley Puma", power 91.5 hp
Highway speed, km/h: 32
Power reserve on the highway, km: 160
7TP arr. 1935
Double-turreted machine-gun tank (aka 7TPdw). Layout with front transmission and rear engine compartments. Frame type body. Bolt fastening of armor plates. Suspension blocked on leaf springs. Armament consisted of either two 7.92 mm Browning wz.30 machine guns, or one 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun and one 7.92 mm machine gun. The world's first production tank with a diesel engine. Produced at the National Machine Building Plant (Panstwowe Zaklady Inzynierii) in Ursus near Warsaw. 40 cars were produced.
performance characteristics
Combat weight, t: 9.4
Crew, people: 3
Overall dimensions, mm:
length 4750
width 2400
height 2181
clearance 380
Armor, mm:
hull forehead 17
hull side 17
towers 13
Ammunition: 6000 rounds
The design and shape of the hull, except for the engine compartment, converted for the installation of a diesel engine, suspension and tracks are identical to those of English tank Vickers Mk E. The towers were somewhat different from the English ones, had a different hatch design and ventilation system.
The appearance of characteristic ledges on the roofs of the towers was due to the upper attachment of stores to Browning wz.30 machine guns.
7TR arr. 1937
A single-turret variant of the 1935 model tank (aka 7TPjw). It was equipped with a conical turret designed by the Swedish company Bofors. The barrel of the coaxial machine gun was closed with an armor casing. There are no means of communication.
TTX:
Combat weight, t: 9.4
Crew, people: 3
Armor, mm:
hull forehead 17
hull side 17
towers 15
Armament: 37 mm gun
7.92 mm machine gun
Ammunition: 70 rounds
2950 rounds
Engine: diesel, "Saurer" VBLD, power 110 hp
Highway speed, km/h: 35
Range on the highway, km: 200
7TR mod 1938
The tower received a rectangular aft niche designed to install the N2C radio station. It was also distinguished by the presence of a TPU and a gyrocompass. In total, about 100 vehicles were produced with single-turret 7TP tanks.
TTX:
Combat weight, t: 9.9
Crew, people: 3
Overall dimensions, mm:
length 4750
width 2400
height 2273
clearance 380
Armor, mm:
hull forehead 17
hull side 17
towers 15
Armament: 37 mm gun mod. 37g.
one 7.92 mm machine gun
Ammunition: 80 rounds
3960 rounds
Engine: diesel, "Saurer" VBLDb
power 110 hp
Highway speed, km/h: 32
Range on the highway, km: 150
Overcoming obstacles
elevation angle, deg. - 35;
moat width, m - 1.8;
wall height, m - 0.7;
fording depth, m -1.
On the basis of the 7TR tank, since 1935, the C7R artillery tractor was mass-produced.
On the eve of World War II, the 1st and 2nd battalions of light tanks (49 vehicles each) were armed with 7TR tanks. Shortly after the start of the war, September 4, 1939 in training center tank troops in Modlin, the 1st tank company of the Warsaw Defense Command was formed. It consisted of 11 combat vehicles. The same number of tanks were in the 2nd company of light tanks of the Warsaw Defense Command, formed a little later.
Tanks 7TR were better armed than the German Pz.I and Pz.II, had better maneuverability and almost did not concede to them in armor protection. Accepted Active participation in combat operations, in particular, in the counterattack of the Polish troops near Piotrkow Trybunalski, where on September 5, 1939, one 7TR from the 2nd battalion of light tanks knocked out five German tanks Pz.I. Fought the longest combat vehicles 2nd tank company, defending Warsaw. They participated in street fighting until 26 September.
Polish 7TP tanks enter the Czech city of Tesin. October 1938.
A former Polish 7TP tank captured by the Germans in France, found by American forces in 1944.
The formation of Polish tank forces began immediately after the end of the First World War and the granting of independence to Poland from Russian Empire. This process took place with strong financial and material support from France. March 22, 1919 French 505th tank regiment was transformed into the 1st Polish Tank Regiment. In June, the first echelon with tanks arrived in Lodz. The regiment had 120 Renault FT17 combat vehicles (72 cannon and 48 machine guns), which in 1920 took part in the battles against the Red Army near Bobruisk, in northwestern Poland, in Ukraine and near Warsaw. Losses amounted to 19 tanks, seven of which became trophies of the Red Army.
