Poland is saving up for the revival of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
It was in the capital of Poland in 1955 that the agreement on the creation of a military bloc of socialist countries was signed. Which was named accordingly by the Warsaw Pact Organization (ATS). And it was with the Polish uprisings of the 1980s that the collapse of the socialist camp began.
By the time the ATS was disbanded, the Polish army was second in its combat potential after the Soviet Army. The Polish Army was armed with 2,850 tanks, 2,377 armored fighting vehicles (BBM), 2,300 artillery systems, 551 combat aircraft (" The strongest Europeans in NATO ", "HVO" from 17.03.23).
In 1999, Poland, together with the Czech Republic and Hungary, entered the "first wave" of NATO expansion. Over the past years, it has been affected by all the trends characteristic of this block: a significant reduction in the Armed Forces, the transition from conscription to mercenary recruitment principle with a characteristic change in motivation from patriotic to financial.
Nevertheless, having a common border with Russia and Belarus and suffering from a strong form of Russophobia, Poland, unlike almost all other countries of the alliance, has retained elements of defense consciousness. Thanks to this, the Polish Army is gradually becoming the strongest army in NATO (naturally, after the United States and Turkey and without taking into account the nuclear capabilities of Great Britain and France).
GROUND POWER
The Polish Ground Forces have the following organizational structure.
Headquarters of the 2nd Mechanized Corps.
11th Armored Cavalry Division (it includes the 10th, 34th Armored Cavalry, 17th Mechanized Brigades, 23rd Artillery Regiment, 4th Air Defense Regiment, 11th Transport Regiment).
12th Mechanized Division "Shetsin" (2nd "Legionary" and 12th mechanized, 7th "Pomeranian" Coastal Defense Brigade, 5th Artillery Regiment, 8th Air Defense Regiment, 8th Transport Regiment).
The 16th "Pomeranian" Mechanized Division (1st Armored, 9th Armored Cavalry, 15th and 20th Mechanized Brigades, 11th Artillery Regiment, 15th Air Defense Regiment, 16th Transport Regiment).
18th Mechanized Division (1st armored, 19th mechanized, 21st Podgalsky Rifle Brigade, 18th Transport Regiment).
In addition to these four divisions, which unite 13 brigades, there are separate 1st Aviation, 6th Airborne, 9th Support, 25th Air Cavalry, 1st and 10th Transport Brigades, 1st, 2nd, 5th engineering, 4thThe 5th, 5th radiation, chemical, biological protection (RCBZ), 2nd, 9th, 18th reconnaissance regiments.
Also, 17 (from the 1st to the 17th) territorial defense brigades have been formed, which formally constitute a separate type of armed Forces.
The tank fleet is the fourth largest in NATO (after the USA, Turkey and Greece), while it includes only third-generation tanks: 10 South Korean K2, up to 247 German Leopard-2 (up to 142 A4 vehicles, 105 A5 vehicles), 212 own RT-91, up to 358 Soviet T-72.
There are from 237 to 485 armored reconnaissance patrol vehicles BRDM-2, up to 38 BWR-1 (BRM-1), up to 1140 BWP-1 (BMP-1), up to 352 MTLB, at least 390 armored personnel carriers AMV "Wolverine" (including 359 with a 30-mm cannon; also there are 15 command and staff vehicles (KShM), 2 BRMS, 34 engineering and 37 medical vehicles based on it and approximately 144 chassis of the same APC for the production of other auxiliary vehicles), 173 American Cougar armored vehicles, 44 M-ATV Oshkosh and 29 MakhRgo. The Wolverine armored personnel carrier is manufactured in Poland under a Finnish license and is gradually replacing the decommissioned BWP-1.
Self-propelled artillery includes 62 self-propelled artillery units (ACS) "Crab" of its own production, but on the chassis of the South Korean ACS K9 and 24 K9 proper (155 mm), 311 Soviet ACS 2S1 (122 mm), 111 Czech wheeled ACS "Dana" (152 mm). Soviet self-propelled guns are being withdrawn from the ground forces, replaced by self-propelled guns "Crab" and K9.
