During the Second World War, many states, for political reasons, formed military units from foreign nationals or connections from their own citizens, but having a certain national coloring.
Finnish People's Army
First attempt to create liberation army"from persons of that nationality, which was the basis in the state that was an enemy in the war, was undertaken back in the USSR during the war with Finland in the winter of 1939-1940. Almost three weeks before the start of the war, on November 11, 1939, the formation of the Finnish “People's Army” (FNA) began as part of the Leningrad Military District. Finns and Karelians who served in the Red Army were enrolled there. By the time of the invasion there were more than 13 thousand people. It was assumed that as the territory of Finland was “liberated”, the army would be replenished with volunteers from among the citizens of this country.
However, it turned out that the Finns were in no hurry to join its ranks and were not at all going to welcome the Soviet troops as their liberators. Almost the entire Finnish population of the border areas was evacuated deep into Finland when the Red Army approached. And although by the end of hostilities the FNA numbered more than 25 thousand military personnel, almost all of them were Soviet citizens.
The unexpectedly difficult course of the war changed the purpose of the FNA. If at first it was prepared only for a political demonstration, then gradually the Soviet command began to use it in combat operations. The term FNA itself soon disappeared, and this formation began to be listed simply as the regular 106th mountain division Red Army.
Polish Army of General Anders
Even before our country entered into fighting With Hitler's Germany, the Soviet leadership introduced the idea of the “liberation nature” of the hypothetical war. Especially great attention in this regard, it was given to the Slavs.
Despite the fact that in the spring of 1940 a significant part of the captured Polish officers were destroyed in Katyn, on November 2, 1940, Beria gave the order to organize a Polish division. Many officers who remained in Soviet camps, agreed to serve as part of it, since it was a chance to escape from captivity. On June 4, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars and the Politburo made a secret decision to create the 238th by July 1 rifle division from among the Poles. After the outbreak of the war, an agreement was reached with the exile government of Poland in London on the formation of an entire Polish army in the USSR.
In August 1941, a decree was issued on amnesty for Polish citizens imprisoned in Soviet camps. General Wladyslaw Anders became the commander-in-chief of the Polish army. The Soviet government armed and supplied Anders' army, and Great Britain also supplied it with some supplies. However, issues of personnel formation of the Polish army in the USSR were in charge of emissaries of the emigrant government. They also conducted political propaganda among Polish soldiers.
In the spring of 1942, Anders' army numbered more than 100 thousand people. However, anti-Soviet sentiments were strong in its ranks and its command, with the approval of the emigrant government, insisted on sending the army outside the USSR, to the disposal of the British command. The British government also demanded the same. In the end, Stalin, realizing that he would not be able to use Anders’ army in political purposes, agreed to its withdrawal to Iran. Polish troops who left the USSR took part in the battles of World War II in the Mediterranean, Italy and Western Europe.
Polish Army
But not all Polish soldiers left the USSR with General Anders. A small part, mainly communists, remained, and from them in the summer of 1943 the 1st Polish Infantry Division named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko was formed, which soon grew into a corps. It served as the basis for the creation of the Polish Army under the political control of the USSR. By the end of the war, there were already two armies of the Polish Army.
Polish Soviet units took their first battle on October 12, 1943 in the area of the village of Lenino in the Mogilev region. Subsequently, Polish Soviet troops participated in Operation Bagration to liberate Belarus, in the battles near Warsaw, in the Vistula-Oder operation and in the battle for Berlin. At the time of entry into Poland in the summer of 1944, the Polish Army numbered more than 100 thousand people. Subsequently, it was replenished by Polish conscripts. By the end of the war, its number exceeded 400 thousand troops.
Czechoslovak troops
The possibility of creating a Czechoslovak army under Soviet control was also considered by the leadership of the USSR since the end of 1938. In the autumn of 1939, on a busy Soviet troops In parts of Poland, the NKVD discovered Colonel Ludwig Svoboda of the former Czechoslovak army, who was organizing an anti-Nazi underground, and took him to the USSR. In 1942, Svoboda was appointed commander of the 1st Czechoslovak battalion as part of the Red Army. On March 8, 1943, the Czechoslovak battalion took its first battle, repelling the German counter-offensive near Kharkov.
In the summer of 1943, the battalion grew to the size of a brigade, and in the spring of 1944 - a separate army corps. In the summer of 1944, a separate Czechoslovak tank brigade and separate aviation units were also created. Interesting feature The 1st Czechoslovak brigade was that the majority of its troops were Carpathian Rusyns, who were citizens of Czechoslovakia before 1938. The corps ended the war in May 1945 on the territory of Czechoslovakia.
