Armored Trains, their history, and the campaign in Poland in 1939

Hello everyone,

Today we share what is hopefully the first blog post covering some of the historical background on our upcoming Panzer Campaigns title: Poland ’39.

For those that are unaware, we announced the next Panzer Campaigns title, Poland '39 in our recent 2024 End of Year Review. The response has certainly been positive, if even surprised that we are covering the whole campaign.

Mike Prucha is the Poland ’39 developer, and long-term players know Mike for the new and revised ‘WDS’ scenarios for Panzer Campaigns: France ’40 and for the entirely new title, Panzer Campaigns: Scheldt ’44. Mike took the time to share the background and new features included in that latter title, before release.

The overall game research and references, Belgian resistance forces, and the Designer notes were all discussed and shared before Scheldt ’44 was released.

Today’s blog post covers off another off beat, yet fascinating feature that was to play a role in the Polish Campaign. Mike below covers the history of armored trains, their role in the invasion of Poland and how they have been represented in game, in this 8,000-word essay.

Introduction

 

Historic Overview

 

Armored trains trace their origins to the 19^th century. Confronted with revolution, the Austrian military fielded the first armored wagons in 1848. During the American Civil War, in which railroads were critical to the movement of troops and supplies, both the Union and Confederate armies experimented with “ironclad” rail wagons. Armored rail artillery batteries participated in the Seven Days’ Battles and the Siege of Vicksburg, and armored wagons outfitted with canons provided protection to supply trains. During the Franco-Prussian War, two armored wagons, each armed with a 140mm gun, defended Paris during the siege. Armored wagons continued to be refined through the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and were fielded during the Boer Wars, the Russo-Japanese War, and the Mexican Revolution.

 

An American Civil War armored wagon

 

 Germany was the first nation to employ armored trains in World War I, sending a force of improvised trains to defend the rail lines from franc-tireurs in conquered Belgian territory in September of 1914. France, Belgium, and Britain employed armored trains for track protection duties on the Western Front. Austria-Hungary invested heavily in the armored train concept, fielding up to eleven armored trains on the Italian front, each armed with rotating artillery turrets and machine gun emplacements. These provided artillery support to frontline troops on the Italian Front and proved particularly adept at covering retreats. Largely based on Austro-Hungarian designs, the first Russian armored trains entered service in 1915.

 

The “golden age” of the armored train came in the aftermath of World War I. Armored trains saw extensive service in the Russian Civil War and the Russo-Polish War. The primitive tanks of the era were not suited to traversing the vast expanses of Eastern Europe, and armored trains, based on long proven and relatively reliable technology, were the most effective means to provide troops with armored support.  While armored trains continued in their traditional role of track protection, they were increasingly employed as mobile artillery batteries and for close support. By 1920, the Red Army possessed 110 armored trains, though no more than 90 were in service at a time. The White Army employed around 80 armored trains, some of which had been built by the Imperial Russian Army during World War I or captured from the Reds early in the Civil War. The British, American, and Japanese intervention forces also used armored trains, as did the Czechoslovak Legion. The Polish Army employed more than 90 in its defensive war against the Soviet Union, some built by the nascent Polish Republic, others inherited from Austria-Hungary, and still others captured from the Russians. The Polish total is somewhat inflated as the Polish Army employed many light “improvised” armored trains, some of which could barely be regarded as armored.

 

In the aftermath of the Russian Civil War, thousands of White Army soldiers escaped to China, some offering service as mercenaries to Marshal Zhang Zuolin during the First Fengtian-Zhilli War. These Russian mercenaries were the first to build armored trains in China, and armored trains would soon become staple of the myriad conflicts of the Chinese Warlord Era and the first phase of the Chinese Civil War. Fighting in an environment in which modern artillery could be scarce, armored trains were a powerful asset - according to author Paul Malmassari, the “arbiters of the battlefield.” Armored trains were employed by various factions and cliques, and it is impossible to be certain of how many were built and used during the Chinese wars of the 1920s.

 

Russian Armored Train Zaamurets. Built by the Imperial Russian Army in 1917, it served under the Red Army, the Black Army, the Czechoslovak Legion (as the “Orlik”), and the White Army before finding its way to China. It was crewed by Russian mercenaries in the Fengtian Army in the early 1920s and later entered the service of the NRA as Armored Train 105. It was captured by the Japanese in 1931.

 

By early 1930s it was widely recognized that, due to improvements to tanks, armored cars, and planes, armored trains were on the cusp of obsolescence. The Western European powers kept a handful of armored trains in colonial service but otherwise abandoned the concept. Poland and Czechoslovakia continued to maintain sizeable armored train forces, but neither developed any new armored trains, investing instead in the development of more flexible tanks and tankettes (the Czechoslovak military did draw up plans for a new generation of armored trains, but they were never built). Interwar German military leaders saw little value in armored trains and neither the Reichswehr nor the Wehrmacht operated any in the late 20s or 30s, though the Reichsbahn kept a few light armored trains to police the German rail network. These were transferred to the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1939.  Only the Soviet Union and Japan continued significant development of new armored train designs in the 1930s.

 

Despite the perception that armored trains were obsolete, both Germany and Poland fielded armored trains when war broke out in Europe on September 1^st, 1939. Poland’s ten regular armored trains conducted reconnaissance missions, acted as mobile artillery batteries, and occasionally provided close support to infantry and cavalry. Many of Poland’s armored trains met ignominious ends, abandoned by their crews after they were cut off by the rapid German advance. Others made an impact on the battlefield, rendering particularly valuable service at Mokra and Krotoszyn on September 1^st, Jordanów on September 2^nd, during the siege of Modlin, against the Russians at Sarny, and in the last days of the Battle of Lwów.