After the war, Poland received a large number of FT17 to make up for losses, and until the mid-1930s, these combat vehicles were the most massive in the Polish army: on June 1, 1936, there were 174 units.
Work on the alteration and improvement of imported samples was carried out in the Military Engineering research institute(Wojskowy Instytut Badan Inzynierii), later renamed the Research Bureau armored vehicles(Biuro Badan Technicznych Broni Pancernych). Several original prototypes of combat vehicles were also created here: the PZInz.130 amphibious tank, light tank 4TR, wheeled-tracked tank 10TR and others.
performance characteristics
Combat weight, t. 6.7
Length, mm. 4100, 4960 with tail
Width, mm 1740
Height, mm. 2140
Engine type in-line, 4-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor
Power, hp 39
Max speed, km/h 7.8
Power reserve, km 35
Armor thickness, mm 6-16
Crew 2 people
Armament: 37 mm Hotchkiss SA18 cannon and 8 mm Hotchkiss machine gun mod.1914
By the beginning of World War II, the German Pz.Kpfw.I, although they had already lost the role of the main tank to the much more combat-ready Pz.Kpfw.II, were still used by the Wehrmacht in significant quantities. As of August 15, 1939, 1445 Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A and Ausf.B were in service with Germany, which accounted for 46.4% of all Panzerwaffe armored vehicles. Therefore, even the hopelessly outdated by that time FT-17, which nevertheless had cannon armament, had an advantage over it in battle and were quite suitable, in conditions of competent use, for use as a tank destroyer. The armor penetration of the SA1918 gun was 12 mm at a distance of 500 m, which made it possible to hit the vulnerabilities of German tanks from ambushes.
The Renault of the Polish army accepted their last battle without any hope of success. So, on September 15, Renault blocked the gates of the citadel of the Brest Fortress, trying to stop the assault on Guderian's tanks.
A Polish Renault FT-17 tank stuck in the mud near Brest-Litovsk
The 21st tank battalion was armed with French Renault R-35 tanks (three companies of 16 tanks each). The Renault light tank of the 1935 model formed the basis of the armored forces of the French army (1070 units were delivered by September 1939). It was developed in 1934-35 as a new infantry escort tank to replace the obsolete FT-17.
The R-35 had a layout with the engine compartment located in the aft part, the transmission in the frontal part, and the combined control and combat compartment in the middle part, offset to the port side. The crew of the tank consisted of two people - a driver and a commander, who simultaneously performed the functions of a tower shooter.
performance characteristics
Combat weight, t 10.6
Case length, mm 4200
Hull width, mm 1850
Height, mm 2376
Clearance, mm 320
Type of armor cast steel homogeneous
Armor, mm 10-25-40
Armament: 37 mm SA18 L/21 semi-automatic cannon and 7.5 mm Reibel machine gun
Gun ammunition 116 shells
Engine type in-line
4-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor
Engine power, l. with. 82
Highway speed, km/h 20
Range on the highway, km 140
Specific ground pressure, kg/cm² 0.92
Overcoming obstacles
rise, deg. 20,
wall, m 0.5,
ditch, m 1.6,
ford m 0.6
On the night of September 18, the Polish President and the High Command with a battalion armed French tanks Renault R-35 (according to other sources, there were also 3 or 4 Hotchkiss H-39 tanks purchased for testing in 1938), left Poland, moving to Romania, where they were interned. 34 Polish tanks were included in the armed forces Romania.
The R-35 did not have a significant impact on the course of the Polish campaign of 1939. In the German army, the R-35 received the index PzKpfw 35R (f) or Panzerkampfwagen 731 (f). By German standards, the R 35 was considered unsuitable for arming front-line units, primarily because of its low speed and the weak armament of most tanks, therefore it was used mainly for counter-guerrilla operations and security tasks. The R-35, used by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS in Yugoslavia, received comparatively high praise from the soldiers who used it, due to its small size, which made it possible to use it on narrow roads in mountainous terrain.
