Armoured trains of Poland
Encyclopedia
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
period. Many of them were modernized over the next two decades, and took part in most military conflicts of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, namely the Greater Poland Uprising, the Polish-Ukrainian War
Polish-Ukrainian War
The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...
, the Polish-Bolshevik War, the Silesian Uprisings
Silesian Uprisings
The Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
and the Polish September Campaign in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Armored trains were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
as well as in the post-war period by the Polish Railroad Guards (Straż Ochrony Kolei) and the People's Army of Poland.
1918–1939
The first use of armored trains by Polish forces dates to late in World War I and the Russian Civil WarRussian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
period (1918–19), when Polish Armed Forces in the East (Polish I Corps in Russia
Polish I Corps in Russia
Polish I Corps in Russia was a Polish military formation formed in Belarus, in August 1917 in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917, from soldiers of Polish origin serving in the Russian Army...
and other units) operated seven different armored trains (six improvised and one captured).
From 1918 through 1920 the newly created Polish Army received about 90 armored trains, mostly from workshops in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Nowy Sącz
Nowy Sacz
Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...
, Lwów (Lviv), Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Wilno (Vilnius). Many of them were classified as improvised, and consisted of regular trains and wagons armored with metal gates, cement and sandbags; the soldiers called them "mobile trenches". Some equipment came from the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Armored Division, whose equipment was acquired by a unit of the Polish Military Organization.
Several armored trains fought supporting the Polish forces in the Greater Poland uprising (1918–9)
Greater Poland Uprising (1918–1919)
The Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919, or Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918–1919 or Posnanian War was a military insurrection of Poles in the Greater Poland region against Germany...
and the Polish-Ukrainian War
Polish-Ukrainian War
The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...
(1918–19). The armored trains saw major action in the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
(1919–21). Approximately 50 armored trains participated in that conflict on the Polish side; on average, about twenty were in active service at any given time. Sixteen armored trains supported the Polish insurgents during the Third Silesian Uprising.
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, 2nd in Jabłonna (Legionowo)
Legionowo
Legionowo is a town in Masovia . According to the 2004 Census estimate the town has a total population of 50,759.Legionowo is located ca. 23 km to the north-east of the center of Warsaw and only 7 km to the south of Zegrze Reservoir , near the Warsaw-Gdańsk railroad and Warsaw-Suwałki...
and 3rd in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
). In 1924 the 3rd Regiment was disbanded, and the remaining armored train divisions were transformed into the Armored Trains Training Division in Jabłonna (Legionowo). The Training Division, in 1925 renamed to Educational Division, in 1927 was reorganized into the 1st Armored Train Division. In 1928 the 2nd Armored Train Division was formed in Niepołomice. Each division had 6 trains. In 1929, the Polish Engineering Force was reorganized, with the 1st and 2nd Train Engineer Regiments being transformed into Train Bridges Battalions.
In 1931 the modernization of armored trains was finished with similar armament installed on most units. The trains were classified as either "light" or "heavy". "Light" trains had two artillery and one infantry wagons, and World War I-era Austro-Hungarian or Russian weapons (two to four 75 mm guns, eight to sixteen heavy machine guns, and two anti-aircraft heavy machine guns). "Heavy" trains had a better engine (Ti3), 100 mm guns in addition to the 75 mm pieces and gun turrets for the heavy machine guns. The trains were also accompanied by several light tanks (FT-17s or tankette
Tankette
A tankette is a tracked combat vehicle resembling a small tank roughly the size of a car, mainly intended for light infantry support or reconnaissance. Colloquially it may also simply mean a "small tank"....
s). Each train had its own supply train that contained living quarters, kitchen, workshop, a compartment for the wounded personnel, and supplies. Together, a train (combat and supply) had a crew of 8 officers, 59 warrant officers and 124 regular infantrymen. Around the mid-1930s, revisions to Poland's tactical and strategic doctrines meant that armored trains, previously considered a high-quality force, begun to be seen as increasingly obsolete on the battlefield.
1939–1945 (WWII)
The ten trains of the 1st and 2nd Armored Trains Divisions were mobilized in late August to early September, and received numbers 11–5 (1st Division) and 51–5 (2nd Division). With the exceptions of trains 14 and 15 which finished forming on 3 September and were assigned to the reserves of the High Command, all other trains finished forming before the start of hostilities on the 1st September. The 2nd Division also fielded a lightly armed training armored train, although it was not supposed to be used in the frontline combat.The command of the Land Coastal Defence
Land Coastal Defence
Land Coastal Defence , commanded by Colonel Stanisław Dąbek , was an important unit tasked with the defence of Poland's Baltic Sea coast during the 1939 invasion.- Before the war :...
decided to field improvised trains to bolster its defenses. The first was ready before the war began, two others were finished during the hostilities. They used weapons from the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy
Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy
The Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy , better known as the Pinsk Flotilla, was the inland branch of the Polish Navy operating on the Vistula river and in the area of the Pinsk Marshes between the Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II...
and the unfinished ORP Orkan and Huragan destroyers. The first train was destroyed after four days of fighting on the 4 September, the second, less than a day after it entered service (it entered service on the 3 September and was destroyed on the night of 3 to 4 September).. The last train, "Smok Kaszybski" (Kashubian Dragon) entered combat on the 7 September, and was operational till the 12 September.
