7TP

The 9.9-tonne 7TP was the standard tank of the Polish Army when the Germans and Soviets invaded Poland in September 1939. A development of the British Vickers 6-ton Mark E tank, the 7TP improved upon this design by having a more reliable and powerful diesel engine; more effective main gun; thicker frontal armour (17 mm instead of 13 mm), modified ventilation, a periscope, and a radio. One early variant came with twin turrets armed with two machine guns, but this unit represents the version with a single, fully-rotating turret carrying the a 37 mm Bofors wz. 37 main gun and one 7.92 mm Ckm wz.30 machine gun. A crew of three operated the vehicle at a top speed of 23 mph. Polish industry produced about 132 7TPs between 1935 and the outbreak of war. All took part in the defence of Poland during the German Invasion in 1939. Combat experience proved that the tank's Bofors gun was able to penetrate the armour of any German tank of the time, including early variants of the Panzer IV. Although technically superior to any contemporary German light tanks, the 7TP was too scarce to change the outcome. All 7TPs were destroyed by enemy action or by their crews prior to surrendering.