7th Polish Zealand Division
The 7th Polish Zeeland Division / 7th Lusatian Zeeland Division ( 7 DDes ) ( Polish 7 Łużycka Dywizja Desantowa) was a large amphibious unit of the Polish People's Army as part of the Warsaw Pact Army from 1963 to 1986 . The 7th Polish Zeeland Division was part of the Jednostka Obrony Wybrzeza (Coastal Defense Association) and was a special unit of the land forces that worked closely with the Polish naval navy. It belonged to the Pomeranian Military District and was stationed in Danzig . Other staff units were in Sopot and Gdynia. The members of the 7 DDes were often referred to as "Blue Berets" (Polish: "Niebieskie Berety" ).
uniform
The external identification badge was a silver anchor badge and a blue beret.
equipment
It was structured with a strength of approx. 5,000 to 6,000 men similar to a Mot rifle division, but with buoyant tanks and amphibious transport vehicles. The rifle groups carried the MG and the RPG-7 bazooka as heavy weapons. The reconnaissance battalion operated with the combat vehicles BRDM-2 and PT-76 and the engineer battalion K-61 transport vehicles. The independent tank battalion consisted mainly of T-55 battle tanks and the anti-aircraft battalion ZU-23-2 flak tanks. The amphibious transport capacity consisted of 23 Polnocny-class armored landing craft and 18 other landing craft. In addition, there were also CIS hovercraft, as observed by western observers for the first time on the Warsaw Pact maneuver "Val-77".
- Landing capacities of the Soviet Navy
| number | Type | class | Loading capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transporter | Ivan Rogov | 1 Marine InfBtl with equipment (including vehicles) |
| 14th | Landing ship | alligator | 38 Pz u. 400 soldiers |
| 13 | Landing ship | Ropucha | 19 Pz |
| 55 | Landing ship | Polnocny | 8 Pz and 180 soldiers |
| 10 | Landing ship | MP-4 | 6-8 Pz |
| 20th | Landing craft | Wydra | 3 Pz |
| 20th | Landing craft | SMB-1 | 3 Pz |
| 11 | Hovercraft | Lebed | - |
| 33 | Hovercraft | Gus | 30–40 soldiers |
| 8th | Hovercraft | Aist | 3 Pz |
history
In the fall of 1958 , the 23rd Infantry Division (No. 2 / 235-2 / 249) was formed from the permanent staff of the 3rd and 5th Coastal Defense Brigades, which took over the tasks of the two disbanded brigades. In January 1963 the division was restructured into a landing unit. The original plan was to convert the 23rd Infantry Division into a mechanized division. However, this was abandoned. The division should be used in combat operations after amphibious landings .
In October 1963 the 23rd Zeeland Division was renamed the 7th Lusatian Zeeland Division. In 1964 , the association was equipped with OT-62-TOPAS transport tanks from Czechoslovak production and Soviet floating tanks of the PT-76 type. The division was trained at the military training areas Okonek, Drawsko Pomorskie and Orzysz. Amphibious landing maneuvers took place on the beaches of Ustka, Ognica and Jelitków. The 7th Land Division was one of the units designated for the first operational actions of the Polish Army and maintained a high level of full combat readiness. She demonstrated her combat worth by participating in numerous Warsaw Pact exercises. These included, for example, the maneuvers " Odra-Nysa-69 ", " Brotherhood Broni-70 ", " Brotherhood Broni-80 ", " Alliance-81 " and " Alliance-83 ".
In the early morning hours of December 15, 1970 , Major General Józef Kamiński issued the order to put the divisions under increased combat readiness . Then the Gdansk shipyard was blocked .
On August 2, 1986, the division was renamed the 7th Lusatian Coast Defense Brigade, while maintaining its current organizational structure, but with a smaller crew compared to a typical division of around 6,000 soldiers. In the Warsaw Pact structures, it had been a brigade since the 1960s . It wasn't until 1989 that the brigade was converted into a battalion. The division's traditions were passed on to the 7th Pomeranian Coastal Defense Brigade.
assignment
The general task of the Polish marine infantry and sea troops was to carry out tactical or operational amphibious landings as an independent task force and to build a landing bridgehead as the first squadron.
From 1967, the Polish People's Republic had military units that resembled rapid modern reaction forces. As part of a possible military conflict between the Warsaw Pact and NATO, it was planned that the Polish People's Army would carry out an attack (Operacjia Jutlandii - Jutland operational direction) on the North German lowlands of West Germany and Denmark in order to occupy the Baltic Corridor and to obtain full freedom of action for to win the Baltic fleet . For this purpose, a Zeeland corps (tactical number 14) from the 7th ŁDD and the 6th PDPD ( 6th Polish Airborne Division - 6 Pomorska Dywizja Powietrznodesantowa) should be set up for triphibian operations (land, sea and air). The 15th Mechanized Division had the task of supporting the 7th Lusatian Landing Division in the second wave and intervening with lighter armored units for this purpose.