 

Despite their weak armor and armament, the Germans assigned offensive tasks to four of the former Reichsbahn armored trains on September 1^st, 1939, all but one of which failed. German armored trains later participated in the invasion of Denmark in April of 1940 and were given key tasks during the invasion of the Netherlands in May. After proving largely ineffective in the Netherlands, German armored trains were mostly relegated to track protection and anti-partisan operations, though occasionally they were used to provide artillery support on the Eastern Front, especially in the last year or so of the war. Despite their employment in a secondary role, Germany invested heavily in modernizing its armored trains. By late 1943, most of Germany’s odd collection of Reichsbahn, Austro-Hungarian, and captured Czech, Polish, and Soviet armored trains had been upgraded to the standard BP-42 design.  With up to 30mm of armor and boasting two 76mm guns, two 105mm howitzers, machine guns, and a platoon of Panzer 38(t) tanks, the BP-42 and later BP-44 armored trains were a powerful deterrent to saboteurs and partisans. In total, Germany fielded forty-one numbered armored trains from 1939-45 and a variety of independent armored wagons and rail cruisers. Aside from a handful of trains that were decommissioned before the war’s end, all of Germany’s armored trains were captured or destroyed, mostly by the Soviet Union.  

 

German BP-42 armored train

 

The Soviet Union employed its armored trains to cover infantry retreats in June and July of 1941. These missions were often suicidal, and the Red Army lost twenty-one of its fifty-three armored trains during Operation Barbarossa. The Soviet Union not only rebuilt but expanded and improved its armored train force with fifty-seven new OB-3 trains provided to the Red Army in 1942 and twenty-three BP-43 armored trains entering service the next year. Additional specialty armored trains and wagons were built for reconnaissance or anti-aircraft purposes. Soviet armored trains escorted troop and supply trains and provided mobile artillery and anti-aircraft support at the front. The Soviet trains were easily adapted to Western rail gauge participated in the liberation (if that is the right word for it) of Poland and the conquest of Germany, with at least two armored trains fighting in the Battle of Berlin. Because their armor was rather weak relative to the capabilities of German anti-tank weapons, Soviet armored trains were seldom used for close support missions after 1941.

 

Both Chinese and Japanese forces employed armored trains during the Second Sino-Chinese War and the Chinese Theater of World War II. Though China’s reliance on the armored train had waned since its heyday in the 1920s, some of “White Russian” trains continued in nationalist service through World War II and into the second phase of the Chinese Civil War.  The Japanese Army and Navy both operated armored trains in China, employing captured Chinese trains and developing the Type 94 Armored Train in the mid-1930s and a variety of armored trolleys and rail tanks later in the war. Japanese armored trains were principally used to protect the Chinese and Manchurian railroads from sabotage, not for service at the front.

 

Japanese Type 94 Armored Train

 

Several other nations employed armored trains in World War II. Italy and Britain both built some light armored trains to support their coastal defenses (the British trains were eventually manned by free Polish troops), two Finnish armored trains fought in the Winter War, the Independent State of Croatia used armored trains for internal security missions, and Italy, Slovakia, and Hungary all sent a handful of armored trains or rail cruisers to the Eastern front.

 

Armored trains largely fell into disuse in the second half of the twentieth century. The Soviet Union maintained an armored train force until 1991, employing armored trains to secure Soviet rail lines during the 1990 uprisings in Azerbaijan. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has from time to time mobilized new armored trains, employing four in the First Chechen War in 1999 and four more in its present war against Ukraine.

 

Armored Train Composition, 1918-45

 

Armored trains could be assembled and configured in any number of ways, and, because wagons could be added, removed, or modified, had an inherently flexible organization. Nonetheless, certain commonalities were shared by most armored trains built around the end of World War I through the end of World War II.

 

Every armored train required a locomotive (some larger trains had two). This was usually placed in the center of the train. These were typically armored, though some “improvised” armored trains might have a soft-skinned locomotive. Locomotives were usually unarmed.

 

Most non-Soviet armored trains had at least one assault (or infantry) wagon. The typical assault wagon was armed with four or more machine guns and possibly an anti-aircraft or anti-tank gun. The purpose of the assault wagon was to carry an infantry platoon that could fight inside or outside the train. Some armored trains had two, three, or even four assault wagons which, together, carried the equivalent of an infantry company. Assault wagons were typically placed on either side of the locomotive. Unlike German, Polish, Czechoslovak, Chinese, and Japanese armored trains of the era, the Soviet armored trains of the 1930s and 40s did not include assault wagons and did not carry any significant infantry component.

 

Most armored trains had one or more artillery wagons armed with one or two light field guns or howitzers. Civilian wagons could easily be armored and converted to carry a 75mm field gun, but such designs often allowed the guns only a limited traverse. Purpose-built artillery wagons with rotating turrets offered a greater field of fire and were more capable. Some artillery wagons were also armed with machine guns, light anti-aircraft or anti-aircraft machine guns, or anti-tank guns. Some German and Soviet designs from World War II employed tank turrets with high-velocity guns that could be used in an anti-tank or field artillery role. Artillery wagons were typically placed at the outer ends of the train.