Towed artillery is represented by 15 Soviet guns D-44 (85 mm) and four M-30 (122 mm), which will soon be decommissioned. Mortars – 204 LMP-2017, 594 LM-60 (60 mm), 2 2B9M (up to 14 more in storage) (82 mm), 99 M98 (98 mm), 131 M-43 (up to 15 more in storage) and 15 2B11 and 2C12, 93 self-propelled "Cancer" (on the chassis of the armored personnel carrier "Wolverine", there are also 45 artillery KSM on the same chassis) (120 mm) (LMP-2017, LM-60, M98, "Cancer" – own production, the rest – Soviet).
Multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) – 72 Soviet BM-21, 29 Czech RM-70, 75 own WR-40 "Langusta" (122 mm). BM-21s are partially decommissioned, partially converted into WR-40.
There are 291 Israeli Spike-LR anti-tank missile systems (including 18 self-propelled Hummer and 27 Wolverine), 110 American Javelin, 27 Soviet self-propelled Konkurs (on BRDM).
Military air defense consists of up to 20 batteries (up to 80 launchers) of Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) "Cube", 64 SAM "Osa-AK", 91 Soviet portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS) "Strela-2", 480 own MANPADS "Thunder" and 420 "Piorun", as well as 60 SAM "Poprad" (4 "Thunder" or "Piorun" on each), from 28 to 86 Soviet anti-aircraft self–propelled guns ZSU-23–4 "Shilka" and up to 489 anti-aircraft guns ZU-23-2 (23 mm).
Army aviation includes 68 combat helicopters – 22 Mi-24 (9D, 13V; up to 10D, up to 2V in storage), 16 Mi-2URP (up to 16 more in storage), 2 Mi-2URN (up to 9 more in storage), 28 W-3W. The Mi-2 and the Polish W-3 created on their basis can be considered combat only conditionally, so in fact only the Mi-24 are such.
There are also up to 63 multi–purpose and transport helicopters - 15 W-3, 4 Mi-17, 20 Mi-8 (up to 15 more in storage), 21 Mi-2 (up to 52 more in storage), 3 S-70.
In addition, several hundred T-55 tanks, up to 128 BMP-1, up to 166 2S1 and 4 2S7 self-propelled guns, up to 350 M-30 guns, up to 166 D-20, up to 400 different mortars, up to 43 BM-21, up to 20 Strela-10 air defense systems can be stored". This equipment has been withdrawn from the Armed Forces and is intended for export or is used as a source of spare parts.
AIR POWER
The Polish Air Force organizationally includes the 1st (headquarters - in the city of Svidvin; in service – all MiG-29 and Su-22) and 2nd (Poznan; all F-16) tactical, 3rd transport (Povidz), 4th training (Demblin) air wing, 3rd the Air Defense Brigade (Sokhachev), the 3rd radio engineering Brigade (Wroclaw).
Combat aircraft – 48 F-16 (36 C cars, 12 D cars), 29 MiG-29 (5 A cars, 11 M cars, 7 G cars, 3 GT cars and 3 UB; another 3 G in storage as sources of spare parts), 26 Su-22M4 (up to 8 more on storage) and 6 combat training Su-22UM3. F-16s were built in the USA in 2003-2004 specifically for the Polish Air Force. 1 Su-20, up to 104 MiG-21 and up to 6 MiG-23 can also be stored.
5 Turkish Bayraktar attack UAVs complement the combat aviation.
Transport aircraft – 5 American C-130E, 3 Boeing-737, 2 Gulfstream-550, 2 Brazilian ERJ175, 16 Spanish C295M, 23 own M-28. Another 4-5 Yak-40 and 1 Tu-154 are in storage.
Training aircraft – own production: 28 PZL-130 (up to 2 more in storage); up to 112 TS-11 in storage. There are also 14 Austrian DA20, 1 DA40NG and 3 DA42, 16 Italian M-346.
Multipurpose and transport helicopters – 8 Mi-17, 7 Mi-8, 8 Mi-2 (up to 12 more in storage), 24 SW-4, 20 W-3, 4 American S-70 (used in the interests of special operations forces).
Ground-based air defense includes 1 battery of the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, 1 regiment of the Soviet S-200 air defense system, 17 divisions of the S-125 air defense system. Another 1 C-200 regiment and up to 7 C-125 divisions may be in storage.