Wz.29 - Armored car model 1929
The first armored car completely Polish development, wz.29 was created by designer R. Gundlakh. In 1926 mechanical plant"Ursus" near Warsaw acquired a license for the production of 2.5-ton trucks from the Italian company SPA. Production in Poland began in 1929. It was also decided to use them as a base for armored vehicles. The project was completed in 1929. In total, about 20 armored vehicles mod. 1929 or "Ursus" ("Bear").
They had a mass of 4.8 tons, a crew of 4-5 people. Armament - 37 mm SA-18 "Puteaux" gun with a shoulder rest and two 7.92 mm wz. 25 or three 7.92 mm machine guns mod. 1925. Ammunition 96 shells in boxes of 24 shots.
One machine gun was located on the left side of the turret (if you look at the armored car from the front), at an angle of 120 degrees to the gun. The commander could not use a cannon and a machine gun at the same time. The second machine gun was located in the aft armor plate, to the right of the rear driver's seat, and a rear gunner was needed to fire from it. At the beginning of the service, a third, anti-aircraft, machine gun was also installed on the armored cars in the upper right part of the tower, but it was ineffective and in the mid-30s all anti-aircraft machine guns were dismantled. Machine gun ammunition - 4032 rounds (in 16 tapes of 252 rounds each). Machine guns had telescopic sights.
Reservation - steel plates on rivets from chromium-nickel steel. The shape of the hull with fairly rational angles of inclination of the armor plates. The thickness of the armor varied between 4-10 mm: the forehead of the hull - 7-9 mm, the stern - 6-9 mm, the sides and engine cover - 9 mm, the roof and bottom - 4 mm (vertical plates were thicker), an octagonal tower with all sides - 10 mm. The armor protected against armor-piercing bullets at a distance of over 300 m and from conventional bullets and shrapnel at any distance.
Engine "Ursus" power - 35 liters. s, speed - 35 km / h, cruising range - 250 km.
Two "Ursus" had radio horns instead of weapons, for which they were nicknamed "armored bands"
The armored car turned out to be heavy and had poor cross-country ability, because it had only one pair of driving wheels (drive only on the rear axle). They were used mainly in educational purposes. On mobilization, they became part of the 14th armored division of the Mazovian Cavalry Brigade. Seven vehicles made up the squadron of armored vehicles of the 11th tank battalion, the eighth was the vehicle of the battalion commander, Major Stefan Mayevsky. The commander of the armored car squadron is Lieutenant Miroslav Yarosinsky, the platoon commanders are Lieutenant M. Nakhorsky and weapons officer S. Vodzhezak.
They were actively used in the September battles, during which all were lost or destroyed by the crews.
On the evening of September 1, 1939, the 2nd platoon of armored vehicles stopped an attempt to penetrate the territory of Poland by the German reconnaissance unit of the 12th infantry division and destroyed all 3 German lungs armored car. 2 Polish Ursus vehicles were damaged.
On September 3, one vehicle was lost in a battle with a reconnaissance unit of the Kempf Panzergruppe. On this day, all armored cars of the squadron covered the 11th Lancers from the attacks of the third battalion of the SS Regiment "Deutschland".
On September 4, the 1st Platoon covered the 7th Lancers in an attack on the village of Zhuki. Polish vehicles destroyed 2 German tank PzKpfw I, who tried to surround the positions of the lancers. Lieutenant Nakhorsky destroyed a staff car with an artillery spotter and captured German maps.
On September 7, Ursus armored cars, supporting the attack of the 7th Lancers, destroyed 2 German armored vehicles, losing one of their own.
On the thirteenth of September, the battalion was transferred to the location of the cavalry brigade. Meanwhile, the battalion was given 2 wz.34 armored vehicles from the 61st tank battalion. Near small town Seroczyn (southeast of Warsaw) The 1st armored car platoon, following in the vanguard of the battalion, collided with the outposts of the Steiner group. The German unit included a motorcycle company, a platoon of armored vehicles, anti-tank and infantry guns. In a short battle, 2 enemy armored vehicles were destroyed, but one Ursus was lost (hit by an anti-tank gun), and the Polish unit retreated.