 

Artillery turret from Polish Armored Train 51

 

Some armored trains had an anti-aircraft wagon. This could be a light or heavy anti-aircraft gun mounted on flatcar, or an armored wagon with protected emplacements for one or two anti-aircraft guns. In World War II, the Soviet and Union and Finland used built some armored trains which consisted only of anti-aircraft wagons. Anti-aircraft wagons might be placed at any point within the train, often next to the locomotive or on the outside one or both of the artillery wagons.

 

A typical armored train configuration:

 

flat cars – artillery wagon – assault wagon – armored locomotive – artillery wagon – flat cars

 

Some armored trains were accompanied by tanks or reconnaissance vehicles. Polish armored trains in 1939 were accompanied by a draisine platoon consisting of a few FT-17 tanks and TK tankettes on specialized mounts. These could move along the rails under their own power or pushed by the locomotive, or they could dismount and fight off the tracks. From 1941 forward, most German armored trains were accompanied by a platoon of Panzer 38(t) tanks or, occasionally, captured French SOMUAs. In the late 20s, Czechoslovakia built Tatra draisines, light rail bound reconnaissance vehicles which could scout ahead of the main train. Germany and the Soviet Union built similar bust vastly improved vehicles during World War II, producing rail reconnaissance versions of the BA-10, Sdkfz 222, and Panhard 138 armored cars.

 

Czechoslovak Tatra reconnaissance draisine

 

Additionally, the typical armored train included two to four flat wagons which carried equipment and supplies used for light rail repair. Auxiliary vehicles like tanks, armored cars, trucks, or motorcycles might also be carried on flat cars. An armored train could not carry all the supplies it needed to operate independently and would usually be supported by a soft-skinned administrative train which caried extra ammunition, rations, additional rail repair material, and other supplies. Some nations formed armored train battalions in which a single administrative train supported multiple armored trains.

 

Not all armored rail vehicles fought as part of an armored train. Armored wagons might be assigned to soft-skinned supply or troop transport trains to provide some protection against partisans or saboteurs. Rail cruisers were self-propelled rail vehicles that could be armed with some combination of field guns, machine guns, tank turrets, anti-tank guns, or anti-aircraft guns. While Germany and the Soviet Union often provided one or more self-propelled rail reconnaissance vehicles to their armored trains, they also formed platoons of these vehicles which operated separately. Japan even formed rail tank units.

 

Armored Trains in the 1939 Campaign

 

Though armored trains were on the way out, they were still in widespread use in World War II and played a particularly visible role in the Polish Campaign.

 

Polish Armored Trains

 

Though Poland had declined to develop any new armored train wagons after 1930 and Polish military thinkers considered tanks and tankettes to be the future of armored warfare, armored trains remained a part of Polish defense planning. Poland’s two armored train battalions mobilized ten regular armored trains before and during the campaign. Each armored train had two artillery wagons, an assault wagon, an armored locomotive, and a draisine platoon. The armored trains were self-contained, independent units, each with its own administrative support train. They could be assigned to field armies, operational groups, infantry divisions, or cavalry brigades as needed. The First and Second Armored Train Battalions were strictly administrative in nature, their function to mobilize armored trains, train armored train crews, and provide replacements. Outside of the planned mobilization, Poland created seven improvised armored trains at Gdynia, Warsaw, and Wilno.

 

pociąg pancerny nr 11 „Danuta”

 

Armored Train 11 was built around two “Type II” artillery wagons. Built in 1930, the artillery wagons were an improvement over the “Type I” wagon introduced in 1921. Each was armed with a 75mm gun and a 105mm howitzer, both in rotating turrets. It included a standard draisine platoon with two FT-17 tanks and four TK tankettes.

 

On September 1^st, Armored Train 11 was assigned to the 26^th Infantry Division. Its first tasks were to patrol the rail lines in the vicinity of Chodzież, Szamocin, Kcynia, and Nakło. Aside from an encounter with a German anti-tank unit near Bydgoszcz on the night of September 5^th-6^th, it was not involved in any significant combat in the first week of the battle.

 

Armored Train 11 retreated west with Army Poznań, eventually arriving near Kutno near September 7^th. Here it was assigned to the reserve of Operation Group Bołtuć. It was held in reserve for the first days of the Bzura River offensive. An order on September 11^th to reconnoiter the area around Sochaczew could not be carried out due to damaged tracks. Positioned near Zduny, Armored Train 11 fired in support of Polish 4^th and 16^th Infantry Divisions on September 15^th, helping to stop German advances west of Łowicz. The next day the train fought with elements of the German 23^rd Infantry Division near Jackowice. During the battle, Armored Train 11’s locomotive took a direct hit from a 37mm anti-tank gunn. The boiler erupted, killing the locomotive’s entire crew. One of its artillery turrets was also hit. The survivors fled and Armored Train 11 fell into the hands of the Germans.

 

Armored Train 11

 

pociąg pancerny nr 12 „ Poznańczyk”

 

Armored Train 12 was nearly identical to Armored Train 11. On September 1^st, it was assigned to support the 25^th Infantry Division of Army Poznań. Throughout the first day of the invasion, it shuffled between Krotoszyn and Rawicz, helping to slow the advance of the 183^rd Landwehr Regiment and the German border regiments. Armored Train 12 left the border on September 2^nd and patrolled the line between Krotoszyn and Gostyń. On September 4^th, Armored Train 12 was ordered to Warsaw, but, due to track damage and terrible rail congestion, the going was slow and Armored Train 12 was stuck at Sochaczew for days. Elements of the German 23^rd Infantry arrived on the morning of September 9^th, and, after a short fight, Armored Train 12 was able to withdraw to the east, arriving at Blonie in the afternoon. There the crew was informed that the Germans already occupied the Western outskirts of Warsaw. With no route of advance or retreat, Armored Train 12’s captain ordered it abandoned. The crew destroyed both the artillery wagons and the assault wagon, leaving little that could be salvaged by the Germans. They marched by various routs to Warsaw and were incorporated into an infantry battalion.

