Polish People's Army

World War II

What became the LWP was formed during World War II, in May 1943, as the 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division, which developed into the First Polish Army, unofficially known as Berling's Army. Because of the shortage of Polish officers and the policies of the Soviet Union, in March 1945 Soviet Red Army officers accounted for nearly 52% of the officer corps (15,492 out of 29,372). Around 4,600 of them remained in the LWP by July 1946.^[7]

It was not the only Polish formation that fought on the Allied side, nor the first one formed in the East. The earlier Polish force formed in the Soviet Union, known as Anders' Army, was loyal to the Polish government-in-exile and by that time had moved to Iran. The communist-led Polish forces soon grew beyond the 1st Division into two major commands – the First Polish Army (initially under Zygmunt Berling) and the Second Polish Army (commanded by Karol Świerczewski). The First Polish Army participated in the Vistula–Oder Offensive, the Battle of Kolberg and the final Battle of Berlin.^[1]

Immediate post-war years

After the war the Polish Army was reorganized into six (later seven) military districts. These were the Warsaw Military District, headquartered (HQ) in Warsaw, the Lublin Military District, HQ in Lublin, the Kraków Military District, HQ in Kraków, the Łódź Military District, HQ in Łódź, the Poznań Military District, HQ in Poznań, the Pomeranian Military District, HQ in Toruń, and the Silesian Military District, HQ in Katowice.^{[citation needed]}

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Polish Army was under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland and Minister of Defense of Poland Konstantin Rokossovsky. It was increasingly integrated into Soviet military structure and organization. This process was mitigated in the aftermath of the Polish October of 1956, when Władysław Gomułka formalized aspects of Poland's military relationship with the Soviet Union.^[8] The Sovietization of the armed forces structure was phased out altogether and thus the combat and service support structures were integrated once more into regular combat formations following the old Polish model.

Cold War

An anti-Zionist purge in the Polish Army took place in 1968 to systematically remove soldiers of Jewish origin, following the Six-Day War between Israel and Arab countries.

Uniform

In 1949, the first fundamental uniform reform after the war was made.^[9] The "Dress Rules for the Soldiers of the Polish Army" were introduced and were to apply from January 1, 1951.

In the Polish People's Army, a soft field cap modeled on the pre-war one was introduced. After the war, the pre-war garrison caps were used again. Stiffened caps were only worn until around 1950 when they were completely replaced by round caps. In 1982, the Polish Rogatywka, modeled on the pattern from 1935, were restored in the Polish Army's Representative Company.^[10]

In the late 1950s, camouflaged field uniforms were introduced, starting with:

• wz. 58 "deszczyk" – used since 1958 to 1968.^[11]
• wz. 68 "moro" – used since 1968 to 1989.^[11]
• wz. 89 "puma" – incompletely implemented in 1989.^[11]

Chaplaincy

Throughout the entire period of the existence of the Polish People's Army, its officers and soldiers were provided with pastoral care. Such a service was provided by the General Dean's Office of the Polish Army.^[12]

Battle Honours

For Warsaw
For Battle of Berlin

Training

In the 1980s, the Polish People's Republic had 4 military academies and 11 higher officers' schools, which trained auxiliary corpsmen and corresponded in rank to higher educational institutions. In 1954, judo instructors from the Warsaw and Kraków institutes of physical culture, participated in the training program for border guards and military personnel of the airborne units of the Polish army.^[13]

Ground Forces

More information Tank, Origin ...

Tank	Origin	Version	In service	Notes
T-60	Soviet Union		3 pcs. - 1944-1945[20][21]	After the war, several pieces were sent to military schools.[22]
T-70	Soviet Union		53 pcs. - 1944-1945[23]	Some of the tanks used after 1945 by the Internal Security Corps.[24]
T-34	Soviet Union	1940, 1941, 1942, 1943[25]	118 pcs. - 1944-1945[26]	According to Magnuski, many different versions of the T-34 vehicle were used, both early production and modernized ones.[27]
T-34-85	Soviet Union Polish People's Republic	M1, M2[28]	328 pcs. - 1944–1945. 1083 pcs. - 1955, 1444 pcs. - 1960, 417 pcs. - 1985[29]	Domestically produced 1355 pcs. between 1952 and 1956. In 1985, the military had 417 pieces of M1, M2 versions.[30]
PT-76	Soviet Union	PT-76, PT-76B[31]	68 pcs. - 1965, 108 pcs. - 1970, 112 pcs. - 1985, 30 pcs. 1990[32]	Some of the tanks were modernized in Poland by adding a DSzK HMG above the loader's hatch.[33]
T-54	Soviet Union Polish People's Republic	A, AD, AM, AM1, AM2, T-55U[34]	1258 pcs. - 1965, 998 pcs. - 1970[35]	Between 1956 and 1964, 2,000 T-54 tanks were produced under license in Poland.[36]
T-55	Soviet Union Polish People's Republic	A, AD, AD-1, AD-2, AM, AD1M, AD2M, AMS[37]	128 pcs. - 1965, 956 pcs. - 1970, 2653 pcs., 2100 pcs. - 1990[38]	Between 1964 and 1980, 5,000 T-55s were produced. Most of it was exported.[39]
T-72	Soviet Union Polish People's Republic	M, M1[40]	317 pcs. - 1985, 700 pcs. - 1990[41]	In the years 1981–1990, Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy produced approximately 1,600 T-72 tanks.[42]
IS-2	Soviet Union	M[43]	50 pcs. - 1944–1945,[44][45] 180 pcs. - 1955, 75 pcs. - 1960[46]	Withdrawn from use in the 1960s.[47]
IS-3	Soviet Union		2 or 3 pcs.[48]	Brought for testing purposes. They did not come into use. Two copies have been preserved in museums in Poznań and Warsaw.[49]

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More information TD/SPG, Origin ...