Soon the main enemy forces pulled up and entered the city, the Poles retreated across the Swider River. Major Mayevsky formed battle group from his 11th battalion, soldiers from the broken Polish units scattered nearby, an artillery battery found in the forest without horses, and the 62nd reconnaissance tank company that approached. Then the Poles tried to attack the enemy on the other side of the river with these forces, but failed. Armored cars tried to force the river through the bridge, but the first car that entered the bridge was hit by fire anti-tank gun, and wedges on the right flank got stuck in a swampy meadow. The main forces of the Steiner group, supported by tanks and artillery, forced the weakened Polish unit to retreat. The total losses of the Poles in this battle are 2 armored vehicles wz.29, 1-2 wz.34 and several wedges. The Germans suffered small losses, but their advance on Vistula was suspended for some time. Thanks to this, the cavalry group of General Anders was able to get out of the encirclement. In the evening, the 11th battalion put out of action the reconnaissance unit of the 1st infantry division (which lost the commander's armored vehicle in the battle).
The weakened battalion was attached to the units of the Lublin army in Lublin (the best Polish armored units, the Warsaw Motorized Brigade, were concentrated here). The last armored vehicles were destroyed on September 16 near the town of Zwierzyniec, because. they could not drive over uneven sandy forest roads, to retreat southeast of Lublin (they plunged into the sand along the very axis). In addition, the tanks needed the rest of the fuel for the last battle, which took place on September 18th.
Several wz.29 vehicles could be repaired by the Germans and used in occupied Poland. Not a single wz.29 armored car survived after the war.
Armored car model 1934
Obtained by converting a low-speed armored car of the 1928 model on a Citroen-Kegress B-10 type chassis from a half-track to a wheeled one. One armored car was converted and tested in March 1934 for tests, which were more or less successful, and in September 11 armored vehicles mod. 1934. During alterations and further modernization, the components of the Polish Fiat car were used.
On machines arr. 34-I tracked chassis was replaced by a wheel with a bridge of the car "Polish Fiat 614", the engine "Polish Fiat 108" was installed. On an armored car mod. 34-II, a new engine "Polish Fiat 108-III" was delivered, as well as a rear axle of a new reinforced design, hydraulic brakes, etc.
Armored vehicles arr. 1934 were armed with either a 37 mm cannon (approximately a third) or a 7.92 mm machine gun mod. 1925. The combat weight is 2.2 tons and 2.1 tons, respectively. For BA arr. 34-II - 2.2 tons. Crew - 2 people. Reservation - 6 mm horizontal and inclined and 8 mm - vertical sheets.
BA arr. 34-II had a 25 hp engine. s, developed a speed of 50 km/h (for sample 34-1 - 55 km/h). The range is 180 and 200 km, respectively. The armored car could overcome the rise of 18 °.
Organizationally, armored cars were part of armored car squadrons (7 armored cars in a squadron), which were an integral part of reconnaissance armored divisions of cavalry brigades.
By the beginning of World War II, wz.34 armored vehicles were equipped with 10 armored squadrons, which were part of the 21st, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 51st, 61st, 62nd, 71st, 81st and 91st armored cavalry battalions brigades of the Polish Army. As a result of intensive operation in peacetime, the outdated equipment of the squadrons was badly worn out. These vehicles did not take a significant part in the hostilities and were used for reconnaissance.
By the end of the Polish campaign, all copies were either destroyed or captured by the Wehrmacht. To date, not a single copy of the Wz.34 has survived. On the picture - modern replica based on GAZ-69.
Among people with little interest in history, there is an opinion that the Polish campaign of 1939 was a cakewalk for the Germans. Meanwhile, with a more detailed study of those events, it becomes clear that the Polish troops, despite the clear superiority of the Wehrmacht in manpower, equipment and tactics, managed to provide decent resistance to the enemy. This applies to almost all branches of the armed forces, including the armored forces of the Polish army. For comparison, we note that the French campaign of 1940 lasted only a little longer than the Polish one, although the military potential of the allies was much greater than that of the Polish army. This only does honor to the Polish soldiers, who, in the conditions of the absolute superiority of the enemy, held back the German war machine for more than a month.