Babice was intended as a garrison near Warsaw, where an air base was located. Despite the initial approval of General Jaruzelski, the creation of the Zealand Corps was not completed.
Organization of the 7th Polish Zeeland Division
- Headquarters of the 7th Polish Zeeland Division in Danzig, former headquarters of the 23rd ID
- 4th Pomeranian Zealand Regiment (4 Pomorski Pułk Desantowy) in Słupsk , previously 79th Pomeranian Zealand Regiment
- 34 Bautzen Zealand Regiment (34 Budziszyński Pułk Desantowy) in Lębork , previously 34th Infantry Regiment
- 35 Gdansk Zeeland Regiment (35 Gdański Pułk Desantowy), Gdansk
- 11th Floating Tank Battalion (11 Batalion Czołgów Pływających) in Słupsk
- 41st Danzig Artillery Division, tactical missiles
- 20th division artillery (rocket artillery)
- 18th Engineer Battalion in Lębork
- 7th Repair Battalion (7 Batalion Remontowy) in Słupsk
- 29. Anti-aircraft battery (29 Bateria Artylerii przeciwlotniczej) in Gdansk
- 52nd Reconnaissance Company (52 kompania rozpoznawcza) in Lębork
- 7th Chemical Company (7 Kompania Chemiczna) in Słupsk
- 23. Telecommunication Company (23 Kompania łączności) in Gdansk
- 7th supply company (7 Kompania Zaopatrzenia) in Gdansk
- 23rd SanKompanie (23 Kompania Medyczna) in Gdansk
- 33 kompania dowodzenia szefa OPL in Gdansk
- Traffic protection company (Kompania Ochrony i Regulacji Ruchu) in Gdansk
- Artillery train (Pluton Dowodzenia Szefa Artylerii) in Gdansk
Structure of the 4th Pomeranian Zealand Regiment
- Lead train
- Safety pull
- 5 Seelande companies each with 9 × TOPAS and 3 × 82 mm mortars, each divided into four platoons and one grenade launcher platoon
- Swimming tank company (16 × PT-76) with three platoons each with five tanks and one command tank
- Grenade launcher battery (6 × 120 mm) with two fire puffs
- Anti-tank guided missile battery (6 weapon systems) with two trains
- Technical company
- Anti-aircraft platoon
- Reconnaissance platoon (4 × BRDM )
- Pioneer train
- Supply train
- Ambulance train
Structure of the 41st tactical artillery missile division
- Lead battery
- 2 × starter batteries with two trains each, a total of 4 × tactical missiles of the R-70 type
- Technical (operating) train?
- Air defense train with 3 × ZU-23-2
- Repair train
- Supply train
- Ambulance train
Commanders
- Brigadier General Otton Roczniok (1963)
- Colonel Henryk Rzepkowski (1963–1968)
- Colonel Stanisław Kruczek (1968–1970)
- Colonel Tadeusz Urbańczyk (1970–1973)
- Brigadier General Leszek Kozłowski (1973–1978)
- Brigadier General Henryk Szafrański (1978–1986)
Restructuring
The 7th Polish Zeeland Division went through several restructurings. The 3rd and 5th Coastal Defense Brigade and the 32nd Infantry Division became the 23rd Infantry Division, which became the 23rd Seeland Division and then the 7th Lusatian Sealand Division. After 1986 the size was reduced and the 7th Lusatian Coastal Defense Brigade was created, from it the 1st Danzig Territorial Defense Brigade and at the end the 7th Battalion of the 1st Danzig Territorial Defense Battalion.
Notes and individual references
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Naval Infantry and Sea Land Forces of the Warsaw Pact. Troop practice 12/1981. Darmstadt, Wehr und Wissen publishing company.
- ^ Pomorskiego Okręgu Wojskowego
- ↑ Zakończenie międzynarodowych manewrów "Odra - Nysa - 1969". Pictures of the parades of the maneuver »OderNeiße 69« (pl.)
- ↑ Seasonal Concept of the Warsaw Pact?
- ↑ ABC Company
literature
- Warsaw Pact Marines and Seaborne Forces. Combat groups for attack from the sea . Troop practice 12/1981. Darmstadt, Wehr und Wissen publishing company.