Feldgrau.net

I. Datas – production stats and OdeB:

By the beginning of the Polish Campaign the Germans had produced up to around 220 Panzer IVs - 35 Ausf A, 45 Ausf B and 140 Ausf C.

Panzerwaffe used in Poland up to 210 - 211 of them - up to 28 - 29 in version A, 42 in version B and 140 in version C:

1. Pz.Div. - 56 pieces
2. Pz.Div. - 18 - 17 pieces
3. Pz.Div. - 32 pieces
4. Pz.Div. - 16 / 14 - 12 pieces
5. Pz.Div. - 14 - 12 pieces
10. Pz.Div. - 8 - 7 pieces
Pz.Div. "Kempf" - 9 - 8 pieces
1. Le.Div. - 42 - 41 pieces (Panzer-Regiment 11. - 28; Panzer-Abteilung 65. - 14) - 1 platoon per each btl. was equipped in Ausf B.
2. Le.Div. - 3 pieces
I./23. Pz.Rgt. - 3 pieces
I./10. Pz.Rgt. - 4 pieces
Schliesslehrgang - 5 pieces

Up to 11 pieces were left in garrisons and schools in Reich.

II. Datas – casualties:

1. In total during the Polish campaign at least 76 Panzer IVs were knocked out.

2. Panzer IVs casualties – in the understanding of this word as tanks which were written-off from the statuses of Armies - in period 1st of September – 25th of September – according to Thomas Jentz, “Panzertruppen”, were:

AOK 10:
1. Panzer-Division - 16
1. Leichte-Division - 9
4. Panzer-Division - 6 (2 in Ochota district, 4 in Wola district - Warsaw - 09.09.1939)
AOK 14 - 2. Panzer-Division - 7 (2 from II./PR.3 near Biskupice - 08.09.1939)
AOK 3 - Panzerdivision "Kempf" and I./Panzer-Regiment 10. - 5
AOK 8 - I./Panzer-Regiment 23. - 1
AOK 4 – 0*

3. Irrecoverable losses of Panzer IVs during September of 1939 (write-offs from the status of Panzerwaffe in September) according to the most common German data – 19 Pz-IVs completely destroyed.

III. Photos – describtions:

For the beginning Panzer IVs completely destroyed in Poland in 1939 – wrecks identified so far:

A). For shure from Poland, completely destroyed:

1. Ćwiklice - 02.09.1939 - 5. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 31. - 4. company.
2. Polskie Łąki - 03.09.1939. - 3. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 6. *(this is 3. Pz.Div. - on 03.09.1939 it was subordinated to AOK 4 as far as I know, and since 08.09.39 it wasn't subordinated to any AOK but directly to Heeresgruppe Nord - as other units of Guderian's independent XIX Corps)
3. Bzura or Piotrków Trybunalski - after 09.09.1939 or 05.09.1939 - I./Pz-Rgt. 23. or 1. Panzer-Division.
4. Głowaczów - 10.09.1939 – most probably 1. Leichte-Division
5. Mszczonów - 11.09.1939 - 4. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 36.
6. Battle of Kiernozia - 16.09.1939 - 1. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 1. - 8. company.
7. Skowroda near Kiernozia - 16.09.1939 or later - 1. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 1. - 4. company.
8. Sierżniki near Kiernozia - 16.09.1939 or later - 1. Panzer-Division
9. Battle of Kiernozia - 16.09.1939 or later - 1. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 1. - I. battalion.
10. Pociecha - 18.09.1939 - 1. Leichte-Division - Panzer-Regiment 11.
11. "833" – Poland 1939 - 1. Panzer-Division
12. "814" – Poland 1939
13. "14" – Poland 1939

B). Completely destroyed – it is not shure if the wreck is from Poland / if it is different wreck, not the same as on previous photos:

14. Allegedly it is another Panzer IV destroyed in Głowaczów on 10.09.1939
15. Battle of Kiernozia - 16.09.1939 or later - 1. Panzer-Division
16. Unknown 1
17. Unknown 2
18. Unknown 3

C). It is not shure if it is irrecoverable loss, for shure from Poland 1939:

18. Puławy - September1939
19. Unknown 4 – Poland 1939
20. "833" - 4. Panzer-Division - Panzer-Regiment 36.
21. Unknown 6
22. Opatów - 5. Panzer-Division
23. Ćwiklice - 02.09.1939 - 5. Panzer-Division

D). It is not shure if it is irrecoverable loss, it is not shure if it is from Poland 1939:

24. Unknown 7

IV. Photos:

Photos come from Forum Odkrywca and from Forum DWS:

PS: I am not putting here all photos of each of those wrecks (some of them have got even 10+ different photos – like for example the one from Głowaczów), but only 1 – 2 up to several:

A).

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.




Allegedly it is the same wreck but I'm not shure:



6.



7.



8.



9. This is the tank of Major Koppenburg - commander of 1st battalion / Panzer-Regiment 1. - I was really surprised that according to official German data he was neither KIA nor WIA during the Polish Campaign.

But I also found info that Leutnant Jost was one of the crew members of this tank, and he was allegedly KIA:



10.





11.



12.



Winter (1939 / 1940 or later? – 1940 / 1941) – snow (if it wasn’t neither repaired nor transported to any workshop / factory until the winter, I suppose that it wasn’t repaired at all):



13.



B).

14.



15.



16.



17. White cross can be seen but there is a strange logo / sign - which allegedly was not being used during the Polish Campaign:



C).

18.



19.



20.



21.



22.

Burned out ?:



23.



D).

24.

