Introduction
Once again, before going into the subject at hand, it
is required to make a few notes. My knowledge of the Polish language is
non-existent. The following has been translated using online translation tools,
which as anyone who has ever used them will know, are finicky tools. Where
possible, I have consulted native speakers, but the translation should be used
with caution.
Prologue
Directly opposing the German 1939 Schützenzug (Rifle
Platoon) during the invasion of Poland is the Polish Pluton Strzelecki. It was
under this organisation that the Poles held out for over a month, fighting both
Nazi-Germany, and from 17 September on, the Soviet Union.
The main source which is used is a Polish site, http://wp39.struktury.net/pulk-piechoty-pluton-strzelecki-1939.html, dedicated to 1939 organisational structures.
The rifle platoon
The “pluton strzelecki”, or rifle platoon, contains 3
“drużyna strzelecka”, or rifle squads, each of 19 men, plus a headquarters
element of 6 men for a total of 63 men. These 63 men consist of 1 officer, 8
non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and 54 enlisted men.
Starting with the headquarters element, it is made up
of 1 officer, 2 NCOs, and 3 enlisted men. The platoon commander (Dowódca
Plutonu) is typically a Porucznik or Podporucznik, which is the approximate
equivalent of a Lieutenant and 2nd Lieutenant respectively. Should
the commander fall in battle, a Second-in-Command (Zastępcą Dowódcy) is
available, who holds the rank of Sierżant, or Sergeant. The officer himself is
supported by a batman (Ordynans), holding the rank of Szeregowy (Private).
The platoon HQ is completed by an observer (Obserwator),
supply wagon driver (Woźnicą Biedki Amunicyjnej [i]), and “sharpshooter” (Strzelec Wyborowy), who actually functions as an
anti-tank rifleman. Their ranks are Kapral (Lance Corporal), Szeregowy
(Private), and Starszy Szeregowy (Private First Class) respectively.
On paper, the armament consisted of 1 pistol, 1 rifle,
3 carbines, and 1 anti-tank rifle.
A compass and pair of binoculars were carried by both
the platoon commander and second-in-command, the batman carried a pair of
binoculars as well, whilst the observer carried a flare pistol in addition to
his binoculars.
To summarize the above clearly:
Role
|
Rank
|
Equipment
|
Platoon
Commander
|
Lieutenant
|
Compass, binoculars
|
Second-in-Command
|
Sergeant
|
Compass, binoculars
|
Batman
|
Private
|
Binoculars
|
Observer
|
Lance
Corporal
|
Flare pistol, binoculars
|
Supply
Wagon Driver
|
Private
|
|
Sharpshooter
/ Anti-Tank Rifleman
|
Private
First Class
|
It should be noted that there is some uncertainty over
the role of the batman and observer. It has been said in some sources that the
batman acted as a runner, and that the anti-tank rifleman was assisted in
operating his heavy weapon. Whether it is safe to assume this task was done by
the observer remains the question.
The squad
The rifle squad stands out for its large size, 19 men,
compared to the 13 of the German equivalent. This is not uncommon for early war
tables of organization and equipment, and as the war progresses, squads and
platoons have a tendency to become smaller.
The squad leader (Dowódca Drużyny) holds the rank of
corporal (Plutonowy), and is assisted by a deputy or assistant squad leader (Zastępca
Drużyny) who holds the rank of lance corporal (Kapral).
The squad itself was divided into two groups, which
are discussed below.
The rifle group
The rifle group consisted of 13 riflemen, all of whom
are privates (Szeregowy) except for two senior riflemen who hold the rank of
private first class (Starszy Szeregowy).
The ammunition allotment for riflemen was 60 rounds in
pouches, plus 2 boxes of 15 rounds each in the breadbag. All rounds except 5
were S cartridges, with 5 rounds being armour piercing P cartridges.
All riflemen in the rifle group carried 3 grenades,
one of which was the wz. 33 “defensive” grenade (I.e. fragmentation grenade),
whilst the other two were wz. 24 grenades, of an “offensive” or blast
construction. [ii]
The light machine gun group
The single automatic weapon of the squad, the Wz. 28, a variant of the Browning Automatic Rifle, was served by 4 men. The team leader (Karabinowy r.k.m.) held the rank of private first class (Starszy Szeregowy), whilst the gunner and two ammunition bearers were privates (Szeregowy).
The single automatic weapon of the squad, the Wz. 28, a variant of the Browning Automatic Rifle, was served by 4 men. The team leader (Karabinowy r.k.m.) held the rank of private first class (Starszy Szeregowy), whilst the gunner and two ammunition bearers were privates (Szeregowy).
The light machine gun was allotted 1040 rounds, 40 of
which was armour piercing.