 

pociąg pancerny nr 13 „Generał Sosnkowski”

 

Armored Train 13 was built around two Type I artillery wagons, built in 1920 during the Russo-Polish War. Both were armed with two 75mm guns turrets. Built into the hull, they did not offer a 360-degree field of fire. It draisine platoon was irregular, comprised of an FT tank and a set of rail-bound Tatra draisines purchased from Czechoslovakia in the late 20s.

 

Armored Train 13 was deployed to the Nasielk station on September 1^st and assigned to Army Modlin. It was held in reserve for the first two days of the campaign. It was sent to Ciechanow on the 3^rd as Army Modlin’s forward defense was crumbling. As the Poles retreated from Mława, Armored Train 13 was ordered to the Modlin Fortress. From the evening of September 4^th, it cooperated with Armored Train 15 in conducting patrols around Modlin. Armored Train 13 moved to the armored train depot at Legionowo on the 6^th to resupply, and from there was sent to Wyszkow. On September 9^th, Armored Train 13 saw its first major combat, supporting the 1^st Infantry Division in the defense of Wyszkow. With the collapse of Polish defense on the Bug, Armored Train 13 had no choice but to retreat. A German bomb landed near the train while it was stopped at the Łochow station on September 10^th. Though not a direct hit, the large explosion derailed Armored Train 13 and left the tracks hopelessly twisted. The damage was too great for the crew to repair, and Armored Train 13 had to be written off. Marching to the east, the crew made it to Mińsk Mazowiecki where, armed with four spare French 75s, formed an improvised field artillery battery.

 

Armored Train 13 derailed

 

pociąg pancerny nr 14 „Paderewski”

 

Armored Train 14 included to Soviet-built artillery wagons captured during the Russo-Polish War. The two wagons were of a different design but each mounted on 75mm gun and one 105mm howitzer. It had a standard draisine platoon with FT-17 tanks and TK-tankettes. Still mobilizing at at the armored train depot at Legionowo on September 1^st, it was made ready for action on September 4^th and assigned to the Army Pomorze.

 

Armored Train 14 arrived at Kutno on September 6^th (likely passing Armored Train 12, which was held up in traffic on the eastbound track) where it was held in reserve for nearly a week. On September 13^th, it was assigned to General Grzmot-Skotnicki’s cavalry group and saw its first action the next day, firing in support of the Polish defenders southwest of Kutno. On September 15^th, Armored Train 14 moved east, halting near Jackowice station. It participated in its last combat action on the morning of the September 16^th, supporting the 4^th Infantry Division on the Bzura. Bound to the rails, Armored Train 14 was unable to retreat north with the Polish infantry and its crew was compelled to abandon it. Armored Train 14 soon fell into German hands, but it had been so thoroughly sabotaged that only the armored locomotive was salvageable.

 

pociąg pancerny nr 15 „ Śmierć”

 

Armored Train 15 was a former Austro-Hungarian train built during the First World War and taken over by the Polish Republic in 1918. It saw action in the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918-19 and the Russo-Polish War of 1919-21. By 1939 it had been reconfigured and modernized several times in the 20s and 30s. By 1939, it had one artillery wagon armed with a single 75mm gun and another armed with a 105mm howitzer. It had a non-standard draisine platoon consisting of just two rail-bound Tatra draisines.

 

Armored Train 15’s mobilization was completed on September 4^th, and it was assigned to Army Modlin. Cooperating with Armored Train 13, it conducted patrols north of the Polish fortress on September 5^th and then was assigned to patrol the area between the Narew and the Bug on September 6^th-7^th. From September 8^th, it was assigned to defend Fortress Modlin, carrying patrols and reconnaissance missions and providing artillery support to the fortress garrison. It engaged Germany’s Armored Train 7 near Pomiechówek on September 19^th it what was likely the only armored train duel of the campaign. Fighting in a close support role, it helped to shore up a breach in Modlin Fortress’s front lines on September 22^nd. Armored Train 15’s activities were curtailed in the last days of the Siege of Modlin due to dwindling ammunition supplies. It was surrendered with the Modlin Garrison on September 29^th.

 

Armored Train „Śmiały” during Russo-Polish War. Its assault wagon and one of its artillery wagons were used in Armored Train 15 in 1939.

 

Armored Train 51 was formed from a mix of Russian and Austro-Hungarian rolling stock. Its two artillery wagons were each armed with two 75mm guns. It had a standard draisine platoon with a mix of FT-17 tanks and TK tankettes.

 

Armored Train 51 was assigned to Army Kraków, and, on September 1^st, it was dispatched to Chabówka to reinforce the 1^st Mountain Brigade. It participated in the Battle of Jordanów on September 2^nd, providing artillery support to the 10^th Motorized Cavalry Brigade as it battled the lead elements of 2^nd Panzer Division in the hills south of town. The train lost several of its artillery observers in the battle. Late in the day, it withdrew to Skawina, southwest of Kraków.

