2nd Armoured Brigade (Polish: 2 Warszawska Brygada Pancerna) was a unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West

Polish Armed Forces in the West

Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...

 that existed from 1942 to 1945. From 1945 to 1947 it was redesignated as the 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division. (Polish: 2 Warszawska Brygada Pancerna) The unit was the armoured wing of the 2nd (Polish) Corps.

Headquarters

General officer commanding:
Brig. General Gustaw Paszkiewicz then
Brig. General Bronisław Rakowski.

Following the upgrade to Division, Rakowski became GOC 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division.
Colonel Ziemowit Grabowski became CO 2 Armoured Brigade.

1945 Upgrade to Division

In 1945 the Brigade was upgraded to Division strength and it stood as follows:

• Polish 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division. CO: Brig.Gen. Bronisław Rakowski
  Bronislaw Rakowski
  Bronisław Stanisław Rakowski was a Polish general. Fought in the Polish legions, imprisoned by the Soviets during Soviet invasion of Poland, fought in the Anders Army and Polish Armed Forces in the West.* 1931–1936: Commanding Officer 12th Ulan Regiment* 1936–1939: Head of Army Historical Bureau*...
  
  
  • Carpathian Uhlan
    Polish cavalry
    The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
    
    /Lancer Regiment (Divisional Recce
    Reconnaissance
    Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
    
    )
  • 2nd Warsaw Armoured Brigade
    • 4th 'Scorpion' Armoured Regiment
    • 1st Krechowiecki Uhlan
      Polish cavalry
      The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
      
       Regiment
    • 6th 'Children of Lwów' Armoured Regiment
    • 2nd Motorised Independent Polish Commando
      Commando
      In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
      
       Company
  • 16th Pomorska Infantry Brigade
    • 64th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
    • 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
    • 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
      • 16th Pomorski Support Company
  • Other Divisional Units
    • HQ Division Artillery
    • 7th Horse Artillery
      Horse artillery
      Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
      
      Regiment
    • 16th Pomorski Light Artillery Regiment
    • 2nd Anti-tank Regiment
    • 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
    • 2nd Warszawski Signals Battalion
    • 2nd Warszawski Engineer Battalion
      • 9th Forward Tank Replacement Squadron
      • 9th Supply Company
      • 19th Supply Company
      • 28th Supply Company
      • 9th Workshop Company
      • 16th Workshop Company
      • 2nd Armoured Division Military Police (Provost) Company
        • 9th Field Court
        • 343 Anti-malaria Section

Tank names and markings

Tanks in the 2nd Armoured Brigade (and later Division) were all named, the names being painted in the squadron colours. The turret also had a diamond, triangle, square or circle painted to show squadron number.

• Stencilled versions of the regimental badges featured on the tank turrets; either separately or inside the squadron signs: a scorpion for the 4th Regiment, a lion for the 6th Regiment and two palm trees and a crescent moon for the Carpathian Lancers. The exception to this were the Krechowiecki Lancers who used a horse head symbol.
• Some of the name were replicated and the version was indicated by a Roman numeral so, for example, there was a Rekord I, Rekord II and a Rekord III.
  

2nd Armoured Brigade HQ Platoon
Tank names: Quizil-Ribat Hill-69 Quassasin Rossario MTE-Cassino Taza-Khurmatli

4th “Scorpion” Armoured Regiment

HQ Squadron

Il-Vicinato Monte-Cassino Gustaw Gdynia Gdansk Grochow Gardziel Gryf Gron Grodna

1st Squadron

Mass Albaneta Tobruk Taifun Turnia Trzyniec Tempo Tygrys Taran Tur Terror Tempo Ter Topor Tuchola Tyran Tranto Tapir Taras Tarzan Tomahawk Torun Turon Tczew Toniek Taranto Tyran

2nd Squadron

Poganin Pirat Powab Pawian Piesc Pigmej Pazur Piorun Przeboj Pantera Perkun Parada Perla Pomsta Puma Piesc Paluszek Paluch Pajac Pudel Plomien Paf Puchacz Puhar Poleszuk Perkun Pat Plomien Portos Paz Pegaz Potwor Pif Pogon Phantom Ridge Potor

3rd Squadron

Szatan Sztorm Sirocco Sultan Szach Stryj Sanok Styr Smyk Sum Sajdak Salamandra Slon Smok Saracen Sarmata Satyr Sroka Sintria Sep Solec San

1st Krechowiecki Lancers Regiment

HQ Squadron

Krechowiak Koziatyn Komarow Krokodyl Korosten Krylow

1st Squadron

Burza Bizon Brawura Brat Buzenko Bestja Bystry Bohun Brytan Bekas Blyskawica Bobr Bajka Buzdygan Basn Bawol Boa Bolko Boruta Bromka Brutal Busola Babinicz Ballada Baska Bat Beduin Birkut Biruta Bohdanka Bozenka Brzask Biruta Bor

2nd Squadron

Rozmach Rycerz Raider Rowne Renifer Rejtan Radom Rozbojnik Rys Rak Ryba Rekin Rey Rekord Raszyn Rebacz Rozeta Romek Raid Reymont Rumak

3rd Squadron

Zwyciezca Zboj Zadzior Zadlo Zemsta Znicz Zadymka Zawisza Zagloba Zyrafa Zamiec Zamosc Zbyk Zyw Zagonczyk Zerwikaptur Zryw Zubr Zuch Zwierz Zbik

6th “Children of Lwów” Armoured Regiment

HQ Squadron

Lwow Lech Lot Lucy

1st Squadron

Wola Wielki-walc Wicher Wilczur Wilk Westerplatte Wielun Wloczega Wladek Wacek

2nd Squadron

Jez Joasia Juno Jowisz Jontek Jarzabek Jadzia Jaguar Janosik Jaskolka Jaszczur Jastrzab

3rd Squadron

Mur Maczuga Msciciel Mars Morus Merkury Magnat Majcher Miecz Mikrus Mlot Mocarz Markiza

Carpathian Lancers Regiment

HQ Squadron

Tobruk Acroma Cassino

1st Squadron

Grunwald Marsa-matruh Cairo Museirat

2nd Squadron

Grom Wir Potop Zamiec Huragan El-adem Hamsin Mex

3rd Squadron

Pomorzanin Kaniowczyk Krechowiak Rokitnianczyk Poznaniak