Warszawa II (36 page)

A T-34-85 from the 1st Battalion of the 1st Free Polish Tank Brigade which was attached to the 1st Free Polish Army in September of 1944. That army had originally operated alongside the 1st Ukrainian Front but was despatched, prior to the storming of Praga, to the 1st Belorussian front.

A SU-152 “Zveroboi” “the cat killer”. It was called so because its large shells were more than enough to counter the German threat in the shape of the “Tiger” and “Panther”. Armed with a howitzer, calibre 15.2 cm, it launched high explosive shells which knocked out the heaviest German tanks. This vehicle is from an unknown SU regiment which was attached to the infantry armies during the battle for Praga, 1944.

A SU 122 from the 3rd Tank Corps east of Praga, August 1944.

A JS II “Josef Stalin” from the 62nd Independent Heavy tank Regiment, August 1944 outside of Praga.

PzKpfw V Sd Kfz 171 “Panther“ Ausf. A from 4./SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 “Totenkopf“.

The StuG 40 Sd Kfz 142/1 ausf G from the Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 904 east of Warsaw, July/August 1944. StuG-Brigade 904 operated together with the 4. Panzer-Division, during most of the summer of 1944. Note the log on the side of the vehicle which was not placed there as extra protection as can be seen on the Finnish StuG vehicles but as bridging equipment to be carried in the event that marshy terrain or other poor under-surface.

A PzKpfw IV Sd Kfz 161/2 Ausf. J from the Panzer-Regiment 35, Poland August 1944.

A PzKpfw VI Sd Kfz 181 Ausf. E ”Tiger” I from 9./SS-Panzer _Regiment 3 ”Totenkopf” Poland, August 1944.