List of World War II military equipment of Poland explained

Polish Armament in 1939–45 article is a list of equipment used by Polish army before and during the Invasion of Poland, foreign service in British Commonwealth forces and last campaign to Germany with the Red Army in 1945.^[1] The list includes prototype vehicles.

Aircraft

Fighters

• PZL P.7 (149)
• PZL P.11 (325)

Bombers

• PZL.23 Karaś (250)
• PZL.37 Łoś (120+)
• PZL.43 (54)

Strategic and photo-reconnaissance aircraft

• RWD-14 Czapla (65)

Air ambulances

• RWD-13 (≈100)
• Lublin R-XVI (7)

Trainers

• Bartel BM-4 (≈75)
• PWS-16 (40)
• PWS-18 (18)
• PWS-26 (310)
• RWD-8 (550+)
• RWD-17 (≈30)

Prototypes

• LWS-3 Mewa
• PWS-35 Ogar
• PZL.38 Wilk
• PZL.50 Jastrząb
• PZL.46 Sum

Foreign aircraft

• Schreck FBA-17
• LeO H-13
• LeO H-135
• Latham 43
• Avro Tutor Mk. I (2 examples)
• Breguet Bre XIX B.2
• CANT Z.506B Airone (1 example)
• Fokker F.VIIb-3m/M (21 examples)

Aircraft in use by Polish Air Force in France (1939–1940)

• Bloch MB.152
• Caudron C.714 C1 "Cyclone"
• Koolhoven F.K.58
• Morane-Saulnier M.S.406

Aircraft in use by Polish Air Force in Great Britain (1940–1947)

• Avro Lancaster
• Boulton Paul Defiant
• Bristol Beaufighter
• de Havilland Mosquito
• Fairey Battle
• Handley Page Halifax
• Hawker Hurricane
• Supermarine Spitfire
• Taylorcraft Auster
• Vickers Wellington
• Vickers Warwick
• Westland Lysander
• Consolidated B-24 Liberator
• North American B-25 Mitchell
• North American P-51 Mustang

Aircraft in use by Polish Air Force in Soviet Union (1943–1945)

• Yakovlev Yak-1b
• Yakovlev Yak-9
• Ilyushin Il-2m
• Petlyakov Pe-2
• Polikarpov UTI-4 / I-16 UTI
• Polikarpov U-2 / Po-2
• Shcherbakov Shche-2
• Yakovlev UT-2

Military vehicles

Tankettes

• TK-3^[2]
• TKS
• TKS with 20 mm NKM

Tanks

• Renault FT
• Vickers E
• 7TP jw (jednowieżowy-single turret; 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun)
• 7TP dw (dwuwieżowy-twin turret; with two wz. 30 Brownings)
• Renault R35
• Hotchkiss H35

Armored vehicles

• Samochód pancerny wz. 28
• Samochód pancerny wz. 29
• Samochód pancerny wz. 34
• Samochód pancerny Kubuś (improvised)
• Samochód pancerny Peugeot (French production)

Utility vehicles

• Sokół 1000
• C2P
• Wz.34 half track
• C7P
• Polski Fiat 508/518
• Ursus A
• Polski Fiat 508
• Polski Fiat 518
• Polski Fiat 621
• Krupp L2H43^[3] (bought from Germany before WW2)

Armored trains and annex equipment

• Armoured Train Number 11 "Danuta"
• Armoured Train Number 12 "Poznańczyk"
• Armoured Train Number 13 "Generał Sosnkowski"
  • • • Armoured Train Number 52 "Piłsudczyk"
• Armoured Train Number 53 "Śmiały"
• Armoured Train Number 54 "Groźny"
• Armoured Train Number 55 "Bartosz Głowacki"

Prototypes

• TK-1 (prototype)
• TK-2 (prototype)
• TKF
• TKW (prototype)
• TKD (prototype)
• TKS-D (prototype)
• PZInż. 130 amphibious tank
• PZInż. 140(4TP) reconnaissance tank
• 10TP wheel & track fast tank (only prototypes)
• 14TP medium tank (only prototype never completed)
• WB-10 (2 prototypes)^[4]

Vehicles used Polish troops in Great Britain

• Universal Carrier
• Covenanter (used for training)
• Light tank Mk VIB (used for training)
• Crusader
• M3A1/A3 Stuart
• M5A1 Stuart
• Matilda Mk I (used for training)
• Cromwell cruiser tank
• Valentine Mk III (used for training)
• Challenger Mk VIII
• M3 Lee
• M4 Sherman
• Sherman Firefly
• Archer
• Achilles
• Sexton
• Crusader III AA
• M16 MGMC
• M17 MGMC
• Bedford OXA
• GM C15TA
• ACW-IP
• M3A1 Scout Car
• M5/A1 half-track
• Willys MB

Vehicles used Polish troops in Soviet Union

• BA-20
• BA-64
• T-60
• T-70
• T-34/76
• T-34/85
• SU-57
• SU-76
• SU-85
• SU-100
• ISU-122
• ISU-152
• SU-152 (used for training)
• IS-2 heavy tank
• ZIS-5/5V truck
• Studebaker US6 – US design also produced in USSR
• Willys MB