 

On September 4^th, the Armored Train 51 headed east, retreating with Army Kraków. Its progress was slow due to damaged and congested tracks, and it survived two German air raids along the way. It eventually reached Lublin on September 15^th and from there was ordered to reinforce the Lwów garrison. Due to damage and congestion, Armored Train 51 had to take a circuitous route which went through Sarny, near the Soviet border. It arrived in Sarny on the night of the 16^th-17^th, just in time for the Soviet invasion.

 

On September 17^th, Armored Train 51 was placed at the disposal of KOP Regiment Sarny and sent to reconnoiter Równe. There it encountered Soviet armored cars, probably BA-10s from the 123^rd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, part of the 45^th Rifle Division. The Poles claimed four armored cars destroyed in the encounter before Armored Train 51 withdrew to Sarny. For the next two days it provided fire support for the KOP battalions defending the town.  On September 20^th, it withdrew in the direction of Kowel, but it was blocked by track damage at the Powórsk station. After taking damage during a Soviet Air raid, the train was abandoned and eventually captured by the Soviets.

 

pociąg pancerny nr 52 „ Piłsudczyk”

 

Armored Train 52 featured two Type III artillery wagons built in 1921 at the Cegielski Plant at Poznań, each armed with one 75mm gun and one 105mm howitzer. Its locomotive was of German origin and its assault wagon was built on an old Austro-Hungarian coal wagon. It had a standard draisine platoon.

 

Armored Train 52 was assigned to Army Łódź and deployed to Siemkowice alongside Armored Train 53. In the afternoon of September 1^st, it was sent to provide fire support to the Volhynian Cavalry Brigade which was involved in a desperate fight with 4^th Panzer Division at Mokra. The Polish cavalry withdrew from their forward position that evening and Armored Train 52 retreated to Działoszyn. Back in action on September 4^th, Armored Train 52 supported an unsuccessful counterattack at Mnichów. The train fell victim to a German attack later in the day and its administrative train was badly damaged. At great effort, the crew manage to fix the damage tracks and clear enough rubble for the train to continue its northward retreat.

 

Armored Train 52 continued on its way, passing through Warsaw and eventually reaching Mińsk Mazowiecki on September 10^th. While waiting for the tracks to clear and Mińsk, Armored Train 52 was the target of another German air raid. Damage to the train was minimal and the train’s gunners allegedly shot down a German bomber with one their 105mm howitzers in the encounter. After the crew put its derailed flatcar back on the track, Armored Train 52 continued east but could not advance beyond Mrozy. Reconnaissance elements learned that Siedlce had fallen, and it was not possible to continue the movement east. By this time Mińsk Mazowiecki was also occupied, cutting off all potential routes. Stuck on a roughly 40 km stretch of track between Mińsk Mazowiecki and Sieldce, Armored Train 52 held out for another ten days before its commander ordered it abandoned on September 20^th.

 

pociąg pancerny nr 53 „ Śmiały”

 

Except for its assault wagon, Armored Train 53 was identical to Armored Train 52. The two were deployed together at Siemkowice under the command Army Łódź. On the morning of September 1^st, it was deployed to Mokra to bolster the hard-pressed Volhynian Cavalry Brigade. Arriving at a critical moment, Armored Train 53 engaged German tanks at point blank rage, hitting several Panzer Is and IIs and temporarily turning back the German attack. The sudden arrival of the armored train bought time for the 19^th Uhlan Regiment to retreat to a more favorable condition.

 

The Poles withdrew from Mokra late on September 1^st and Armored Train 52 was placed at the disposal of the 30^th Infantry Division. On September 2^nd, it patrolled the line between Siemkowice and Czestochowa, shelling German motorized columns and tanks. Armored Train 52 retreated north toward Kolusczki where it met Armored Train 55. Now under command of Army Prusy, the two trains operated together, conducting patrols around Skierniewice and Łowicz. On September 8^th, both trains were transferred to the command of Army Modlin and ordered to Mińsk Mazowiecki Armored Train 53’s administrative train was destroyed in a German air raid enroute and it would be forced to rely on Armored Train 55’s administrative section. The breach of the Narew defenses caused the Polish plans to change, and after reaching Mińsk the two trains set out immediately for Siedlce. As soon as they arrived, they were ordered to retreat further toward Brześć where they were put at the disposal of the newly formed Operational Group Polesie.

 

Armored Train 53 arrived at Brześć on September 13^th and was soon put to work performing reconnaissance operations north of the city. It was at the Brześć station when the lead elements of 10^th Panzer Division arrived at the city late on September 14^th. After exchanging fire with German tanks and armored cars, it left the city and made for Kowel where it rejoined Armored Train 55. After learning of the Soviet invasion on September 17th, the commanders of Armored Trains 53 and 55 decided to make for Lwów.

 

Fighting their way through German reconnaissance troops, the two trains reach Lwów on September 18^th just hours before the arrival of the lead elements of the Soviet 5^th Cavalry Corps. Armored Train 53 was put to immediate use, supporting the Polish counterattack against German positions at Zboiska on September 19^th and 20^th. On the 21^st, the last German elements withdrew from Lwów and the siege was handed over the Red Army. Lwów surrendered the next day, and Armored Train 53 was surrendered to the Soviets.