500 rounds were carried by the men in a combination of
gunner pouches, breadbags, and magazine bags, whilst the rest, including the
armour piercing munition, was stored in the supply wagon.
The gunner himself carried 5 20-round magazines in his
pouches, with one pocket of his pouches being used to store tools. The team
leader and ammunition bearers carried standard pouches for their carbines, with
the ammunition bearers additionally carrying 2 magazine bags of 5 magazines
each, for a total of 200 rounds per ammunition bearer.
Armament
The Polish rifle platoon uses the following weapons:
Role
|
Weapon
|
Platoon
Commander
|
Wz. 35 “Vis”
|
Second-in-Command
|
3× Wz. 29, 1× Wz. 98
|
Batman
|
|
Observer
|
|
Supply Wagon Driver
|
|
Sharpshooter / Anti-Tank Rifleman
|
Wz. 35 Karabin Przeciwpancerny
|
(Assistant) Squad Leader
|
Wz. 98
|
(Senior) Rifleman
|
Wz. 98
|
LMG Team Leader
|
Wz. 29
|
LMG Gunner
|
Wz. 28
|
LMG Ammunition Bearer
|
Wz. 29
|
A few notes should be made regarding the above table.
As the site points out, the personal arm for the officer was not available,
i.e. there were no pistols in the platoon. This makes it likely the officer
carried a carbine instead. Furthermore, there is no certainty regarding which
soldier of the platoon HQ carried what weapon. Wikipedia states that the rifle
squad has 15 Wz. 98 rifles and 3 Wz. 29 carbines, which means 1 rifle and 3
carbines are left to be distributed.
The armament of the Polish platoon can generally be
regarded as more than adequate. The Wz. 98 rifles (karabinów) and 29 carbines (karabinków)
are based on the Mauser action, and can be seen as equivalents to the Gewehr 98
and Karabiner 98 Kurz respectively.
 |
| Wz. 29 Carbine |
The Wz. 28 R.K.M. (Light machine gun) is a variant of
the Browning Automatic Rifle, which differs most significantly in the fact that
it has a pistol grip and is chambered for 7.92×57mm Mauser as opposed to .30-06
Springfield. [iii]
 |
| Wz. 35 "Vis" Pistol |
As a standard issue pistol for officers, the Wz. 35
“Vis” was used. It is a fairly typical Browning design with a slide, and
carried 8 rounds of 9×19mm Parabellum in the magazine.
Finally, a “secret” weapon codenamed “Urugwaj” was
issued, the Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle. Although anti-tank rifles would quickly
become obsolete as armour became increasingly thicker, the Wz. 35 was capable
of successfully engaging all German tanks of the period at short ranges,
including the Panzer I, II, as well as captured Czech tanks. [iv]
The rifle and machine gun ammunition used by the
Polish forces were copies of the German variants in use. Two ball cartridges,
designated S and SC were used, and were equivalent to the German S and sS
Patrone. An armour-piercing P round was also used, being based on the SmK
Patrone. [v]
Conclusion
The Polish rifle platoon can be regarded as an
adequate formation, more than capable of holding its own in battle. The biggest
difference compared to the German platoon was perhaps the machine gun, with the
Wz. 28 being largely inferior to the German MG34. Compared to the MG34, the Wz.
28 lacked belt-feeding or barrel-changing capabilities, severely limiting
firepower. It should however be noted that many German rifle platoons went into
Poland still equipped with MG08/15 machine guns, which are rather cumbersome
weapons.
With regards to rifles and carbines, nothing jumps
out. The Polish Mauser wa
s a bolt-action like many others, and this pattern of
rifle would see continued use up to the very last days of World War II.
It is interesting to note that the Polish platoon was
equipped with an anti-tank rifle, something which cannot be said of the German
platoon until after the Polish campaign. It seems like high praise indeed, that
after Poland up until 1943, the Germans would issue 3 anti-tank rifles per company.
There were no mortars organic to the platoon, as fire
support was provided by the company’s “drużyna granatników” (Mortar team). [vi] Although I have
found no particular information as to their usefulness, the fact that these
mortars throw bombs even lighter than the German 50mm LeGrW leads me to believe
that their effectiveness cannot have been exceptionally good, quite to the
contrary. [vii]
One of the criticism that can be made against the
Polish platoon organization is the size of the squads and their comparatively
low firepower, as out of 19 men only one is equipped with an automatic weapon, for
which 1040 rounds were carried. For comparison, a German squad of 13 would have
an MG34 with 2500 rounds of ammunition.
In the next posts, we will consider the 1940
formations of the Dutch, Belgian, French, and British armies during the Battle
of France, as well as discuss the changes the Germans made to their platoon
following experience in Poland.
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Sources
Sources for pictures
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