Yugoslav, Romanian and German
Although the GKO decree of July 3, 1941 provided for the formation in the USSR, in addition to Polish and Czechoslovak, also Yugoslav military units, it was possible to begin their actual staffing no earlier than October 1943. By that time, the USSR had accumulated enough prisoners of war from the Yugoslav peoples who had previously fought on the side of the Ustasha government of Croatia, an ally of Germany. At the same time, the 1st Romanian Infantry Division was organized from Romanian prisoners of war.
Everyone has heard about the French aviation squadron “Normandie-Niemen”. Unlike other foreign military units in the Red Army, it was formed outside the USSR, in North Africa. She was sent to the Soviet-German front on the initiative of General Charles de Gaulle, the leader of Fighting France.
Much less known are the attempts of the Soviet leadership to create anti-fascist military units from German prisoners of war. These attempts gained wider scope after the Soviet captivity near Stalingrad, Field Marshal General Friedrich Paulus, who agreed along with some other prisoners German military leaders and anti-fascists to head the propaganda committee “Free Germany”. However, nothing good came of this venture, although there is fragmentary information about individual units that, under the leadership Soviet command were staffed by anti-Nazi Germans at the very end of the war.
We all know what the Polish Army is. The history lessons were hardly in vain. However, much is forgotten. In the article we will recall the history of the Polish Army in order to better have information and understand the course of some historical events. This topic will be very interesting not only for historians, but also for anyone interested in the chronology of the events of the war.
What is the Polish Army?
It is a combined arms formation or army. The history of the Polish Army begins in the USSR in 1944. The army consisted mainly of Poles. There were also many ordinary military personnel of the USSR Armed Forces of various nationalities. IN official documents and orders has the name “1st Polish Army”.
The army was involved in the Great Patriotic War, and specifically in the following operations:
- Lublin-Brest.
- Warsaw-Poznan.
- East Pomeranian.
- Berlinskaya.
The beginning of the story
The military formation was created in the spring of 1944 by the number of soldiers who served in the Polish corps. It was created a year before. Infantry Division named after. T. Kosciuszko served as the basis for the formation of the corps. Not only Poles could join the army. It was also open to Soviet citizens with Polish roots. The Soviet Union took this seriously military formation and provided him with decent military support. Sigmund Berling became the commander of the army.
In the spring of the same year, the Polish Army received new soldiers. 52 thousand people arrived. Unfortunately, among them there were no more than 300 officers. There were even fewer subordinates, and they served only in the pre-war Polish army. This all significantly aggravated the already existing problem of lack of competent officers.
Already in the summer, the Polish Army could boast of: cavalry, armored, anti-aircraft artillery brigades, 2 air regiments and 4 infantry brigades. By 1944, the personnel numbered 90 thousand people.
Start of hostilities
In the summer of 1944, hostilities began. It’s worth saying right away that the Polish Army played a role in the Second World War important role. Military operations were carried out under the operational leadership of the 1st Belorussian Front. At the end of the month, part of the army crossed. As a result, the army entered the territory of Poland. In July of the same year, the 1st Army of the Polish Army merged with the Army of Ludowa (an army of partisans). Only after this event the army began to be called the United Polish Army, but the first name still continued to appear in the documents.
By that time, the army already had 100 thousand military personnel. At the same time, about 2,500 young soldiers were trained as officers, and about 600 as pilots. The army owned approximately 60,000 machine guns and rifles, had at its disposal about 4,000 machine guns, 779 radios, 170 motorcycles, 66 aircraft.
Replenishment of strength
In July 1944, the 1st Polish Tank Corps was created as part of the Army, whose commander was Colonel Jan Rupasov. At this time, the Polish army managed to get to the eastern bank of the Vistula, which marked the beginning of battles to conquer the left bank territory. A little later, the army fought on the Magnushevsky bridgehead. It is also worth noting that the armored brigade already known to us fought in west bank rivers beyond the Studziansky bridgehead.
In August 1944 Polish Committee national liberation A decree on mobilization was issued, which provided for the conscription of young men born in 1921-1924 into the army. All military specialists, officers and sub-officers fit for service were also drafted. As a result of this order, in just a few months, the Polish armed forces were replenished with several dozen newly arrived soldiers. Approximately 100 thousand people were drafted from the liberated territory of Poland, the rest from the USSR. At the end of autumn 1944, there were about 11,500 military personnel from the USSR in the Polish Army.
An interesting fact is that the army had deputy commanders for working with political agencies and chaplains. At the same time, the deputy army commander, Piotr Yaroshevich, later became the Prime Minister of Poland.
