Polish tank driver helmet

This helmet for Polish tank drivers is based on the “Adrian helmet” of the French army from the First World War. For use in tanks, the front peak was removed and a thick leather strip was attached as a forehead pad. This model of the Adrian helmet from 1915 was repainted from French horizon blue to Polish green-brown and fitted with a Polish-made interior and chinstrap. It belonged to a soldier in the Polish army of the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939) and is evidence of the disparate equipment of the Polish armed forces in the interwar period and of Poland’s military alliance with France.

The end of the First World War meant that Poland regained its statehood in November 1918. The Second Polish Republic was created from the Polish territories of the three partitioning powers Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. However, the territory of the state was not yet firmly defined, and in the following years Poland engaged in military conflicts with its neighboring states over territories. Military power was therefore closely linked to Polish statehood and promoted by the Polish state leadership. However, Poland needed foreign support for the formation of the new armed forces and received this from France, among others. By strengthening Poland, the country hoped to counterbalance Germany in the east.

The first Polish armored unit was formed in France in March 1919. It consisted of Poles who had volunteered to fight in the French army during the First World War and were equipped with the French horizontal blue uniforms, which is why they were also known as the “Blue Army”. They accompanied French officers who were helping to build up the armed forces in Poland and acted as instructors. Together with 120 Renault FT tanks, France sent the Blue Army by train through Germany to Poland. This suddenly made Poland one of the four countries with the most tanks in the world. In mid-1919, Poland increased its army to almost 600,000 men.

The 1st Tank Regiment fought in the Polish-Soviet War from 1919 to 1921, during which time it became clear that the Renault FT was becoming increasingly obsolete. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Polish army made several attempts to develop its own tank models as well as to buy foreign models, reproduce them under license and develop them further. However, Poland’s financial resources and industrial capacities were very limited. In addition to the precarious economic situation of Europe as a whole after the war, this was also due to the fact that the Eastern Front of the First World War ran largely through Polish territory until 1916 – with corresponding destruction of industry and infrastructure. The long division of the Polish territories (1795-1918) also meant that the soldiers recruited from the different countries had different training and command languages as well as different material equipment. Even with the transformation of the armed forces into a conscript army in 1921, this process of harmonization was still a long way off.

In 1939, Poland had around 750 armored vehicles of various origins and designs. The tank crews were still unevenly equipped in 1939, including the modified French helmets. The armies of Germany and the Soviet Union, which forcibly partitioned Poland in 1939 and ended this phase of the state’s independence, were much better equipped.

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(short) stories from the depot

Unfortunately, many objects cannot currently be shown in the exhibition for conservation reasons. Here you will find unusual objects and exciting stories of special pieces from the depot