TD/SPG	Origin	Version	In service	Notes
SU-57	USA Soviet Union	SPG	15 pcs. - 1944–1945,[50] Few pcs. survived war.[51]	Withdrawn from use in the 1950s.[52]
SU-76	Soviet Union	SPG	130 pcs. - 1944–1945,[53] 206 pcs. - 1955.[54]	Withdrawn from use in the 1950s.[55]
SU-85	Soviet Union	TD	70 pcs. - 1944–1945,[56] 51 pcs. - 1955, 43 pcs. - 1960[57]	Withdrawn from use in the 1960s.[58]
SU-100	Soviet Union	TD	At least 3 pcs. - 1943-1945[59]	Withdrawn from use in the 1950s.[60]
ISU-122S	Soviet Union	SPG	32 pcs. – 1944–1945,[61] 399 pcs. (together with ISU-152) – 1955, 49 pcs. – 1960[62]	Withdrawn from use in the 1960s.[63]
SU-152	Soviet Union	SPG	3 pcs. - 1944-1945[64]
ISU-152	Soviet Union	SPG	10 pcs. – 1944–1945,[65] 399 pcs. (together with ISU-122S) – 1955[66]	Withdrawn from use in the 1950s.[67]
ASU-85	Soviet Union	SPG	20-30 pcs. - 1965-1975[68]	Withdrawn from use in the second half of 1970s.[69]
2S1 Goździk	Soviet Union Polish People's Republic	SPG	166 pcs. - 1985, 490 pcs. - 1990[70]	Licensed production launched in the 1980s at Huta Stalowa Wola.[71]
wz.77 DANA	Czechoslovak Socialist Republic	SPG		The first copies appeared in WP in the mid-1980s.[72]

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More information APC/IFV, Origin ...

APC/IFV	Origin	Version	In service	Notes
BWP-1	Soviet Union Polish People's Republic	IFV	1 400[73]
BMP-2	Soviet Union	IFV	62[74]	Sold to Angola after communism fell in country.[75]
MT-LB	Soviet Union	APC	15	[76]
TOPAS	Czechoslovakia Polish People's Republic	WPT-TOPAS, -2AP, R-2, R-3[77]	120 pcs. - 1968, 70 pcs. - 1990[77]	Jointly developed by Poland and Czechoslovakia[78]
SKOT	Czechoslovakia Polish People's Republic	-1A, -2A, S-260 Art, S-260 Inż., -WPT, -2AP, R-1, R-2, R2M, R2AM, R-3, R-3M, R-3AM, R-4, R-6[77]	548 pcs. - 1966 2 500 total production form Polish Army[79]	Jointly developed by Poland and Czechoslovakia between 1963 and 1971.[77]
BTR-60	Soviet Union	PU-12[80]		Included with the 9K33 Osa SAM system delivered between 1980 and 1985.[80]
BRDM-1	Soviet Union			The first ones entered the army in the 1960s[77]
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	9P133, 9P148, RS, 9P31[78]	800 pcs. - 1990[77]
FUG	Hungarian People's Republic			The first ones entered the army in the 1960s[78]

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Air Force

More information Model, Origin ...

Model	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Lim-1	Polish People's Republic	Fighter	227	[81]
Lim-2	Polish People's Republic	Fighter	500	[81]
Lim-5	Polish People's Republic	Fighter	477	[82]
MiG-19	Soviet Union	Fighter	33	[83]
MiG-21	Soviet Union	Fighter	600	[84]
MiG-23	Soviet Union	Fighter	40	[84]
MiG-29	Soviet Union	Fighter	12	[84]
Sukhoi Su-7	Soviet Union	Attack Aircraft	50	[84]
Su-20	Soviet Union	Attack Aircraft	40	[85]
Sukhoi Su-22	Soviet Union	Attack Aircraft	110	[85]
Ilyushin Il-28	Soviet Union	Bomber	80	[85]
Antonov An-2	Soviet Union	Transport	N/A	[85]
Antonov An-26	Soviet Union	Transport	20
Ilyushin Il-14	Soviet Union	Transport	30
Mil Mi-8	Soviet Union	Helicopter	80
Mil Mi-2	Soviet Union	Helicopter	200	[86]
Mil Mi-24	Soviet Union	Attack helicopter	40

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Artillery

Air defense

Artillery tractors

• Mazur D-350
• ATS-59
• AT-T

Utility vehicles

• Willys MB
• Gaz-67
• Gaz-69
• UAZ-469
• FSC Lublin-51
• Gaz-66
• Ził-130
• Ził-131
• Ził-157
• KrAZ-255
• Star 28/29
• Star 66
• Star 660
• Star 200
• Star 244
• Star 266