Liberation of Warsaw
In 1944, in the fall, the Polish armed forces were able to liberate Prague. After this, an ill-conceived attempt was made to cross the Vistula, which failed. In the winter of 1945, the army took an active part in the defense of the Polish Army in World War II, in this operation it acted as follows:
- the main forces of the army crossed the Vistula;
- The 2nd Infantry Division was engaged in crossing the Vistula; it was the division that launched the operation to attack Warsaw from the north;
- The Soviet 31st Special Division of Armored Trains and the 6th Infantry Division of the Polish Army crossed the Vistula in the Prague area.
A little later, the Polish Army liberated Bydgoszcz, carrying out an operation to break through central part Poland. After some time, the main forces were concentrated on the assault on Kolberg. At the same time, the First Polish Armored Brigade attacked Gdańsk as part of the East Pomeranian Operation. The army stopped in Stetin to count its losses. They amounted to about 3,000 missing and 5,400 killed.
By 1945, the army size was 200,000. This number is 10th part of total number soldiers who took part in Berlin operation. During its implementation, the Polish army lost about 7,000 killed and 4,000 missing.
Help to the USSR
One cannot ignore the fact that the Soviet Union invested enormous material and personnel resources in creating the army. During 1944, the Soviet Union transferred about 200,000 carbines and rifles to Polish military units, as well as a huge number of anti-aircraft, light and heavy machine guns, anti-tank rifles, submachine guns, mortars, tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft. And this is if we do not take into account captured and training weapons. During the second half of 1944, the Soviet educational establishments trained more than 5,000 Polish military personnel.
Reaction
At the same time, in Great Britain, the Polish government in exile, as well as those who supported it in Poland (the Home Army), reacted very negatively to the fact that Polish armed formations were being created on the territory of the USSR. They spoke extremely negatively about such activities in the USSR. The reaction was covered in the press, where there were statements such as that Berling's army was not a Polish army, and also that the Polish Army was a detachment of mercenaries in Soviet service.
To summarize the article, let's say that this army had worthy story. She took part in a number critical operations. Wherein key role It was the Soviet Union that played a role in the creation and provision of the army. The army has become an example of how forces can come together when necessary. Our people had conflicts with the Poles, but it is still worth recognizing that we are closely related peoples.
IN Lately a lot is said and written about NATO’s expansion to the east and the creation of the bloc’s infrastructure in Eastern Europe, the states of which, with tenacity worthy of better use, are turning into “front-line” states. A particularly tense situation is developing in the Baltic region, which is already beginning to be called the modern “powder keg” of Europe (by analogy with the Balkans at the beginning of the last century, where the First World War). Poland and the three Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) were at the epicenter of events here. In this regard, we offer a series of articles devoted to the armed forces of Poland and the Baltic states, the formation of NATO infrastructure on their territory and the extent to which NATO activities in Eastern Europe threaten Russia and what steps can be taken in response to it. Now we bring to your attention the first article devoted to the Polish armed forces.
NATO pledge not to expand
In 1990, when the issue of German unification was being decided, Western leaders assured USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev and USSR Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze that NATO would not expand eastward. The promises, however, were made rather vague, and the then Soviet leaders for still unknown reasons, they did not bother to at least try to translate these words into binding international agreements.
It is not surprising that after the collapse of the USSR and global geopolitical shifts in Central and Eastern Europe, the West immediately abandoned these promises and, moreover, does not recognize their existence at all. For example, the American private intelligence and analytical company Stratfor, which is sometimes called the “shadow CIA,” stated in 2014 that “no promises were broken because no one made them.” And this is not the only statement of this kind.
One way or another, since 1999, twelve countries from Central and Eastern Europe have joined NATO.
Among these states are Poland, which became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance on March 12, 1999, and the three Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), which joined NATO on March 29, 2004. The admission of these countries to NATO has implications for Russia special meaning- they all directly border it, and the Baltic countries were part of the Soviet Union. Thus, having accepted them into our composition, North Atlantic Alliance entered post-Soviet territory for the first time and clearly
Quantitative characteristics of the Polish army
After Poland and the Baltic countries joined NATO, their armed forces and the military infrastructure belonging to them were at the disposal of NATO, which is often forgotten when by NATO forces in Central and Eastern Europe they mean only US troops, as well as Western European members of the Alliance.
And if the armed forces of the Baltic countries have quite a symbolic value for NATO and are rather in need themselves, then the armed forces of Poland, at least in quantitative terms, look different.