It is known that the losses of the German tank forces in Poland amounted to almost a third of the total number of armored vehicles, in a month of fighting Germany lost about a thousand tanks, although a large number of equipment was restored during the hostilities and after them. Thus, the irretrievable losses of the Germans amounted to only about 200 combat vehicles. However, the very fact that the Polish troops were able to disable such a quantity of German equipment tells us about the vigorous resistance of the Polish army to the invaders. What were the Polish tank forces at the start of the war with Germany? By September 1, 1939, the Polish army had about 800 tanks, tankettes and armored vehicles. Most of equipment was outdated and had practically no combat value. Almost all tanks required repairs to varying degrees and Maintenance. The enemy, on the other hand, threw almost 3,000 tanks against Poland, which ensured him a decisive numerical superiority and victory.
In addition to the above equipment, the Polish army had about a hundred more armored vehicles. The enemy had an impressive qualitative and quantitative superiority over Poland in tanks. Many frankly outdated combat vehicles, such as the French Renault FT, were almost useless against German technology. Almost all TKS and TK-3 tankettes were armed only with machine guns, with the exception of only 24 vehicles that were equipped with 20-mm guns. The Polish units armed with 7TR, R-35 and Vikkers E tanks were less combat-ready, but there were very few of these tanks in the Polish army. They made up only a quarter of the Polish tank fleet.
All of the above clearly makes it clear in what conditions the Polish tank forces found themselves during the German invasion. Nevertheless, the Polish tankers managed to put up decent resistance to the enemy. The Polish army also had its own heroes, such as the commander of the TKS tankette platoon, Sergeant Edmund Orlik, who knocked out 10 German tanks during the battles for Warsaw. Many may argue that the German tank forces of 1939 were also far from ideal, because half of the German tank fleet was light tanks "PzI", which carried only machine guns. However, the Germans had a huge advantage in numbers. And besides the PzI, they had more advanced tanks.
All this suggests that the Polish soldiers, despite the impressive superiority of the Germans, resisted with dignity and courage, inflicting considerable losses on the enemy, as can be seen by looking at the German reports of disabled manpower, armored vehicles and aircraft. In the event that the Anglo-French allies provided the promised assistance to Poland, and did not stare indifferently at how the Wehrmacht tank wedges were tearing apart the Polish army, then the resistance of the Polish army would have put Germany before the depressing prospect of a war on two fronts. The Poles did everything they could in battles with a clearly superior enemy, and the biggest strategic mistake of the British and French eventually ended in German occupation for Europe.
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Everyone who is interested in the history of Polish tank building knows that several types of wedges and one lung type tank - . However, Polish designers in the 1930s were developing armored vehicles for various purposes. Infantry support tank (9TR), wheeled-tracked tank (10TR), cruiser tank (14TR), amphibious tank (). But, in addition to this, in the second half of the 1930s, the Polish Armaments Directorate decided to create first medium and then heavy tanks for the army. These unrealized programs will be discussed. When writing about Polish medium / heavy tanks, they often use the indices 20TP, 25TP, 40TP and others. Let's make a reservation right away that these indices are designed by researchers according to the 7TP (7-Tonowy Polski) type, but in reality the projects did not have such an alphanumeric designation.
Program "Czołg średni" (1937 - 1942).
In the mid-1930s, the command of the Polish army came to the conclusion that it was necessary to develop a Polish medium tank for the Army, which could solve not only the tasks of escorting infantry (for which the 7TP tanks and tankettes were intended), but also as a breakthrough tank, as well as to destroy fortified places.