On 20 September, during the siege of Warsaw
Siege of Warsaw (1939)
The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland and the German Army...
, two improvised armored trains were formed (Nr. 1 and Nr. 2). Not much is known about their combat operations; the first train entered service on 22 September, and the second a day later.
The following armored trains fought with the Polish Army in the September Campaign:
- Armored Train no 11 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 11), formerly "Danuta"Danuta (armoured train)The Danuta, also called armoured train number 11 was a Polish armoured train used by the Polish army during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.-History:...
– kpt. Bolesław Korobowicz, attached to Army Poznań. Destroyed on the 16 September - Armored Train no 12 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 12), formerly "Poznańczyk"Poznańczyk (armoured train)Poznańczyk was a Polish armoured train which participated in the Greater Poland Uprising, the Polish–Soviet War and in the Second World War....
– kpt. Kazimierz Majewski, attached to Army Poznań. Destroyed on 9 September - Armored Train no 13 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 13), formerly “Generał Sosnkowski” – kpt. Stanisław Młodzianowski, attached to Army Modlin. Destroyed on 10 September
- Armored Train no 14 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 14), formerly "Paderewski" – kpt. Jerzy Zelechowski, from 9 September kpt. Henryk Galwelczyk, reserve of the High Command, later attached to Army Pomorze. Destroyed on 16 September
- Armored Train no 15 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 15), formerly "Śmierć" – kpt. Kazimierz Kubaszewski, reserve of the High Command. Destroyed on 28 September
- Armored Train no 51 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 51), formerly "Pierwszy Marszałek" – kpt. Leon Cymborski, from 2 September kpt. Zdzisław Rokossowski, attached to Army Kraków. Destroyed on 22 September
- Armored Train no 52 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 52), formerly "Piłsudczyk"Piłsudczyk (armoured train)Piłsudczyk was a Polish armoured train which participated in the defence of Poland after the German invasion in 1939.-History:In the forming Polish army captured a new Austro-Hungarian train. Parts of the train were used to form the armoured train Piłsudczyk. The train was used in the battle for...
– kpt. Mikolaj Gonczar, attached to Army Łódź. Destroyed on 20 September - Armored Train no 53 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 53), formerly "Śmiały"Śmiały (armoured train)The armoured train Śmiały , 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...
– kpt. Mieczysław Malinowski, attached to Army Łódź. Surrendered on the 22 September - Armored Train no 54 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 54), formerly "Groźny" – kpt. Jan Rybczyński, from 2 September kpt. Józef Kulesza, attached to Army Kraków. Destroyed on 7 September
- Armored Train no 55 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 55), formerly "Bartosz Głowacki" – kpt. Andrzej Podgórski, first attached to Grupa Operacyjna Wyszków, from 3 September, attached to Army Prusy. Destroyed on 19 September
- Training Armored Train – kpt. Franciszek Pietrzak. Destroyed on 10 September
- (Improvised) Armored Train no 1 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 1) – improvised for the defense of Warsaw, por. rez. br. panc. Tadeusz Studziński. Presumed destroyed at an unknown date.
- (Improvised) Armored Train no 2 (Pociąg Pancerny nr 2) – improvised for the defense of Warsaw – por. rez. br. panc. Stanisław Waskiewicz. Presumed destroyed at an unknown date.
- First Improvised Train of the Land Coastal Defense (Pierwszy improwizowany pociąg pancerny Obrony Wybrzeża) – por. Zygmunt Budzyński. Destroyed on 4 September
- Second Improvised Train of the Land Coastal Defense (Drugi improwizowany pociąg pancerny Obrony Wybrzeża) – por. A. Matuszak. Destroyed on 4 September
- Third Improvised Train of the Land Coastal Defense "Kashubian Dragon" (Trzeci improwizowany pociąg pancerny Obrony Wybrzeża "Smok Kaszubski") – kpt. mar. Jerzy Tadeusz Bleszynski, and later por. mar. Adrian F. Hubick. Destroyed on 12 September
During the Polish September Campaign, Polish armored trains took part in roughly 90 clashes with the German units. They played a significant role in several encounters, most notably, no 53 made an important contribution to the Polish victory in the Battle of Mokra
Battle of Mokra
The Battle of Mokra took place on September 1, 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north from Kłobuck, 23 km north-west from Częstochowa, Poland...
, and no 54 was used very successfully in the defense of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. Armored trains were responsible for destroying or damaging several dozens of armored vehicles, including tanks, shot down or damaged three airplanes, and inflicted numerous infantry casualties. Only two trains (no 11 and 55) were destroyed in direct combat by the German land forces, and only no 13 was destroyed by the German air force. Remaining trains were abandoned and destroyed by their own crews when they ran out of munitions and could no longer retreat. The successful role of the armored trains, considered obsolete by both Polish and German strategists, caused the revision of that judgment by both sides.
About a dozen armored trains were formed in the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
, and were assigned to patrol the British railways in 1940. They saw no combat, and were disbanded by July 1943.
1945–1952
After the war, in the People's Republic of PolandPeople's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, Railroad Guards (Straż Ochrony Kolei) used four armored trains from 1945 to 1950. In 1947, a Train Artillery Division was formed, and disbanded in 1952.