Of course, they were significantly reduced compared to the Polish army during its membership in the Organization Warsaw Pact. But reductions in armed forces also occurred in other European NATO countries. The US armed forces in Europe have also been significantly reduced. So, against their background, the Polish army, which has become completely professional since 2009, looks quite good numerically.
For example, the number of tanks in the Polish army is now three per cent. one more time more than in German. She is superior German army and in the number of armored combat vehicles (1.1 times) and artillery pieces, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars (almost 3.5 times). There are as many submarines in the Polish fleet as in the German one.
Data on the size of the Polish armed forces according to authoritative English reference book The Military Balance 2016 is given in the table.
The number of armed forces and weapons of Poland
|
Number of armed forces, thousand people. |
|
|
Ground forces formations |
1 armored cavalry (armored) division, 2 mechanized divisions, 1 mechanized brigade, 1 air assault brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade (airmobile) |
|
971: 142 Leopard 2A4, 91 Leopard 2A5 (German); 233 PT-91Tawdry (T-72 tanks modernized in Poland); 505 T-72/T-72M1D/T-72M1 (produced in Poland under Soviet license) |
|
|
Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) |
1838 (1268 Soviet BMP-1, 570 Polish Rosomak) |
|
Armored personnel carriers (APC) |
|
|
Combat reconnaissance vehicles (BRM) |
|
|
Self-propelled artillery installations(self-propelled guns) |
403 (292 Soviet 122 mm 2S1 Gvozdika, 111 Czechoslovak 152 mm M-77 Dana) |
|
Multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) |
180 (75 Soviet BM-21 Grad, 30 Czechoslovak RM-70, 75 Polish WR-40 Langusta) |
|
Mortars |
|
|
Submarines |
5 (1 Project 877 Soviet built, 4 former Norwegian Type-207 German built) |
|
2 (former American Oliver Hazard Perry type) |
|
|
1 (Polish-built Kaszub) |
|
|
Small rocket ships |
3 (type Orkan built in the GDR) |
|
5 (Polish-built Lublin type) |
|
|
Mine minesweepers |
|
|
Anti-submarine helicopters |
11 (7 Mi-14PL, 4 SH-2G Super Seasprite) |
|
Fighters |
32 (26 MiG-29A, 6 MiG-29UB) |
|
Fighter-bombers |
66 (36 F-16C Block 52+ Fighting Falcon, 12 F-16D Block 52+ Fighting Falcon, 12 Su-22M-4, 6 Su-22UM3K) |
|
Medium transport aircraft |
5 C-130E Hercules |
|
Light transport aircraft |
39 (16 C-295M, 23 M-28 Bryza TD) |
|
Anti-tank helicopters |
|
|
Multi-role helicopters |
70 (2 Mi-8, 7 Mi-8MT, 3 Mi-17, 1 Mi-17AE (medical), 8 Mi-17, 5 Mi-17-1V, 16 PZL Mi-2URP, 24 PZL W-3W/WA Sokol; 4 PZL W-3PL Gluszec) |
|
Transport helicopters |
108 (9 Mi-8, 7 Mi-8T, 45 PZL Mi-2, 11 PZL W-3 Sokol, 10 PZL W-3WA Sokol (VIP), 2 PZL W-3AE Sokol (medical), 24 SW-4 Puszczyk (educational)) |
|
Self-propelled anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) |
101 (17 C-125 "Neva-SC", 20 2K12 "Cube" (SA-6 Gainful), 64 9K33 "Osa-AK" (SA-8 Gecko)) |
|
Stationary anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) |
1 C-200VE "Vega-E" |
Qualitative characteristics of the Polish armed forces
However, if we look at the qualitative state of the Polish army, the picture does not look so rosy. In this respect, it is inferior to the leading armies of NATO countries, such as the USA, Great Britain, Germany, and France.
A significant part of the weapons and equipment is still Soviet-made. Thus, the bulk of the tank fleet consists of T-72 tanks, produced under Soviet license in the 1980s. The main infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is the first Soviet BMP-1, which was put into service in the USSR back in 1966. The 122-mm self-propelled howitzer "Gvozdika" was put into service in the USSR in 1971, and the 152-mm self-propelled howitzer the Dana howitzer gun is also a weapon from the 1970s.
Self-propelled gun-howitzer vz.77 “Dana”. Source: tumblr.com
Multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) "Grad" and RM-70 belong to the systems of the 1960s and the first half of the 1970s. Polish MiG-29A and UB fighters are the first series of aircraft built in the 1980s, which are inferior to the latest modifications of this aircraft. The Su-22M4 fighter-bombers are outdated (their Russian counterparts, the Su-17M4, were withdrawn from service in the mid-1990s).
