Polish Land Forces from 1945

Since the Second World War, the Polish Army, equipped mainly with gear of Soviet origin, was changing when it comes to the number of soldiers and the armaments used. As the army structure was changing, its stalinisation and ideologisation was increasingly deeper. The foundation of NATO (1949), the Korean War, conclusion of the Warsaw Pact (1955), and the progressing arms race have led to the increase in the strength of the army to 350 thousand soldiers. It is under the Warsaw Pact that Polish soldiers participated in the armed intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968 (Operation “Dunaj”).

After demobilisation and conversion into a peace-keeping organisation, military districts were created; in November 1977, Land Force Command was temporarily established. Infantry divisions were transformed into mechanised and armoured divisions; the entire armed forces started to be trained in terms of the response in case a weapon of mass destruction was used. Since the mid-1960s , the equipment of the Armed Forces of the Polish People’s Republic was richer with missiles, including those able to carry a nuclear weapon.

The first showcase (20) presents exhibits from the late 1940s and early 1930s , when armaments and equipment of the Polish Army dated back to the times of the Second World War. Beside the two summer uniforms, you can see a SG 43 heavy machine gun on a wheeled mount and an ammunition belt loader. The very characteristic arms of that times are represented by Polish 7.62 mm submachine gun model 43 PPS, model 43/52, and RG 42 and RPG 43 training grenades. Our attention should be drawn by items used in staff operations and for mathematical calculations during artillery fire: chord-measuring tool for determining distances on maps, pencils, a military artillery circular model 1944, and a slide rule. Compare the ebonite dog tag with the one from the war – no serious modifications had been made.

The next part of the showcase (21) contains the unique collection of camouflage uniforms, “Ameba”, “Pietrucha”, and based on the German camouflage clothing – “Splitertarn”. Beside, there is a figure of a soldier from the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Division with parachutes: D-5 main parachute and Z-5 reserve parachute; the solider is armed with an AK assault rifle featuring a metal stock. Among the presented arms, the AK assault rifle with an NSP-2 night vision sight and the RKM D 7.62 light machine gun manufactured in the Radom Arms Factory clearly distinguish themselves.

Further (22) you can see figures of a soldier in a safety uniform designed to be worn when operating the LPO 50 flamethrower and a sapper wearing a camo fatigue and a lifejacket. Below, there are a SVD 7.62 semi-automatic sniper rifle with a PSO-1 telescopic sight, an AKM 7.62 assault rifle with an NSP-3 passive night vision sight and a PBS-1 silencer, as well as a Strela-2M 9K32M anti-aircraft system. What you may also find interesting is our collection of anti-personnel, anti-tank, scatterable, and anti-transport mines. Beside, you can see a helmet model 31/50, the shell of which was derived from helmet model 31, used by Polish soldiers during the interwar period, while its interior and coating were made after the war.

The last part (23) of the showcase demonstrates a uniform of Colonel Stanisław Dzida, a soldier from the 14th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Infantry Division, a chevalier of the Order of Virtuti Militari, a victim of Stalin’s persecution. Beside, a white uniform jacket model 51 of Division General Zygmunt Huszcza, a commander of the Pomeranian Military District, and a post-war uniform of Colonel Wojciech Gniadka, a soldier of the 62nd Infantry Division. What you may also find attractive is a rubber dummy of AK rifle and entrenching tools designed for exercises in military self-defence systems. Further, you can see an official sabre of the Polish Army model 1976. The showcase also contains a 6H4 bayonet for AKM and AKMS rifles, a training bayonet model 85, and a knife model 55. Note also the exhibits related to everyday life of soldiers during exercises: an essential kit, food rations, and a canteen model 31/50, based on pre-war canteen model 31.