 

Armored Train 53 in Poland ’39 scenario #0914_02_Brzesc

 

 

pociąg pancerny nr 54 „ Groźny”

 

Armored Train 54 had two distinct artillery wagons, both captured during the Russo-Polish War. Together, they mounted three 75mm guns and one 105mm howitzer. Fielded during the “secret” mobilization, Armored Train 54 had been in the field since March and was assigned to Army Kraków. On September 1^st, it was ordered to the Silesian Fortified Area where it battled with elements of the 23^rd Infantry Division until September 3^rd.  The next day, Armored Train 54 was ordered to retreat to Kraków, and on the 6^th to the Dunajec river. Arriving at Bogumiłowice on September 7^th, the crew found that Polish engineers had already destroyed the bridge over the Dunajec. Unable to continue, the train’s captain ordered it abandoned. The crew destroyed its turrets and blew up its locomotive. Some of the crew made it to Lwów while others eventually joined Operational Group Polesie in Central Poland.

 

pociąg pancerny nr 55 „ Bartosz Głowacki”

 

Armored Train 55 had two “Warsaw”-type artillery wagons. Built in 1920 during the Russo-Polish War, each wagon mounted only one 75mm gun. Armored Train 55 had a standard draisine platoon with FT-17 and TK tanks.

 

Armored Train 55 was at Tłuscz on September 1^st and was the target of a German air raid in the first hours of the campaign. German fighters strafed the Tłuscz station, but Armored Train 55 was unscathed. Later in the day Armored Train 55 set out for Skierniewice and was assigned to Army Prusy. On September 4^th it heads south to the Koluszki station where it met Armored Train 53. The two armored trains operated together for the next few days as they patrolled the lines around Skierniewice and Łowicz. On September 8^th, they were ordered to Mińsk Mazowiecki to support Army Modlin. That day, Armored Train 53 lost its administrative train to German bombers, and it became dependent on Armored Train 55 for resupply. The trains passed through Mińsk Mazowiecki and from there to Siedlce and eventually to Brześć.

 

Assigned to Operational Group Polesie, Armored Train 55 conducted patrols northeast of the city, skirmishing with the advance elements of 3^rd Paner Division. It the German tanks arrived at the city. Most of the infantry garrison had taken up positions in the citadel complex and the city itself was largely undefended Unable to stop the Panzer Division or provide any meaningful support to the infantry garrison defending the Brześć citadel, Armored Train 55 retreated again, this time to Kowel where a few quiet days allowed for much-needed repairs and maintenance. After receiving news of the Soviet invasion on September 17^th, Armored Trains 55 and 53 set out for Lwów, arriving on September 18^th just before the Soviets.

 

Encircled at Lwów, Armored Train 55 supported a Polish counterattack at Hołosko on September 19^th. Several German artillery shells exploded near the train, causing light damage and a leak in the boiler. Armored Train 55 was forced to withdraw from the action, but damage what not so severe that it couldn’t be fixed overnight. The Germans left Lwów on September 21^st and the garrison, including Armored Train 55, surrendered to the Soviets the next day.

 

Improvised Armored Trains

 

Three improvised armored trains were formed for the defense of Gdynia. The first was equipped with two open air artillery wagons, each with a 75mm gun, and assault wagon. It was formed before the invasion and deployed near Kartuzy. It was abandoned on September 1^st after its rail connection to Gdynia was cut off. The second had only a single infantry assault wagon and had no heavy armament – it was more a lightly armored personnel carrier than a true armored train. It was activated on September 3^rd and was involved in a single combat mission on the 4^th before it returned to Gdynia and was dissembled. The third improvised armored train, known as the “Smok Kaszubski,” was completed at Gdynia on September 8^th. It was more sturdily built than the other two improvised trains but was only lightly armed. The Smok Kaszubski was involved in combat every day from September 8^th-11^th, skirmishing with German patrols and even dueling a German artillery battery. It was sent to Gdynia for repairs and abandoned when Colonel Dabek decided to pull his troops out of the city and concentrate at Kepa Oksywskie. No photographs of the Smok Kaszubski exist, but several artists have attempted to draw the armored train according to surviving textual accounts.

 

 

Improvised Armored Train 1

 

Three armored trains were also improvised in the Warsaw area. The Palmiry-Warsaw train, armed with a 75mm field gun and two 37mm anti-tank guns, patrolled the rail connection form Warsaw to the supply depot at Palmiry from September 12^th. It was recalled sometime around September 20^th. Two armored trains, each armed with two 75mm guns, were built in the last days of the siege, entering service on September 22^nd and the 23^rd. Nothing is known about their exact specifications or combat history, though a German photograph taken after the garrison surrendered appears to show the wreckage of a train wagon with a French 75.

 

A single armored train was built for the defense of Wilno. It patrolled the rail line between Wilno and Lida, returning to Wilno as the Red Army advanced. It was abandoned late on September 18^th as most of the Wilno garrison made for Lithuania. It had no heavy armament.

 

Germany

 

Though the German army didn’t possess armored trains in the late 1920s or 30s and did not invest anything in researching or developing armored train technology, the German Reichsbahn possessed a handful of light armored trains to police Germany’s railroads. These were transferred to the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1939 and used to form seven new armored trains.  The ex-Reichsbahn trains were built around converted civilian wagons. The armor was very thin and only offered protection against small arms fire. After acquiring the Reichsbahn trains, the Wehrmacht set about adding artillery wagons to Armored Trains 3, 4, 6, and 7. These four trains were designated for frontline service and were assigned offensive objectives on the first day of the Polish campaign. The remaining armored trains were deemed suitable for track protection duty only.

 

Armored rail car typical of those found in early war armored trains.