Poland does not have a modern air defense system; the Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) in service (including those that have undergone modernization in Poland) do not meet modern requirements.
After Poland joined NATO, weapons began to flow into the country from other countries of the Alliance (primarily “used”). So, in 2002-2003. Poland received 128 Leopard 2A4 tanks, previously in service with the Bundeswehr, almost free of charge. In 2014-2015 The troops received another 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks and 91 Leopard 2A5 tanks (all of them were also previously in service with the German ground forces).
In 2004, Germany transferred to Poland (at a symbolic price of one euro per aircraft) 22 MiG-29 fighters, which the Bundesluftwaffe received from the former GDR after the unification of Germany. The Polish Navy received in 2002-2004. from Norway four German-built Kobben submarines from the 1960s. last century and in 2000 and 2002. from the USA two frigates of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, built in 1980.
The largest purchase new technology 48 American F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter-bombers became one of the last series received by the Polish Air Force in 2006-2008.
F-16 Fighting Falcon. Source: f-16.net.
The national government also made a certain contribution to rearmament. defense industry. It's about mainly about modified Soviet models equipment and weapons, or production under foreign licenses. Based on the Polish version of the Soviet AK-74 assault rifle (wz.88 Tantal), the wz.96 Beryl assault rifle (already chambered for 5.56 mm NATO) was developed and put into service in 1997.
In 1995-2002 the main battle tank PT-91 Twardy was produced (a deep modernization of the Soviet T-72). In 2004, wheeled multi-purpose armored vehicles began to be produced under a Finnish license. combat vehicles(AFV) Rosomak. The Spike anti-tank missile system is produced under Israeli license. Based on the Soviet MLRS BM-21 Grad, the WR-40 Langusta was developed and put into production.
WR-40 Langusta. Source: wikimedia.org
Based on the modernized chassis of the T-72 tank, using the license-produced turret of the British AS-90 self-propelled howitzer, the 155-mm Krab self-propelled howitzer was created. However, due to problems with the engine and chassis, only eight self-propelled guns were delivered (in 2012), which, according to the British directory The Military Balance 2016, are no longer listed in the Polish armed forces. All subsequent vehicles of this type, the production of which will resume in 2016 after modifications, will use the chassis of the South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer.
Modernization of the Polish Armed Forces
The current modernization of the Polish armed forces is carried out on the basis of two documents approved by the Ministry of National Defense on December 11, 2012. These are the “Plan technical modernization" and "Armed Forces Development Program for 2013-2022." Total for the purchase and modernization of weapons and military equipment it is planned to spend about $43 billion.
In particular, starting from 2017, it is planned to upgrade all Leopard 2A4 tanks to the new Leopard 2PL standard. Deliveries of Rosomak wheeled armored fighting vehicles will continue, incl. in new versions. In 2016, production of 120 mm Rak self-propelled mortars of 120 mm caliber on a wheeled chassis began. New vehicles are being developed on a universal modular tracked chassis (UMPG) - a heavy Gepard fire support vehicle with a 120 mm cannon (to replace the PT-91 and T-72 tanks) and a light Borsuk (to replace the BMP-1). It is planned to purchase 7 batteries of 155-mm Kryl wheeled self-propelled howitzers (from 2017). Artillerymen will also receive new WR-300 Homar MLRS with a firing range of up to 300 km (60 units should be purchased by 2022).
Self-propelled mortar Rak. Source: armyman.info.
Under the Kruk rearmament program, 24 American AH-64 Apache combat helicopters will be purchased and built under license (to replace the Mi-24). It was planned to purchase 50 H225M Caracal helicopters from Airbus as multi-purpose helicopters, but on October 4, 2016, negotiations on their acquisition were interrupted. Now the only real contender for the purchase remains the S-70i helicopter, which is assembled in Poland at the American company Sikorsky Aircraft company PZL-Mielec. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), incl. drums.
For the Air Force, it is planned to buy 64 fifth-generation fighters with deliveries of the first in 2021. The modernization plan does not mention their specific type, but, given the fact that no other options are being considered, these will be the American F-35A Lightning II. Polish F-16 fighter-bombers will be armed with American AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles with a range of 370 km. It is expected that the first copies of the missiles will arrive in 2017. In the future, it is planned to purchase AGM-158B JASSM-ER missiles with an increased flight range (925 km).
F-35A Lightning II.