The program was adopted in 1937 under the simple name "Czołg średni" (" medium tank"). The Weapons Committee (KSUST) determined the initial parameters of the terms of reference, inviting the designers to focus on the project of the English medium tank A6 (Vickers 16 t.), Also mentioning that such a tank is in service with the “probable enemy” - the USSR (T-28). An additional incentive for the development of their own medium tank for the Polish military leadership was intelligence information about the start of production in Germany of Nb.Fz tanks. Accordingly, the Polish "Czołg średni" had to at least correspond to the A6 and T-28 (these tanks were considered equivalent by the Poles) in terms of technical parameters, not to be inferior in strength to Nb.Fz., but ideally to surpass them. Specialists Artillery Directorate The Polsky troops proposed to use the 75-mm gun of the 1897 model as the main armament. The mass of the projected tank was initially limited to 16-20 tons, but later the limit was increased to 25 tons.
Comparison of the size of the medium tank of the KSUST project with the "probable opponents" T-28 and Nb.Fz.
The program itself was designed for 5 years - until 1942, when, according to the plan of the Polish command, the army was to receive a sufficient number of serial medium tanks.
The development of the tank was entrusted to leading Polish engineering firms under the overall direction of the Armaments Committee.
The first projects were ready by 1938 - these were the developments of the designers who worked in the committee itself (KSUST 1 option) and the option. offered by Biuro Badan Tehnicznych Broni Panzernych (BBT. Br. Panc.).
According to the tactical and technical data (see the table below), they were very close, with the exception that the specialists of BBT. Br. panc. proposed, in addition to the option with a 75-mm gun, to create a tank with a long-barreled 40-mm semi-automatic gun based on anti-aircraft gun Bofors. This equipment was well suited for combating armored objects - since starting speed shells of anti-aircraft guns was very high. In both projects, there were 2 small machine gun turrets capable of firing at the course of the tank.
By the end of 1938, Dzial Silnikowy PZlzn presented its project. (DS PZlzn.). This project differs significantly from others in that the engineers at DS PZlzn. (leading engineer Eduard Khabich) decided not to follow exactly the instructions of the armaments committee regarding tactical and technical data, but created an original concept of a medium tank based on their own developments. The fact is that this company developed “high-speed tanks” for the Polish Army on a Christie-type suspension. In 1937, an experimental tank 10TP was created, close in its characteristics to Soviet tanks BT-5, and in 1938 the development of a cruising tank with enhanced armor and armament 14TR began. Based on the developments for the 14TP project, the “сzołgu średniego” variant was created and presented to the weapons committee.
Compared to the 14TP project, the “medium tank” had a somewhat lengthened hull, significantly increased armor (50 mm frontal armor for the first version and 60 mm for the latter), and a powerful 550 hp engine was supposed to be installed. or a pair of engines of 300 hp, which was supposed to provide the tank with a speed of up to 45 km / h. As for armament, instead of the 47 mm anti-tank gun originally planned for installation (as on the 14TR), it was decided to use a 75 mm gun based on the anti-aircraft Wz. 1922/1924 with a barrel length of 40 calibers, which also had a small recoil, which made it possible to place it in a compact turret. Such a weapon had very high armor penetration and was suitable both for fighting tanks and for destroying long-term fortifications. An expanded turret was designed for this gun, and the designers abandoned the small turrets, replacing them with machine guns coaxial and coaxial with the gun.
In fact, if this project had been implemented with the declared characteristics before 1940, then Poland would have received perhaps the most powerful medium tank in the world, close in armor to modern heavy tanks. It can be recalled that in the USSR in 1939, tests began on the A-32 tank, which had slightly less armor and a significantly weaker 76-mm gun, and german army in 1939/40 it had a Pz.IV medium tank with 15–30 mm armor and a short-barreled 75 mm gun.
75-mm guns, supposed to be installed in a medium tank (both the difference in the length of the barrel and the amount of recoil is clearly visible)
At the beginning of 1939, BBT. Br. panc. presented a new project of her tank in two versions. Having retained the general layout, the engineers changed the purpose of the tank - it became a high-speed specialized tank for combating armored targets. There was a refusal to use a 75-mm infantry gun, instead it was proposed to use a 40-mm semi-automatic or 47-mm anti-tank. Having proposed a variant with a 500-horsepower petrol engine (or a pair of 300-horsepower ones), the developers expected their tank to reach a speed of 40 km / h on the highway. At the same time, the armor (frontal part of the hull) was also increased to 50 mm. A new smaller turret for the 40 mm gun and a different version of the undercarriage were also developed. The mass of the projected tank has increased to the maximum allowed by the second edition of the requirements of the Armaments Committee of 25 tons.