Photos come from Forum Odkrywca and from Forum DWS:

Here some threads with photos of wrecks of Panzers which were eliminated, destroyed or knocked out, in Poland in 1939:

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/pokaz_watek.php?id=88087

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/panzer39- ... tml#303695

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/panzer39- ... tml#559785

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/panzer39- ... 44359.html

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/zdjecia-z ... tml#646623

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/zdjecia-z ... tml#645846

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/zdobyczne ... tml#644872

http://www.odkrywca-online.pl/niemcy-w- ... tml#320040

Photo of wreck number 3. comes from the album of a German soldier who was serving in I. battalion of Panzer-Regiment 23. during the Polish Campaign:

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/ ... NZER46.jpg

And here the link to this photo of destroyed Panzer IV - wreck number 3.:

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/ ... NZER17.jpg

Great stuff thanks. I'd just been reading about German losses in Poland and was surprised at the small number of Pz III and Pz IV tanks. Your stats would seem to verify that. Nice (and rare - to me) pictures.

cheers
Michael / Reb

Hi Reb!,

Reb wrote:and was surprised at the small number of Pz III and Pz IV tanks.

Irreparable losses of Panzer IIIs in Poland according to official German data were 26 tanks completely destroyed.

Taking into consideration that only around 85 - 87+ Panzer IIIs took part in the Polish campaign, it is around 30% of all involved Panzer IIIs - and this is only the number of completely destroyed (so "nothing left" - impossible to repair or even rebuild), heavily damaged (requiring rebuilding or intensive repairs) and all other knocked out (armour penetration) are not included here.

Maybe number is small, but percent of losses very high - small amount took part.

Panzer IIIs in German units on 31st of August 1939:

1. Panzer-Division - 24 - 26
2. Panzer-Division - 6
3. Panzer-Division - 43 - 46
4. Panzer-Division - 0 - 12 (but most sources say that 0)
5. Panzer-Division - 3
10. Panzer-Division - 3
Panzer-Division "Kempf" - 3
I./Panzer-Regiment 10. - 3
Schliesslehrgang - 4

Btw - I also have got some photos (but only several) of completely destroyed and knocked out Panzer IIIs from Poland.

Regards,
Domen

Ebay.de - Pz IV Abschuss nördl Warschau Polen:

Nice write up w/pics to support.
Thanks.

Hello to all ; a little more.................................

Pz Kw IV Ausf. A (8./ PR 6) at Polskie Łąki 1939!

In spite of it was told the tank was destroyed on September 3, 1939 at Bukowiec, in fact it was knocked out in the evening on September 02 at Polskie Łąki by troops of the I./ 23 pp (Infantry Regiment) part of the 27. DP (Infantry Division).

Source: http://odkrywca.pl/bukowiec-1939-2009-2 ... 57753.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!.

Hello to all ; a little more.................................

Pz Kw IV (5. Pz Div) destroyed around Ćwiklice 1939!

In spite of it was told the tank Pz Kw IV Ausf. C destroyed on September 2, 1939 around Ćwiklice was of PR 31, I think it could be of the PR 15.

Source: http://www.dobroni.pl/galeria,kampania- ... 1293,10200

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Año Nuevo - Happy New Year - feliz Ano Novo - gluckliches Neues Jahr - Bonne Année - Felice Anno Nuovo - Szczęśliwego nowego roku!!

Hello to all ; a little more.....................................

Pz Kw IV disabled in action!

Source: http://odkrywca.pl/panzer39-wraki-czesc ... 30647.html

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; a little more.....................................

Pz Kw IV disabled in action!

Here we see two photographs that I think are showing the same tank (the Pz Kw IV of Lt. Wiktor IV Albrecht von Ratibor). But I found another similar to the first photo (album of Pz Abt 65 in Poland 1939 in eBay), which has written underneath:

Zerschossener Ostw Pz IV. Sierakow - 19/09/39 Kommandant: Feldw. Hähnert. Any idea if the Pz. Abt. 65 lost a Pz Kw IV during the actions in Sierakow or were all of them Pz Kw 35 (t)?

Source: http://odkrywca.pl/panzer39-wraki-czesc ... tml#667803

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; pictures again (previous post).....................................

Pz Kw IV disabled in action!

Source: http://odkrywca.pl/panzer39-wraki-czesc ... tml#667803

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; a little more ............................

Ruszki-Kiernozia.

On September 16, 1939 two armored regiments of the 1. Pz Div and the PR 35 of the 4. Pz Div attacked positions of the GO of General Knoll-Kownacki in Ruszki-Kiernozia area. Initially, the German offensive was successfully developed and the tanks penetrated deep into the Polish positions. But in the absence of own infantry support, they were soon isolated and under constant fire of Polish infantry and anti-tank guns. Attack of the German tanks were dispersed by means of the Polish tactics of "antitank nest". Although they managed to penetrate further, eventually they were stopped in the second line of defense. Many tanks were destroyed, and those who survived until the morning of September 17 were withdrawn. Since the battlefield remained in Polish hands, infantry and sappers blew up most of the abandoned German tanks. Therefore a significant percentage of completely destroyed tanks was achieved. For example, the German PR 35 lost in these battles 23 tanks completely destroyed (30 crewmembers KIA) - According to Polish reports in Ruszki were destroyed 29 tanks. The Germans called this battle "hell of Kiernozia." ................................

Source: http://chrito.users1.50megs.com/1939/se ... r_1939.htm (offline)
http://jedenz.salon24.pl/444627,ruszki- ... 16-09-1939

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; a little more ............................

Ruszki-Kiernozia.

Source: http://odkrywca.pl/panzer39-wraki-czesc ... tml#700425
http://odkrywca.pl/zdjecia-z-pol-bitew- ... 46623.html

Cheers. Raul M .