Armed forces of the world
Polish Armed Forces
It was in the capital of Poland in 1955 that an agreement was signed on the creation of a military bloc of socialist countries, which, accordingly, was called the Warsaw Pact Organization. And precisely with Polish events early 80s The collapse of the socialist camp began. By the time the Department of Internal Affairs was dissolved, the Polish army was second in its combat potential after Soviet army. The Polish Army was armed with 2,850 tanks, 2,377 armored fighting vehicles, 2,300 artillery systems, and 551 combat aircraft.
In 1999, Poland, together with the Czech Republic and Hungary, entered the “first wave” of NATO expansion. Over the past years, it has been affected by all the trends characteristic of this bloc - a significant reduction in the Armed Forces, the transition from conscription to the hired principle of recruitment with a characteristic change in motivation from patriotic to financial. However, having common border with Russia and Belarus and suffering from a strong form of Russophobia, Poland, unlike almost all other countries of the alliance, retained elements of defense consciousness. Thanks to this, the Polish Army is gradually becoming the most strong army to NATO (naturally, after the USA and Turkey and without taking into account the nuclear potentials of Great Britain and France).
Ground troops Poland have the following organizational structure.
Headquarters of the 2nd Mechanized Corps.
11th Armored Cavalry Division(it includes the 10th, 34th armored cavalry, 17th mechanized brigades, 23rd artillery regiment, 4th air defense regiment).
12th Mechanized Division"Shetzin" (2nd "Legionnaire" and 12th mechanized, 7th "Pomeranian" coastal defense brigade, 5th artillery regiment, 8th air defense regiment).
16th "Pomeranian" mechanized division(1st Armored, 9th Armored Cavalry, 15th and 20th Mechanized Brigades, 11th Artillery Regiment, 15th Air Defense Regiment).
18th Mechanized Division(1st Armored, 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade).
In addition to these four divisions, which unite 11 brigades, there are separate 1st Aviation, 6th Airborne, 9th Support, 25th Air Cavalry, 1st and 10th Transport Brigades, 1st, 2 1st, 5th engineering, 4th, 5th RKhBZ, 2nd, 9th, 18th reconnaissance regiments.
The tank fleet is the fourth in NATO (after the USA, Turkey and Greece), and includes only third-generation tanks: 247 German Leopard-2 (142 A4, 105 A5), 232 own RT-91, 260 Soviet T-72 ( another 175 in storage). We are developing our own PL-01 Anders tank.
There are from 343 to 485 BRDM-2, up to 38 BWR-1 (BRM-1), up to 1265 BWP-1 (BMP-1), up to 352 MTLB, at least 359 AMV "Wolverine" armored personnel carrier (there are also 7 KShM, more 40 auxiliary vehicles based on it and approximately 330 chassis of the same armored personnel carrier for the production of other auxiliary vehicles), 40 American Cougar armored vehicles, 45 Oshkosh M-ATV and 29 MaxPro. The Wolverine armored personnel carriers are produced in Poland under a Finnish license and are gradually replacing the decommissioned BWP-1, which were also produced in Poland, but under a Soviet license.
Self-propelled artillery includes 24 self-propelled guns "Crab" of own production (155 mm), 395 Soviet self-propelled guns 2S1 (122 mm), 111 Czech wheeled self-propelled guns "Dana" (152 mm). Soviet self-propelled guns are being withdrawn from the ground forces and are being replaced by the Crab self-propelled guns. The towed artillery is represented by 24 Soviet D-44 (85 mm) guns, which will soon be decommissioned. Mortars - 268 LM-60 (60 mm), 18 2B9M (82 mm), 99 M98 (98 mm), 146 M-43 and 15 2S12, 8 self-propelled "Cancer" (on the chassis of the Wolverine armored personnel carrier, there are also 4 artillery KShM on the same chassis) (120 mm) (LM-60, M98, “Rak” - of our own production, the rest - Soviet). MLRS – 93 Soviet BM-21, 30 Czech RM-70, 75 own WR-40 “Langust” (122 mm). BM-21s are partially decommissioned and partially converted into WR-40s.
There are 291 Israeli Spike-LR ATGMs (including 18 self-propelled on the Hummer and 27 on the Wolverine), 132 Soviet Malyutka, 77 Fagot, 18 self-propelled Konkurs (on the BRDM).
Military air defense consists of 64 Soviet Osa-AK and 60 Strela-10 air defense systems, 91 Soviet Strela-2 MANPADS and 400 own Grom MANPADS, from 28 to 86 Soviet ZSU-23-4 Shilka and 404 anti-aircraft installations ZU-23 (23 mm).