However, although the projects of DS PZlzn. and BBT. Br. panc. were not rejected by the weapons committee (DS PZlzn. at the beginning of 1939, funds were even allocated for the creation of a wooden full-size layout), more attention was paid to the revised project of the committee's specialists (KSUST 2 option).
Based on an analysis of the proposals of BBT companies. Br. panc. and DS PZlzn., engineers who worked in the weapons committee, presented a new project at the end of 1938. Having retained the basic layout (including the three-turret scheme), as well as the 75-mm gun mod. 1897 as the main armament, they redesigned the engine compartment and the aft hull following the example of the BBT project. Br. panc. and instead of a 320-horsepower diesel engine, they decided to use a pair of 300-horsepower gasoline engines, as suggested by DS PZlzn., which made it possible to achieve the same speed parameters as that of a competitor. It was also decided to bring the project in terms of booking to 50 mm (hull forehead). All this was supposed to fit into a weight of 23 tons (the DS PZlzn project had 25 tons), but later the design weight was increased to 25 tons.
The Polish military expected to start testing prototype tank in 1940, but the war did not allow these plans to be realized. By the beginning of the war, the work of the company DS PZIzn., which manufactured wooden layout tank. According to some reports, this layout was destroyed, as well as the unfinished experimental tank 14TR, when the Germans approached.
Not so long ago, information surfaced about the second tank of the Polish tree. Recall that the first tank in Poland was the tier 2 tank "TKS 20.A", which the developers showed more than a year ago. Now the Tier 4 premium tank CzołgśredniB.B.T.Br.Panc has appeared in all its glory. Having two Polish tanks in our arsenal and the developers' answer that the Polish branch might appear in our game, we decided to make our own tree based on our own instincts and information from the forums.
Level I - TKW
According to its entire historical concept, this is a tankette, but in many sources it is still positioned as a light tank. Nothing inconspicuous car will fit into the game just in time. The armament consists of a 7.92 mm machine gun, about booking on such low levels to talk to no avail, but still the numbers are numbers, from 4 to 10 mm. The maximum speed is impressive, 46 km / h with a specific power of 17-18 hp / t. The crew of this unit consisted of 2 people, because, of course, with a width of 1.8 and a height of 1.3 m, three would be a bit crowded in the car.
II level - 4TR
Experienced light tank of the Polish army, developed before the Second World War. Should have been armed with a 20 mm automatic gun wz.38 FKA . The hull armor reaches 17 mm in the forehead and 13 mm along the sides. The tower also had a circular armor of 13 mm. The car reached 55 km / h on a flat road and almost the same speed over rough terrain.
III level - 7TR
7TR is a continuation of the work on the creation of tanks of the TR series, and is a kind of twin of the Soviet T-26. According to information from the Internet, they tried to arm it with six different guns of 40, 47 and 55 mm caliber, but in the end they installed a 37 mm gun Bofors . The towers were also moved like gloves, since a new tower had to be made for each gun.
It is possible that in the game, if, of course, it appears, then this unit will have many variations of weapons and installation of towers. The armor is quite small and reaches a maximum of 17 mm. 110 hp engine Saurer will accelerate our Pole to a miserable 32 km / h.
IV level - 10TR
At first glance, it may seem that the tank is similar to the Soviet BT-7, but we assure you, it is not. The vehicle is a practically new and individual development of a light, high-speed tank with Christie's suspension. The maximum speed, as stated in many sources, is 50 km / h. Armed with the same 37mm gun Bofors , which is also on the predecessor, 7TP. For the 4th level, such a gun will be rather weak. Our armor plates are wildly thin, 20 mm in all projections will be very good at catching enemy land mines.
