POLISH ARMORED UNITS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006700290006-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 19, 2008
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: June 20, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/08/19: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006700290006-4
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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COUNTRY koland
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 20 June 1955
NO. OF PAGES 3
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
This is UNEVALUATED Information
1. Deployment of Tank Units
Polish armored units are deployed almost entirely along Poland's western
frontier. The following tank units have been identified:
Trzebiatow A battalion of medium tanks, a unit of the 35th
(Treptow an der Rega) Mechanized Regiment.
A battalion of heavy tanks.
A rocket artillery battalion which has eight to ten trucks
equipped with rocket launchers.
A heavy tank battalion., quartered in a former
insane asylum tea kilometers from Trzbiatow in 1952.
Slupsk (Stolp): 9th Medium Tank Regiment, including a unit of
heavy tanks.
Gubin (Gubin): A battalion of heavy tanks.
Zagan ('Saran) or Ziry: 6th Heavy Tank Regiment.
(Sorau in Nieder-Lausitz)
Czarne (Hammerstein) near
Szczecinek (Neustettin): A large concentration of armored units in the
surrounding woods; the following units are stationed
in this area:
1lst Tank Artillery Regiment equipped with 122-mm
guns. The following officers of this regiment are known:
Major Suminski i,fnu)
Captain Kulesza (fnu
Captain Baranowski (fnu)
Soviet Major Mazurkiewicz ,fnu)., who was assigned
to this this post from the Moscow Military Academy;
speaks poor Polish.
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(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by
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Wroclaw (Breslau):
Opole (Oppeln):
Gliwice (Glaiwitz):
Szczecin (Stettin)z
Bydgoszcz:
Poznan:
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A heavy tank regiment.
A heavy tank regiment.
A small tank detachment; not further identified.
A tank reconnaissance regiment.
A tank artillery and a reconnaissance group.
Two tank battalions, one of which is a training
battalion using all types of tanks and tank ar tillery
of various calibers, namely SU-122mm, SU-100mm,
SU--8 mm, and SU-75mm.
Warsaw-Bemowo: Two training companies using all types of tanks.
Swietochiowice,
Upper Silesia: Large military renovating and repair shops for
armored equipment.
2. Organization of
Detachments
Company:
Regiment:
Division:
heavy tanks, JS-2 type, plus the remaining
3. Components of a Medium Tank Regiment
Three battalions, each having a total of 31 tanks.
Two infantry battalions of tank infantrymen.
One technical maintenance company.
One telephone communications company.
One antitank artillery detachment.
One antiaircraft artillery detachment.
A medical company.
One company or battalion of combat engineers.
A chemical warfare company.
4. Personnel of a T-3L Tank Crew
Tank commander
Gun commander
Gun loader
Mechanic
Assistant mechanic or rifleman
Equipment
Polish armored units are outfitted primarily with T-34 medium tanks and heavy
JS-2 tanks. All are well known Soviet types, some of which have been recently
improved. With the exception of the motors, the origin of which is not known,
the production of component parts and the assembling of the tanks is done in
Poland, for the most part at the Josef Stalin Works, former Labedy (Laband)
Foundry. Component parts and armor plates are delivered by the Zabrze (Hindenburg)
and Bobrek foundries; artillery equipment by the Stalawa Wola Foundry and a plant
in Poznan.
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Armored Units - Medium Tanks
Three tanks.
Three detachments; nine tanks plus the tank of the
commanding officer.
Three companies plus one tank of the commanding officer.
Three battalions plus a tank each for the commanding
officer and his representative for political affairs.
Three regiments of medium tanks and one battalion of
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6. T-34 Tank Equipment
85-mm or 100 mm gun.
Three machine guns, KMDTM type, two of which are coupled.
25 hand grenades.
Rocket pistols.
TSZ-15 or 17 target device; the latter model has been improved so that
it can be set from the turret by the tank commander and thereby relieves
the gun commander.
Target device for the front, coupled TPU-8T machine guns.
Field glasses B-6/6x binoculars (sic).
Ammunition for each exercise and a set of rockets.
An improved radio unit.
An improved mechanism for mounting an auxiliary caterpillar drive by
an estimated 15 cm. After mounting this auxiliary caterpillar drive
the tank can be used in marsh lands.-
7. Personnel
a, Recruits for the armored forces are drawn from the industrial areas,
primarily from Upper Silesia, for a three-year tour of duty. A
majority of the recruits complete training at a non-commissioned
officers? school.
b. The officer corps of the armored service is comprised of Poles up to
the level of regimental commander. Regimental commanders are, with
few exceptions, Russian graduates of the Moscow Military Academy.
They have Polish names and uniforms, but in most cases speak poor Polish.
8. Morale
Professional officers must adapt themselves to conditions in order to have
some semblance of a normal career. Promotions depend to a considerable degree
on membership in the Party. In reality, a majority are not sympathetic to
the Party. As proof, the fact may be cited that, among other things, officers
do listen to Western radio broadcasts insofar as the local situation permits.
Reserve officers and soldiers may be considered a mirror of the Polish people,
which can scarcely be considered Communist. Regular Army officers, except
for unit commanders and political officers, are not allowed to carry firearms
off duty.
9. Other Troop Uxait s
a. In 19539 Polish infantry units were completely mechanized. There are
now in use a variety of trucks, primarily GAS-50 and GAS-51, which are
manufactured in Lublin. These trucks have a capacity for 20 men or four
heavy Maxim machine guns including the men required to service these weapons.
One exception is an infantry division stationed in Tarnow or Krakow, which
at present is in training at the training grounds in Lipie on. the San.2
This division is scheduled for operations in woods and marshes.
b. The Polish Air Force is almost completely equipped with jet aircraft.
Jet pursuit squadrons are stationed in Slupsk, Modlin, and Bydgoszcz.
Comment: Probably Lipie (N 49-18, E 22-42).
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