In addition, storage may include several hundred T-55 tanks, up to 80 BMP-1, from 70 to 100 self-propelled guns 2S1 and up to 4 2S7, up to 350 M-30 guns, up to 166 D-20, up to 395 mortars, up to 40 BM-21. This equipment has been withdrawn from the aircraft and is intended for export or used as a source of spare parts.
Army aviation includes 80 combat helicopters - 24 Mi-24 (11 D, 13 V) (up to 7 D, up to 2 V in storage), 19 Mi-2URP (up to 16 more in storage), 2 Mi-2URN (still up to 12 in storage), 29 W-3W (including 14 WA). The Mi-2 and the Polish W-3 created on their basis can be considered combat only conditionally, therefore, in fact, only the Mi-24 are such.
There are also up to 72 multi-purpose and transport helicopters - 15 W-3 (3 A, 2 AE, 1 ARM, 3 RR, 6 PL), 4 Mi-17, 25 Mi-8 (7 MT, 17 T, 1 P; more up to 10 T, 1 P in storage), 27 Mi-2 (7 H, 4 T, 6 D, 1 M, 4 P, 4 R, 1 RM; still up to 5 H, up to 13 T, up to 4 D, up to 4 M, up to 3 P, up to 10 R, up to 8 RM in storage).
The Polish armed forces consisted of ground forces and navy. According to the 1935 constitution supreme commander in chief the president appeared, but in fact the armed forces, like all power in the country, after the death of Pilsudski were in the hands of the military and political dictator, Inspector General of the Armed Forces, Marshal E. Rydz-Śmigły.
The army and navy were recruited on the basis of the law on universal conscription, adopted on April 9, 1938. As of June 1, 1939, the armed forces of Poland numbered 439,718 people, of which 418,474 were in the ground forces, 12,170 in the aviation and 9,074 in the navy.
This number does not include units of the Border Guard Corps. Border troops consisted of regiments and brigades. In May 1939 they numbered 25,372 people. Calculated based on monthly reports of the actual state of the Polish armed forces.
The number of trained reserves reached 1.5 million people.
Socially, the Polish army overwhelmingly (about 70 percent) consisted of peasants with a small stratum of workers. Up to 30-40 percent were representatives of national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians and others). The system of recruiting the armed forces had a pronounced class character and was designed to make them an obedient weapon in the fight against the revolutionary movement and in the war against the Soviet socialist state.
The ruling circles of Poland for a long time raised the army in the spirit hostility To Soviet Union and the workers of Poland itself. Troops were often used to suppress revolutionary uprisings of the people of Poland and the national liberation movement of Belarusians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians. In individual garrisons there were special units specifically designed for these purposes.
The Polish bourgeoisie relied on a carefully thought-out system of indoctrination personnel ensure the reliability of its armed forces, protect them from the penetration of revolutionary ideas and sentiments.
The system of training and education of soldiers and officers was aimed at smoothing out the existing contradictions between the social composition of the army and its purpose, isolating soldiers from the masses, distracting them from politics, dulling class consciousness and turning them into blind executors of the will of the ruling classes. Having declared the army out of politics, military leadership prohibited soldiers and officers from being members of political parties, participating in rallies, meetings and other socio-political events and campaigns. The reactionary government mercilessly persecuted military personnel for participating in revolutionary movement and persistently instilled in them the need, supposedly established by God and religion, to protect the bourgeois-landowner system of Poland and blindly obey its laws.
The main organizing force of the Polish army was the officers and non-commissioned officers. The officer corps was almost entirely selected from persons belonging to the ruling and privileged layers and classes. The leading role in the army among the Polish officers belonged to the Pilsudcians, mainly former legionnaires. In 1939, out of 100 generals, 64 were legionnaires, more than 80 percent of the positions of army inspectors and commanders of Vylo corps districts were filled by Pilsudski’s associates. The most important command positions the army was occupied by people whose military knowledge did not go beyond the experience of the anti-Soviet war of 1920. It was the Piłsudski soldiers who were the most outspoken bearers of the bourgeois-landowner ideology and policies of the reactionary regime in the army.
Since Polish military doctrine considered future war As a predominantly continental war, the main role in it, and consequently in the construction of the armed forces, was assigned to the ground forces. The ground forces included infantry, cavalry, border guard corps, and aviation.
The basis ground forces consisted of infantry divisions, distributed among corps districts. The infantry division consisted of three infantry regiments, a light artillery regiment and a heavy artillery division, support and service units. There were up to 16 thousand people in it. Compared to the German infantry division, it did not have a sufficient amount of artillery (42-48 guns and 18-20 mortars, mostly outdated designs). The division had 27 37-mm anti-tank guns, significantly less than in German division. Was weak and air defense- only four 40-mm anti-aircraft guns.