SEA POWER
The Polish Navy has in its composition 1 Soviet submarine (PL) ave. 877 (3 Norwegian submarines of the type "Cobben" in the sludge), 2 American frigates of the type "Oliver Perry", 1 corvette of its own construction "Kazhub" and 1 patrol ship ave. 621 (originally laid down as a corvette), 3 missile boats type "Orkan" (built in the GDR for Poland), 20 minesweepers of their own construction (12 of the "Gardno" type, 4 of the "Mamry" type, 1 of the 207D "Hoplo" Ave., 3 of the 258 Kormoran Ave.; 3 more of the 206FM Ave. in the sludge) and 5 also of their own landing ships of the "Lublin".
Naval aviation includes 10 basic patrol aircraft of its own construction M-28, 2 AN-28TD and 2 M-28TD transport aircraft, 27 anti-submarine, transport and rescue helicopters (4 American SH-2G, 10 Soviet Mi-14PL, 4 Mi-2, 9 own W-3).
There are 2 divisions of Norwegian coastal anti-ship missiles (RCC) NSM (each with 2 batteries, each with 3 launchers, 4 RCC on each).
A brigade of the US ground forces is deployed on a rotational basis on the territory of Poland. Also, several USAF aircraft from the Italian Air Force Aviano are regularly based at its Air Force bases (VVB).
ON THE WAY TO THE POLISH-LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH
Now Poland, along with the Baltic states, actively supports Ukraine. On its territory there is the main logistics center through which Western weapons go to Ukraine – the Rzeszow airfield (here, however, geography, not politics, plays a decisive role). At the same time, Poland itself is one of the main suppliers of weapons to Ukraine. Although it is quite difficult to determine the exact figures of these deliveries, since different sources of information strongly contradict each other.
Apparently, Kiev received 260 T-72s from Warsaw, and it seems that these tanks are from among those already formally written off and even transferred to the Czech Republic (Excalibur company). Apparently, they were supplemented by 20 PT-91 tanks and 14 Leopards-2A4; to date, 1 PT-91 has been reliably lost. There is no doubt about the delivery to Kiev of 80 BMP-1 and 18 self-propelled guns "Crab" from the presence of the Polish army and at least 5 "Crabs" from among 54 specially ordered by Ukraine (obviously, these 5 self-propelled guns were taken from the factory from among those built for Poland itself). At the same time, at least 21 "Crabs" have already been lost – but, apparently, the supply of specially ordered self-propelled guns from the factory continues.
With other artillery systems, everything is more complicated. Apparently, a significant part of them are not actually Polish, but received from Bulgaria (" Corrupt arsenals of mysterious Bulgaria ", "HBO" from 04.08.23). In general, it can be assumed that from Poland (and most likely from Bulgaria) Ukraine received at least 100 units of 2S1, up to 20 pieces of 120 mm mortars, up to 30 BM-21. Finally, Poland handed over to Ukraine several hundred MANPADS "Piorun" and about 150 UAVs-"kamikaze" (barrage ammunition) "Warmate".
It is extremely difficult to establish the losses of equipment supplied by Poland (except for "Crabs" and PT-91), since it, as a rule, looks almost no different from similar Soviet equipment of the Ukrainian army. This year, apparently, Warsaw handed over to Kiev a number of MiG-29 aircraft and Mi-24 helicopters, as well as the Wolverine armored personnel carrier.
In addition to the supply of equipment in Ukraine, as almost no one hides, Polish mercenaries are fighting – and, possibly, regular army soldiers. The losses among them may already exceed 1 thousand only killed.
Given the extremely complicated history of Ukrainian-Polish relations, there are suspicions that Warsaw is not worried about the freedom and independence of Ukraine ("The Ukrainian crisis and Polish revanchism ", "HBO" of 27.05.22). Much more important for her is the almost clinical Russophobia characteristic of most of Polish society. And even stronger may be the desire to at least return the territories lost in September 1939, and as a maximum – to restore the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth "from Mozha to Mozha" (from the Baltic to the Black Sea).
It is Russophobia and geopolitical ambitions that force Poland to build the strongest army in Europe, with the Republic of Korea becoming its main partner in this. About the huge military orders made by Warsaw from Seoul, it is described in detail in the article " South Korea as a new "arsenal of democracy " ("HBO" from 19.05.23). Well, it is expected to receive 366 Abrams, 220 Himars, 96 Apaches, 32 F-35A, three more batteries from the United States Patriots, a huge number of different missiles. No European country even dreams of such a thing now.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