Level V - 14TR
Based on archival data about this tank, it can be argued that a good firefly will come out of it. 50 km / h on the highway - an excellent indicator for this unit. 14TP in its concept is the same 10TP, but from historical sources it is said that the Germans found data stating that the 10TP tank was planned to be upgraded by increasing the wheelbase to 5 load-bearing wheels and strengthening the armor of the vehicle. There was no information about the gun, but the information of the Poles speaks of the same 37 mm gun as on the 10TP and 7TP. The thickness of the armor in the forehead of the tank reached 50 mm, on the sides 35, and in the stern 20 mm.
Level VI - 20TR v.2
22 tons of steel and large dimensions are unlikely to give it the title of a medium tank, but the Internet data says so. The project of the Polish breakthrough tank consisted of several options and sketches, but we liked this one. It was planned to install either a 47 or 75 mm gun on the tank. Many will think that the vehicle will be slow and clumsy, but archival data tells us that the tank was supposed to reach 45 km/h. The forehead of the hull had armor plates 50-80 mm thick, and 35-40 mm along the sides. For the 6th level, the indicators are not the best, but these are just assumptions.
To all this tree, let's add some information about the newly minted Polish tank of level 4 CzołgśredniB.B.T.Br. Panc, which is already being tested on the supertest.
The machine does not have super parameters for its level and is the simplest ST-4. The gun penetrates 63 mm of armor, dealing 50 damage. Reload time is 4.12s, aiming time is 1.73s and accuracy is 0.36m/100m.
With the dynamics of our premium Pole, everything is also at an average level. Specific power 26 horses per ton of weight will accelerate the tank to 45 km / h. Turn on the spot will be carried out at a speed of 36 degrees / sec. We, like all medium tanks of the 4th level, do not have reservations. 50 mm in the forehead of the hull and turret are unlikely to save us.
As a result, let's say that this branch is absolutely hypothetical and there is no reliable information about the formation of a particular tank from this branch to a certain level. We can learn more about the tree itself only from the lips of the developers. Patience to you and good luck in battles!
Polish Twardy - solid.
In the post-war period, Poland became an important industrial center, mastering the production of sophisticated tracked armored vehicles. Previously, based on considerations of cooperation under the Warsaw Pact, tanks were produced in Poland under a license granted by Soviet Union. Thus, intervention in the design of produced tanks in order to improve them was not allowed. This situation persisted until the 1980s, when relations between Poland and the USSR finally deteriorated. The rupture of political, economic and military ties forced the Poles to take independent actions in order to maintain the achieved technical level of the existing combat vehicles, as well as saving the domestic military industry.
Progress in this direction was facilitated by developments carried out on an initiative basis by research centers of individual military enterprises. In the late 1980s - early 1990s in Poland, on the basis of the existing T-72 tanks, work began on the creation domestic tank, which led to the appearance of prototypes of the RT-91 "Tvardy" tank. These vehicles are equipped with a new fire control system, new observation devices (including night ones) for the commander and gunner, a different fire extinguishing system and an ammunition detonation protection system, as well as an improved engine. Almost until the beginning of the 80s, Polish machine-building plants produced engines for tanks of the "T" series on the basis of licensed documentation.
In subsequent years, contacts between machine builders and the Russian side began to weaken and finally broke off in the late 80s and early 90s. As a result, Polish manufacturers had to independently solve the problems associated with the modernization of the engine, which was necessary due to the constant improvement of the T-72 tank. The upgraded engine, designated 512U, featured an improved fuel and air supply system and developed 850 horsepower. s., and the tank with this engine became known as the RT-91 "Tvardy".
The increase in engine power made it possible to partially compensate for the increase in the combat weight of the tank, which was due to the installation of reactive armor (Polish design). For an engine with a mechanical compressor, the power is 850 hp. with. was the limit, so it was decided to use a compressor driven by the energy of the exhaust gases.
Such constructive solution has been used in foreign tracked combat vehicles for many years. The engine with the new compressor received the designation 5-1000 (the number 1000 indicates the developed power in horsepower) and is intended for installation on the RT-91A and RT-91A1 tanks. The fire control system, created specifically for the RT-91 tank, takes into account the speed of the target, the type of ammunition, the parameters of atmospheric conditions, the temperature of the propellant and the relative position of the aiming line and the axis of the gun.