Polish use of German Tanks and AFVs captured in the Warsaw Uprising 1944

German Panzerkampfwagen M14/41 736(i) (Italian Carro Armato M13/41) medium tank
Single tank captured.
It saw no service.

German Panzerkampfwagen V Panther
Two tanks were captured on August 2nd in Wola district.
Both were pressed into service by "Radoslaw" Group.
One was nicknamed "Pudel" / "Magda".
One was lost on August 8th and second on August 11th.

German Panzerkampfwagen IV or Panzerkampfwagen V Panther
One tank was captured on August 4th in Ochota district.
It was pressed into service by "Gustaw" Company.
It was lost on the same day.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger
One tank was captured on August 4th in Ochota district.
It was pressed into service but was lost on the same day.

German Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer
Hetzer was captured on August 2nd in Srodmiescie district.
It was used as part of a barricade and kept in reserve.
It was nicknamed "Chwat".

Armored Cars

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German Panzerspahwagen BA 202(r) (Soviet FAI) armored car
Single one captured on August 1st in Srodmiescie district.
Saw limited or no service with "Ruczaj" Battalion.

Soviet BA-20M armored car
Single one captured on August 1st in Srodmiescie district.
It was not pressed into service due to technical problems.

Polish Improvised Armored Car "Kubus"

Partially-Armored Car Chevrolet
Armored 3 ton Chevrolet model 157 bank truck used by German Postal service.
It was captured on August 24th in Srodmiescie district.
It saw service until mid-August, when it was damaged by a bomb.


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Armored Personel Carriers

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German Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf D
Single one captured on August 7th in Starowka district.
It saw little or no service.
It was nicknamed "Starowka" ("Old Town").

German Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf D
Single one captured on August 14th in Powisle district.
It was in service with "Krybar" Group - Armored Platoon of Motorized Column "Wydra".
It was nicknamed "Jas" ("Johnny") and later "Szary Wilk" ("Grey Wolf").
It remained in service until the end of resistance in Powisle district on September 6th.



http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pol/polot_2.htm

 

"They had successfully captured two Panther tanks, which were still in working order. Flying the Polish flag, one of them lumbered its way to the outskirts of the Ghetto quarter. A couple of units fled headlong at the mere sight of them, leaving hundreds of prisoners behind, who the Poles now freed. But the Poles, because of the practical considerations mentioned, did not dare to use their two tanks along the actual battle line. The German commanders therefore could disbelieve the story of the captured tanks and thus register them as "gutted." Despite minor successes on both sides, therefore, the general position in Wola remained basically the same as evening fell."

http://www.poloniatoday.com/uprising6.htm

 

Too bad they could not make better use of these in the uprising.

 

Im surprised also that there were Captured Italian tanks being used by the Germans on the Eastern Front that late in the war.

 

Hetzer captured by the Poles and used as a barricade during the Warsaw Uprising 1944.

 

Panther

 

Wow, I never say this thread originally.

I knew the Warsaw uprising, was a large one and that the Polish captured some German tanks and otehr AFV's but I didn't know that it went to that extent, wow.

They almost had a little army there, far more then the normal partisans that the Germans weould have been used to subduing.

 

Tomcat. There were a few partisan/resistance groups that had an armored element of some type. Most using captured vehicles. So the Germans did have a little experience with that.

 

One of the more well known units,

The 1st tank battalion was formed at Carovigno (Italy) where future Yugoslav tank crews were transferred and it was designated officially as Motorized Battalion. The Allies required the Yugoslavs to move to Egypt where suitable conditions for their training were. The Yugoslavs really moved to training base of British VII Army in Egypt till the end of March 1944 and started their training that was going on till April 28,1944. The battalion was divided during training to 6 companies, instructors were British officers and interpreters were Canadians of Yugoslav origin. A training of next group of Yugoslav tank crews took place from the end of April till May 17, 1944. The whole battalion appeared at partisan base Gravina di Puglia (Italy) on June 12, 1944. Yet the 3rd group joined two groups trained in Egypt that was necessary to be trained at site in improvised conditions.

The Allies started to supply tanks, armored vehicles, scout vehicles, trucks, ammunition, fuel and equipment based on the agreement with Tito´s HQ in July 1944. It was decided to establish the 1st Tank Brigade in Gravina di Puglia on 16 July, 1944. The brigade had 2003 men (graduates of Tank school and internist, mostly from Croatia and Slovenia liberated from Italian camps by Allied advance in Italy), 56 tanks and 24 armored vehicles in service. The brigade consisted of 3 tank battalions with two tank companies each, each company had three platoons with 3 tanks each, rear company and antiaircraft battery. The battalion of armored vehicles (armored battalion) was also a part of this brigade. Members of brigade that left in training unit finally left the brigade and went to the USSR to be retrained for Soviet military warfare. They were altogether 600 men.

