Quote:
Originally posted by Stellan Bojerud
In 1939 Poland had 12 Tank Bns. Germany had 33.
The Polish Bns were dissolved and Coys attached to Infantry Divisions. Only 3 Polish Tank Bns were retained.
The Germans however did it the other way and organized their Tank Bns in 6 Armoured Divisions and 4 Light Divisions.
Numbers:
Tanks with only MGs. Poland 625, Germany 1.145.
Tanks with 20 mm guns. Poland 24, Germany 1.223.
These could be disregarded as beeing too weak. The Germans considered PzKw I and PzKw II as Exerzierpanzer or just training tanks.
Tanks with 37 or 47 mm guns. Poland 257, Germany 98.
Of the Polish tanks with 37 mm guns 112 were however obsolescent French WW 1 vintage FT-17. But Poland had 135 modern tanks.
The Germans also had 211 PzKw IV with 75 mm guns. These guns were short and suitable to combat against Infantry but less effective against tanks.
The Polish Army had 1.300 37 mm Anti-Tank guns m/34 Bofors that could penetrate all German tanks frontally at a distance of 1.000 meter except PzKw IV wich could be penetrated except for the front at that distance.
The 37 mm AT-gun did however penetrate PzKw IV frontally at a range of 700 meters.
Photo: The best tank in the September 1939 campaign. Polish 7TPjw - 95 extant.
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7TP had diesel engine,that means it was less flammable than german tanks.Before and during the 2nd World War only Russians and Poles were building tanks with diesel engines,even germany engineers were unable to project and produce diesel engines for their tanks.