Polish military theory considered cavalry as the main maneuverable means for achieving decisive goals. The cavalry was supposed to make up for the lack of technical vehicles in the army. It was she, the “queen of the army,” who was entrusted with the task of breaking the enemy’s will to resist, paralyzing him psychologically, and weakening his spirit.
All cavalry formations were consolidated into 11 brigades; The staffing strength of each brigade was 3,427 people. Unlike infantry divisions, the staff of cavalry brigades during the war period remained almost the same as in Peaceful time. The striking force of the cavalry brigade was small: it firepower equal to the force of a fire salvo of one Polish infantry regiment.
The armored forces included: a motorized brigade (formed in 1937), three individual battalions light tanks, several separate reconnaissance tank and armored car companies, as well as armored train units.
The motorized brigade consisted of two regiments, anti-tank and reconnaissance divisions, as well as service units. There were about 2800 people in it. The brigade was armed with 157 machine guns, 34 guns and mortars, and 13 reconnaissance tanks. During the war the brigade was strengthened tank battalion from the reserve of the main command and other units.
In total, in July 1939, the Polish armed forces had 887 light tanks and wedges, 100 armored vehicles, 10 armored trains. The main part of the tank fleet, according to its tactical and technical data, was unsuitable for effective use in combat conditions.
Military aviation consisted of six aviation regiments, two separate aeronautical battalions and two divisions naval aviation. Total in air fleet by the beginning of the war there were 824 combat aircraft of all types, most of them were inferior in their performance characteristics to the main aircraft European countries. In 1939, Polish-made Los bombers with higher flight performance entered service, but by the beginning of the war there were only 44 of them in service.
Aviation was intended primarily to accompany infantry and tanks in battle and cavalry in its raids. However, in all cases, the role of army aviation was reduced mainly to shallow reconnaissance of the enemy, and in some cases - to bomb attacks by his troops. The use of aviation to conduct independent operations was not actually envisaged. The capabilities of bomber aviation were underestimated and were not given due attention.
Naval forces were divided into the navy (ships) and coastal defense. They included 4 destroyers, 5 submarines, a minelayer, 6 minesweepers and 8 coastal defense battalions, armed with 42 field and 26 anti-aircraft guns.
To carry out tasks in the war against fascist Germany the fleet was not ready. It lacked ships for operations in coastal waters, and there were no escort ships. In shipbuilding, the main attention was paid to the construction of expensive heavy ships. The problem of base defense from land and air Polish command didn't attach much importance.
Conducted by the main headquarters in 1935-1936. An analysis of the army's combat effectiveness in comparison with the armies of the USSR, Germany and France showed that the Polish armed forces were at the level of 1914 and lagged significantly behind in all main indicators.
The plan for the modernization and development of the army developed in Poland, designed for six years (1936-1942), provided for a significant strengthening of the main types of armed forces, expansion of industrial and raw materials country bases, construction of defensive structures, etc. However, the absence of a pre-established unified concept for the development and modernization of the army ultimately led to the implementation of only individual measures of this plan.
During the first three years of implementation of this plan, there was only a slight quantitative change in the armament and equipment of the army, but the proportions of the military branches remained the same. All types of weapons and military equipment, with the exception of the materiel of the navy, were largely worn out and outdated. There were not enough planes, tanks, field artillery and small arms.
Thus, the size and organizational structure of the army, its weapons, the system of recruitment, training and education of personnel did not meet the requirements of preparing the country for defense in the conditions of the impending war.
On the eve of the Second World War, the most aggressive group of imperialist states (Germany, Italy, Japan) adopted the doctrine of total, “blitzkrieg” war. This doctrine provided for the mobilization of all the resources of the state and the delivery of sudden lightning strikes on the front and rear of the enemy in order to achieve victory at the earliest possible moment. a short time. The advance militarization of the economy and all public life, the use of surprise in treacherous attacks, bestial cruelty, the establishment of a “new order” in the world, and colonial slavery for the vanquished were put at the service of this strategy.
Another group capitalist states(England, France, USA, Poland), which had a huge economic potential, was guided by military doctrines that leaned more towards a strategy of attrition. As a result, the economic and financial capabilities of England, France and the USA were not used to train armed forces to the same extent as was done in the countries of the fascist bloc.
The fascist German military machine turned out to be much better prepared for the Second World War. Hitler's army, which received high professional training and had an experienced, carefully selected command staff, equipped with the latest military equipment and weapons of that time, posed a mortal threat to humanity.