POLAND - 1939

ARMY

Individual weapons

Pistols: Vis 36 Model 35 caliber 9 mm

Rifles: Polish Mauser K 98 caliber 7.92 mm

Hand bombs: Defensive, offensive and smoke

Automatic weapons

Submachine guns: Mors 1939 caliber 9 mm

Automatic rifles: Browning 29 caliber 7.92 mm

Machine guns: Browning 30 caliber 7.92 mm, Model 38 caliber 20 mm

Mortars and grenade launchers

Mortar 1918 caliber 81 mm, Skoda 220/19 mm mortar (a), Model 36 grenade launcher caliber 46 mm

Antitank weapons

Light: Ur 1935 antitank carbine caliber 7.92 mm, Model 38 machine gun caliber 20 mm

Heavy: Bofors cannon caliber 37 mm (b)

Self-propelled: At the outbreak of the war no series motorized pieces were in service

Artillery

Cannons: Of 75/30 mm (d), 75/36 mm, 105/28 mm, 105/31 mm and 120/27 mm (c); antiaircraft cannons Bofors 40/56 mm (b) and 75/50 mm

Howitzers: Skoda of 100/47 mm (a) and Schneider of 155/15 mm (c)

Armored vehicles

574 light tanks TK of 2.43 t, TKS of 2.7 t and Vickers of 7.3 t (e), 102 light tanks R 17 (f), 211 light tanks 7TP of 9 t (national production), all for a total of 887 armored vehicles, plus 10 armored trains

Chemical weapons

Flamethrowers: No evidence of models in service

(a) Czechoslovak production.

(b) German production.

(c) French production.

(d) Russian production.

(e) British production.

(f) Without actual military value.

NOTE: The situation of the weapons of the Polish Army is given with date of 1 September 1939. The list does not consider the blade weapons reglamentary in the cavalry, as for example the Model 1934 ordnance sabre or the spears.

NAVY

Destroyers

Blyzkawica, Grom of 2144 t, Burza, Wicher of 1540 t

Torpedo boats

Mazur of 420 t, Podhalanin, Slazak of 365 t, Kujawiak of 335 t

Minelayer ships

Gryf of 2227 t

Minesweeper ships

6 units of 183 t

Submarines

Orzel, Sep of 1110/1473 t, Rys, Zbik, Wilk of 980/1250 t

Gunboats

Komendant Pilsudski, General Haller of 342 t

River gunboats

5 units of 100 to 200 t, 3 units of 32 t

River monitors

4 units of 110 t, 2 units of 69 t

River motorboats

1 unit of 24 t, 32 units of 16 to 24 t

AIR FORCE

Fighter aircraft

PZL P-7a, PZL P-11c, PZL P-24F

Bomber aircraft

Potez XXV (French license), PZL-23B, PZL-43B and PZL-46, all for ground attack or light bombing; PZL-37B for heavy bombing

Reconnaissance aircraft

R-XIIID, RWD-14, LWS-3; for training and liaison: RWD-8, RWD-13, PWS-26; R-XIII seaplane of the Navy

Transport aircraft

Fokker F-VII (Dutch license), Lockheed L-14H (American license)

NOTE: At the outbreak of the hostilities the Polish aviation had about 800 aircraft, but those considered to be suitable for war were only 463, among them 159 fighters. At the end of the fight about 356 aircraft had been destroyed (either in combat or in the ground), and about 98 managed to flee to neighboring non-belligerent countries. The losses of the Luftwaffe rose to 285 aircraft destroyed and 279 damaged.