British ships transported the first part of the 1st Tank Brigade on Vis island in the beginning of September 1944 were it was used to secure the island and Tito's HQ against possible invasion. In the beginning of its existence the brigade was under command of Tito´s HQ. Brigade moved to Brač island. Later it was divided and its part was subordinated to 26th Attack Division that operated on large Dalmatian coast. This part of brigade was divided to the Northern and Southern Groups.

The Northern Group consisted of the 2nd Tank Battalion, a half of 3rd Tank Battalion and a company of armored vehicles. The Southern Group consisted of the 1st Tank Battalion, a half of 3rd Tank Battalion and a company of armored vehicles. The staff of the Southern Group attached armored vehicles to the individual tank companies during combat missions.

The Northern Group landed on the mainland during night 23/24 November near Omiš and participated in fighting's for Split, Šibenik, Drniš and took part in the large scale battle of Knin in the end November. The enemy concentrated here 12 500 soldiers and also 20 tanks. The Yugoslavs put 25 tanks and 11 armored cars to the battle. A co-operation between tanks and infantry was dull in Knin operation. The tank units lost 4 tanks and 1 armored vehicle here. The Southern Group appeared in Dubrovnik in November 1944 to took part large scale operation of Yugoslav Army against Mostar. A target of this operation was to close roads of retreat from Monte Negr* for the enemy. The Tito´s HQ withdrew also the Northern Group of the 1st Tank Brigade to an area of combat to encircle the enemy from The West and North while the Southern Group encircled it from the East. Altogether 60 tanks and 25 armored vehicles took part. Bloody combats launched in surroundings of Mostar in February 1945 (Mostar Operation) that claimed also losses of tank warfare.

The 1st Tank brigade was reorganized after operation of Yugoslav Army against Mostar. The command of brigade wait for a delivery of new tanks and decided to form the independent 4th Tank Battalion from a part of the 3rd Tank Battalion. The battalion of armored cars was not established and armored vehicles were left as an escort of tanks in the individual companies of tank battalions. The 1st Tank Brigade had 1600 men, 75 tanks and 23 armored vehicles in March 1945. Some Stuart tanks was not able for further combat and they were used as towing vehicles or their turrets were removed and anti-tank 75 mm Pak 40 L/48 gun or 20 mm Flakviering 38 quadruple or 82 mm mine-thrower was installed instead of it. Seven vehicles were adapted in such way.

The 1st Tank Brigade became a part of 4th Army of Yugoslav Army and from 20 March 1945 fights in area of Lika. In fighting's near Tounj on 13. April 1945, Germans counterattack with four "panthers" (T-34 in reality), but one AEC, commanded by August Begusha, manages destroy one "panther" by first hitting its barrel and then making two hits on turret - destroyed "panther" was commanded by Captain Albert Pihler.

After combat in Lika makes breakthrough through difficult terrain of Gorski Kotar towards Ilirska Bistrica (Rijeka operation) and on 29 April 1945 advances along direction of Ilirska Bistrica-Divača-Villa Opicina in only 15 hours across 110 km of rough terrain and arrives in Trst (Trieste) suburbs.

The brigade had 93 killed and 195 wounded in combats on Yugoslav territory. It lost 33 tanks and 5 armored vehicles, 31 tanks and 2 armored cars were damaged. The work shop of brigade succeeded to do general overhauls at 43 tanks and 5 armored vehicles.

http://www.vojska.net/ww2/yugoslavia/brigade/1tank/default.asp

 

"While guerrilla warfare usually centres around light, mobile forces, at least one guerrilla force has used tanks. These were Yugoslav partisans, who at first used captured Italian tanks against Italians and Germans using captured French tanks. By 1944, the partisans had 50 captured tanks in running condition. Later that year, the British supplied 56 light tanks and 24 armoured cars, which reached Yugoslavia in November of 1944. The Russians equipped a partisan unit with 65 T.34's, heavy tanks which caused the Germans much grief. When the Wehrmacht finally evacuated the Balkans, they had to do so in great haste, lest they be trapped by guerrilla armoured units--an unheard of situation."

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/3351/misc.html

 

Polish started Warsaw Uprising because they gone give time to Russians and ather Poles to get to the river and help the but they did not help wich is sad.

 

Polish use motor bike for seding mails to the command. One of Polish Home Army armor units was "Parasol" this unit had motor bikes, cars, tracks and Half-Tracks.

 

Panther in Warsaw

 

You might want to check your facts. One can not capture a tank that was damaged a week earlier by a bomb (mid-August would be 10th - 20th of August, while they only captured it on the 24th).

 

Hmmmm. Ill have to look that up. Perhaps it meant that the armored car was captured by the Germans on the 24th.

 

Polish SdKfz 251

 

Supposedly "An Italian Fiat M14/41 captured by the Germans and then captured by the Polish Home Army."