 

Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 1

 

Armored Train 1 was not outfitted with any artillery and was deemed unfit for frontline service. It was deployed to Poland in mid-September and guarded the tracks west of Bydgoscsz.

 

Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 3

 

Fighting with XIX. AK. (mot.), Armored Train 3 participated in the assault on Chojnice on September 1^st. Advancing from the southwest, the train reached Chojnice where it took a hit from a 75mm gun. The timely arrival of I.R. 90 prevented the train from being destroyed altogether. Badly damaged, Armored Train 3 played no further role in the campaign.

 

Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 4

 

Armored Train 4 was supposed to aid IV. A.K. in capturing Lubliniec on September 1^st, but the Polish defenders had damaged the tracks leading into town. Unable to advance, the train offered no meaningful assistance. Later in the campaign it performed security duties in southwestern Poland.

 

Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 5

 

Like Armored Train 1, Armored Train 5 had no artillery and was not intended for frontline service. It entered Poland on September 15^th and was sent to Lwów, where it secured the tracks behind XVIII. AK. After the Germans handed their positions around Lwów over to the Red Army, Armored Train 5 was sent to the vicinity of Katowice.

 

Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 6

 

Armored Train 6 was mobilized in Königsberg in the Summer of 1939. The Germans had planned to outfit this train with two artillery cars, each with one 75mm gun, but this could not be completed before the outbreak of war. Despite its incomplete armament, Armored Train 6 went into action on September 1^st alongside Grenzwacht-Regiment 41 and captured the border town of Grajewo against minimal opposition. Later in the campaign, Armored Train 6 was assigned directly to Gruppe Brand and probably performed track protection duties.

 

Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 7

 

Armored Train 7 was assigned to Gruppe Medem and participated in Operation Dirschau in the early morning hours of September 1^st. Along with an entrained battalion from Grenzwacht-Regiment 1, it was tasked with taking the rail bridge at Tczew (in German, Dirschau) by surprise. Before dawn and before the Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on Westerplatte, Armored Train 7 set out from Marianwerder. Despite the efforts the Abwehr’s K-Gruppe Post, the Tczew garrison was warned about the advance of Gruppe Medem and both the rail and road bridges were destroyed before the Germans could cross. Though elements of SS-Heimwehr Danzig, attacking from the north, would later secure the town, without the bridges Tczew was of no operational significance. After the failure of Operation Dirschau, Armored Train 7 was assigned to Grenzwacht-Regiment 7 for a time before being sent to support German operations around Modlin. On September 19^th,  it was involved in a rare armored train duel with Poland’s Armored Train 15 at Pomiechówek.

 

Gruppe Medem in Poland ’39 scenario #0901a_Campaign

 

Soviet Union

 

The Soviet Union invested heavily in armored trains in the 1920s and 30s. It is difficult to ascertain exactly how many armored trains were in service in 1939, but by June 22^nd, 1941, the Red Army operated fifty-three armored trains and the NKVD 25. Most of the Soviet Union’s armored trains in 1939 would have been standardized BP-35 armored trains. Each BP-35 armored train had an armored locomotive, two artillery wagons, and an anti-aircraft wagon. Unlike Polish and German armored trains, they did not have an assault wagon to carry infantry. The BP-35 existed in two variants, heavy and light. The artillery wagons of the light BP-35 were armed with two 76mm guns each, where the artillery wagons of the heavy BP-35 were armed with a single 107mm gun.

 

BP-35 Armored Train. It is the “heavy” variant with 107mm guns.

 

According to the 1945 Soviet publication Boards of Organizations and Units, Regiments, Separate Battalions, and Other Units and Institutions That Were Part of the Active Army During the Liberation Campaign in Western Belarus and Western Ukraine in 1939, six armored trains (Nos. 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, and 31) were mobilized for the invasion of Poland.

 

Armored Train Battalion 1 (Armored Trains 15, 17, and 31)

 

According to secondary sources, Armored Trains 15, 17 and 31, assigned to the Armored Train Battalion 1, entered Poland on September 17^th and participated in the fighting around Sarny. They located an abandoned Polish armored train (No 51) at Póworsk. Given the difference in Western and Russian rail gauge, it is not clear to how these armored trains entered Poland and operated around Sarny. Given that Polish Armored Train 51 operated in the area around the same time, it safe to assume that the lines around Sarny were Western, not Russian, rail gauge. Assuming the account is true, these armored trains must have been modified beforehand for use on the Polish rail network.

 

Armored Train Battalion 8 (Armored Trains 16 and 21)

 

Armored Train Battalion 8, commanding Armored Trains 16 and 21, was assigned to the Polotsk Group and sent to the Polish border on September 17^th. The battalion sent a team across the border which took a rail trolley to capture the Postawy Station. It is not clear if Armored Train Battalion 8’s two armored trains actually entered Poland, or they remained in the Soviet Union.

 

Armored Train 19

 

I have thus far been unable to uncover any detailed information about the participation of Armored Train 19 in the Polish Campaign, nor am I certain if it was assigned to an armored train battalion or operated as a separate armored train.

 

Slovakia

 

When the Czechoslovak Republic was dissolved in March 1939, its sixteen armored trains were either destroyed or taken over by the Germans. When the Slovak Army began its general mobilization on September 1^st, 1939, it did not have the materials to mobilize a proper armored train.  Nonetheless, an improvised armored train was formed to support Field Army Bernolák. It was armed only with machine guns and a single 37mm anti-tank gun. It was held in reserve for the duration of the campaign and never entered Poland.