Captured German/Italian vehicles

• German
  • Sd.Kfz. 251/1 ausf. D^[5]
  • Sd.Kfz. 251/9
  • Sd.Kfz. 250/10
  • Panzer III N
  • Panzer IV J
  • StuG III G
  • Panzer V
  • Steyr RSO
  • Jagdpanzer 38(t)
• Italian
  • AB 41

Small Arms

Edged weapons

• Bagnet wz.1898/05

Sidearms

• Pistolet wz. 35 Vis
• Nagant wz.1932
• M1917 revolver
• Tokarev TT-33

Submachine gun

• Mors submachine gun (Prototype)
• Sten gun
• Thompson submachine gun
• PPD-40
• PPSh-41
• PPS submachine gun
• Błyskawica Machine pistol
• Bechowiec-1
• Choroszmanów submachine gun
• KIS Machine Pistol

Rifles and carbines

• Karabin wz.98
• Karabin wz.98a
• Karabinek wz.29
• Karabinek wz. 91/98/25
• Karabinek wz.98 PWU
• Kbsp wz. 1938M (Only 150 made)
• Lebel M1886/93
• Berthier M1907/15 rifle
• MAS-36
• Lee–Enfield No.1 Mk III and No.4 Mk I
• Mosin–Nagant M91/30
• SVT-40

Machine guns

• Browning wz.1928
• Chauchat 1915/27
• Ckm wz. 25 Hotchkiss
• Ckm wz.30
• Ckm wz.32
• FM 24/29 light machine gun
• Bren machine gun
• Browning M1919
• Browning M2HB
• DP-27
• Maxim wz. 1910

Grenades

• Defensive grenade wz. 33
• Offensive grenade wz. 33
• Defensive grenade wz. 24
• Offensive grenade wz. 24
• Mills bomb
• RGD-33 grenade
• Molotov fire grenade
• ET-38
• ET wz.40 (Also known as ET-40 "Filipinka")
• R wz.42 (Also known as "Sidolówka")

Grenade launchers

• Granatnik wz.36

Anti-tank weapons

• Kb ppanc wz.35
• Boys anti-tank rifle
• PIAT
• PTRD-41
• PTRS-41

Artillery

Mortars

• wz.18 mortar (Stokes mortar)
• wz.18/31 mortar (Brandt Mle 27/31 produced under license)
• wz.28 mortar (Polish produced Stokes mortar)
• (Brandt Mle 27/31 produced under license)

Field cannons

• 75 mm armata wz.1897
• 76.2 mm armata wz.02/26 + 75 mm armata wz.02/26
• 105 mm armata wz. 13
• 105 mm Armata wz. 29
• 120 mm Armata wz. 78/09/31
• 120 mm Armata wz. 1878/10/31

Howitzers

• Haubica 100 mm wz. 1914/19A & wz. 1914/19P
• 155 mm haubica wz. 1917
• Skoda 220 mm howitzer

Mountain guns

• Canon de 65 M (montagne) modele 1906

Anti-tank guns

• Wz.36 Bofors

Anti-aircraft guns

• 40 mm armata przeciwlotnicza wz. 36
  • 75 mm Armata przeciwlotnicza wz.1922/1924
• 75 mm armata przeciwlotnicza wz.36

Naval weapons

Surface vessels, submarines and other ships

• Destroyers
  • ORP Błyskawica
  • ORP Grom
  • ORP Burza
  • ORP Wicher
  • ORP Garland
  • ORP Orkan
  • ORP Huragan
  • ORP Piorun
• Escort destroyers
  • ORP Krakowiak
  • ORP Kujawiak
  • ORP Ślązak
• Cruisers
  • ORP Dragon
  • ORP Conrad
• Heavy minelayer ORP Gryf
• Submarines
  • ORP Orzeł
  • ORP Sęp
  • ORP Wilk
  • ORP Ryś
  • ORP Żbik
  • ORP Jastrząb
  • ORP Dzik
  • ORP Sokół
• Torpedo vessel ORP Mazur
• Auxiliary boat
• Sea patrol boat ORP General Haller
• River patrol boat

Coastal artillery defenses

• Laskowski 152 mm coastal cannon
• "Smok Kaszubski" improvised armored train
• Armored Train (Unknown name)

River boat local projects

• Type I fast monitor
• Type MC monitor

Notes and References

1. Book: Williams, Anthony G. . Dr Emmanuel Gustin . Flying Guns World War II, Development of aircraft guns, ammunition and installations 1933–45 . Ramsbury . 2003 . 1st . 978-1-84037-227-4 . Google Books, snippet.
2. Web site: Polskie tankietki TK (TK-3) i TKS . 2024-02-25 . derela.pl.
3. Web site: 2005-01-19 . Nazewnictwo pojazdu z 10 BK . 2024-02-28 . Forum Odkrywcy . en-US.
4. Web site: Pakula . Tadeusz . 2017-05-03 . WB-10 . 2024-02-25 . Tank Encyclopedia . en-US.
5. Web site: 2014-04-09 . Pojazdy niemieckie w LWP. . 2024-03-16 . Forum Odkrywcy . en-US.