Warsaw Armoured Motorized Brigade

Warsaw Armoured Motorized Brigade
Active	1939
Country	Poland
Branch	Land forces
Type	Armoured
Size	~30 tanks and tankettes
Engagements	Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski
Commanders
Notable commanders	Stefan Rowecki

The Warsaw Armoured Motorized Brigade (Polish: Warszawska Brygada Pancerno-Motorowa, WBP-M, WBPanc-Mot) was a motorized unit of the Polish Army during the interbellum period. The brigade was one of two such units in Poland (the other being the 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade (Poland); several more were planned). Not fully formed by September 1, it was nonetheless partially combat ready and immediately rushed into battle during the Polish September Campaign. Following heavy losses during the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski, it was disbanded on September 20, 1939.

The Brigade was formed in early June 1939, when the Polish Minister of Military Affairs, General Tadeusz Kasprzycki, gave order to transform the 1st Regiment of Mounted Rifles from the Garwolin garrison into a motorized unit. On June 10, 1939, Colonel Stefan Rowecki was named commandant of the Brigade (later, with a pseudonym "Grot", which means the spearhead, he became the first commander of Home Army, and was killed by Germans). The new unit was also based on other regiments, such as the 1st Rifle Regiment from Rembertów, the sapper battalion from Puławy and the 2nd Motorised Artillery Battalion from Stryj (8×75mm guns), which joined it on September 6.

The unit was equipped with Polish-made tankettes TKS (13 × TKS tankettes, 2 of them with 20mm guns, 11th Reece Tank Company), and British-made light tanks Vickers E (17 machines, 12th Light Tank Company). The tankettes(except for the tankettes equipped with 20mm AT MG 38FK), were no match even to German PzKpfw II, and the Vickers E were outclassed by PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV.

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Wikipedia