 

Armored Trains in Panzer Campaigns: Poland ‘39

 

Overview, Unit Values, and New Rules

 

Armored Trains of Poland ‘39

 

Armored trains are challenging to represent Panzer Campaigns. Often including a mix of artillery, infantry, and possibly tanks or reconnaissance elements, armored trains were essentially small mixed arms units. The challenge lays in representing the various capabilities of an armored train while keeping gameplay simple and intuitive. Very early in the Poland ’39 design process I experimented breaking down armored trains in platoons representing the various elements of the train, but if very quickly became apparent that this only served to clutter the map, and there was no way to keep the elements together. There is also the question of unit strength. Early in the process the unit strength corresponded to the number of wagons, but it was apparent that this favored larger armored trains in a way that didn’t seem fair. A single bomb could derail a train whether it had three, five, or six wagons, so the number of wagons shouldn’t necessarily correspond to the number of “hits” that an armored train can take. I ultimately decided to take a more abstract approach. Andy Edmiston provided much appreciated assistance coding new rules to realize armored trains in Poland ’39.

 

Each armored train has a strength of “2.” Rather than representing a specific number of vehicles, this is understood as a level of damage. So long as the train’s strength is 2, it is considered fully functioning and operational. If its strength is reduced to 1, it considered to be badly damaged such that its combat value is significantly reduced. If the train is eliminated, this means that it has been destroyed, derailed, or otherwise so badly damaged that it cannot participate in actions for the remainder of the scenario. Unit strength for armored trains in 1939 can be thought of more as “hit points” than as a representation of the total number of wagons or guns on the train.

 

The typical armored train’s Hard Attack and Soft Attack values are derived from their main guns. For example, Armored Train 55 had two 75mm wz. 02/26 guns, so its Soft and Hard values are equivalent to a 75mm wz. 02/26 gun. Armored Train 14 had four 75mm wz. 02/26 guns. Since its strength is fixed at 2 (it doesn’t get more “hit points” because its artillery wagons mounted more guns – a single hit from an anti-tank gun could disable Armored Train 14 just as well as Armored Train 55), its unit values are increased and balanced in such a way that it has the equivalent Attack Strength of a battery of four 75mm wz. 02/26 guns.

 

Accompanying infantry and tanks aren’t represented as separate units but rather through an armored train’s assault values and the new Armored Train Modifier. The Armored Train modifier applies to armored trains with Indirect Fire capability when attacking at a range of 1. When the Armored Modifier is applied, an armored train’s Soft and Hard values are multiplied by 2.5. This modifier is understood to represent both the train’s artillery firing over open sights and any accompanying infantry, machine, or tanks participating in combat. Armored trains that do not have Indirect Fire capability do not use the Armored Train Modifier but instead fall under Range Effect Modifier rules. Assault values directly account for all a train’s various components. For instance, Armored Train 14’s Assault Value is balanced such that Armored Train 14’s Assault Strength is equivalent to a stack containing an 75mm gun battery, a machine gun platoon, and a platoon of FT-17 tanks and TK tankettes.

 

Comparison of Unit Values

 

Because most armored trains contained an infantry component and were often used in track protection and anti-partisan operations, armored trains now have Patrolling capability. This is not a major factor in Poland ’39, but I hope that this rule might prove useful to future developers if they are ever in a situation where they want to represent an armored train in anti-partisan operations.

 

There are some limitations to the abstracted approach taken to armored trains in Poland ’39. Under the chosen system, we cannot represent some of the longer-range reconnaissance missions carried out by Polish draisine platoons as this would require that armored trains be split into multiple units. Additionally, some of the light rail repair capabilities of an armored train are outside what can be represented in the Panzer Campaigns engine. I suspect that if an armored train played an important role in a Panzer Battles or Squad Battle scenario, they would have to be treated with more detail, with the various infantry, artillery, and other assets represented as separate units. Overall, though, I think the approach we have taken works well for the Panzer Campaigns scale. It gets across the “gist” of an armored train and remains reasonably simple.

 

Employing Armored Trains in Poland ‘39

 

Some of the weaker improvised armored trains have limited capability and players will probably not find them to be particularly useful units. Regular armored trains, though, can be effective if employed thoughtfully. The safest use of an armored train is as an artillery battery. Most armored trains can provide indirect fire support to friendly troops, and, provided they are out enemy sight, are relatively safe from counterbattery fire or air strikes. With their relatively high-speed values, armored trains can also be effectively used as recon units. If reconnoitring with an armored train, the player would be wise to refrain from using all the train’s movement points. This ensures that the train has the option of retreating should it run into a powerful enemy unit. Lastly, armored trains can engage enemy units directly and provide close support for friendly infantry. The best armored trains, benefitting from the Armored Train Modifier and having high Hard, Soft, and Assault values, pack quite a punch relative to their size. The player must keep in mind, however, that armored trains are exceptionally fragile. It may be more effective to use hit and run tactics than to place armored trains in prolonged combat against adjacent units. Such hit and run tactics may be particularly valuable in delaying the enemy and in covering a friendly retreat. Armored trains should avoid direct confrontation with anti-tank guns, field artillery, and heavy anti-aircraft guns at all costs. If a Polish armored train gets too close to a battery of 88s, it is finished.

 

We hope you enjoyed this background of one of the weapons systems available in the upcoming Panzer Campaigns: Poland '39. All going well, Mike may be able to share more design insights before game release, time permitting!