TBIU 59
POLISH NAVY AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT LANDING SHIPS ODS LST LCT LSM LCU LCC BDC EDIC
TYPY BRONI UZBROJENIA TBIU SOFTBOUND
BOOK IN POLISH
INCLUDES DETAILED HISTORY,
PHOTOGRAPHS, SCALE FOUR-VIEW CENTERFOLD, COLOR PROFILES, TECHNICAL DETAILS AND
CUTAWAY DRAWING
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Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia
Landing units appeared on the
armament of the Polish Navy only after World War II, and landing forces were
created in the 50s of the twentieth century (before the war, only some
countries had few forces of this type, and only war experience showed the
importance of sea landings). In the case of Polish, the possession of numerous
amphibious forces, which are in principle offensive forces, was associated with
plans created within the framework of the Warsaw Pact, in the event of an armed
confrontation between the Warsaw Pact and NATO countries in Europe. According
to these plans, created since 1962, the Polish Navy, together with soviet and
East German naval forces, was to participate in the naval landing on the
Jutland Peninsula. However, according to the official military doctrine,
emphasizing the defensive nature of the armed forces, the landing forces were
to be used primarily for counter-landings (landings on their own shore,
controlled by the enemy).
All landing ships used by the
Polish Navy were classic units, medium or small in size, adapted to make
landings of soldiers, tanks and combat vehicles, directly through the approach
to the shore (beach), through the bow gate. In the case of the newer ships of
the 770 project and beyond, however, it was mainly used to leave the ship by
floating tanks and transporters in close proximity to the shore. Initially,
from 1951, medium or small coastal landing barges of war construction were
used, from the mid-60s replaced by modern landing ships built in Poland.
1945–1950
In the second half of the 40s.
Poland did not have special naval landing forces, but only a few landing units,
but used for a different purpose. The first landing craft in the Polish fleet
were two German landing barges of the PiLB 41 type (Pionierlandungsboot 41)
found in 1946 (according to other information, extracted from the bottom) and
renovated in Gdynia. They had a full displacement of 71 tons, a length of 19.6
m and a load capacity of 40 tons (e.g. two trucks). They were incorporated in
August 1946 and April 1947 respectively as Landing Ferry No. 1 and 2. However,
they were used only for transport purposes; the first of them in the war port
in Gdynia, and the second in Œwinoujœcie[3]. Ferry No. 1 was later renamed the
amphibious barge BD-1, and Ferry No. 2 to the barge BD-2, in 1948 to BD-10, and
finally in 1949 to BD-40 (which did not change the nature of their service as
transport units).
In the years 1946–47, a total of
four post-German landing boats of the Sturmboot 42 type were also incorporated,
initially designated as High-Speed Trawl Cutters No. 1 – 3[5]. In June 1947,
after the loss of the minesweeper No. 2, the others were renamed the MOTOR
BOATS KM-1 (later KM-23 and KM-49), KM-2 and KM-3; were used for transport and
auxiliary purposes[5]. They had a full displacement of 12.5 tons, a length of
14.7 m and a load capacity of 40 people, reaching a speed of up to approx. 21
w.
In the years 1947–48, the Polish
Navy purchased 12 LCP(L) type wooden-steel landing boats - Landing Craft,
Personnel, LargE from American war surpluses from demobilization. They were
commissioned in 1948 as motor boats (HP) for auxiliary tasks, but in 1951 six
were reclassified as amphibious cutters.[5] They received designations in this
capacity: KD-19, -28, -37, -46, -55, -64[6]. Initially, they were subordinated
to the command of the Marine corps unit. They were decommissioned until 1962.
The 50s - the organization of
landing forces
In 1951, the Flotilla of
Amphibious Means was created, and on November 15, 1951, the first unit of the
amphibious army was also created – the 3rd Marine Battalion (in 1959
transformed into the 3rd Marine Regiment), subordinated to the Flotilla of
Amphibious Means, as part of the Navy[7].. The team consisted primarily of six
post-German large landing craft with covered MFP holds (Marinefährprahm,
classified in Germany as transport ferries). Four of them were found unfinished
in the river shipyard in G³ogów (later BDD-1, -2, -3, -7), one was raised from
the bottom there, and the sixth captured as operational[8]. They were
classified in Poland as "large landing barges", with BDD markings.
Four of them, belonging to the D type, received Polish designations: BDD-1, -2,
-3 and -7. The other two BDD-5 and BDD-6 belonged to the DM type, differing in
the possibility of placing mines. In addition, the team included the seventh
large BDD-4 barge of the Italian MZ type modeled on the MFP, previously taken
over by the Germans from the Italians.
Further barges of the landing
team were American, also of war construction, with exposed holds. Taking
advantage of offering for sale to the civilian market a significant amount of
surplus American amphibious vessels from demobilization, some of them were
purchased for transport purposes by the Polish Ministry of Communications and
private shipowners. Of these, the Navy took over in 1950 11 medium landing
craft for transporting LCT(5) tanks – Landing Craft, Tank, Mk V, which received
the numbers: BDS-50 – BDS-60, and 3 small landing barges of the LCM(3) type –
Landing Craft, Mechanised, Mk III – numbers: BDM-100 – BDM-102. After
renovation, they entered Polish service in the years 1950-52. In September
1953, 6 LCP(L) type amphibious boats described above were also added to the
landing flotilla.
All these units did not have
permanent armament (except for the BDD-1 in the initial period, armed with 85
mm and 37 mm guns). In 1956, the landing barges were reclassified as large,
medium and small amphibious assault ships and renamed respectively: ODD-1 – 7,
ODS-50 – 60, ODM-100 – 102[9] (this classification was "exaggerated",
because the landing ships existing in the world were much larger, and the
American units owned by Poland were typical barges[8] , adapted to operate from
the decks of larger amphibious assault ships). From 1 January 1960, the names
were replaced by three-digit fixed side numbers, beginning with the number
8.[7] The first two large barges ODD-1 and ODD-2 and two medium ODS-57 and -60
were withdrawn due to wear and tear on 28 December 1957.[8] By 1960, the
remaining ODSs were withdrawn, as well as, during this period, ODD-3 and -4. On
September 24, 1963, the last three ODDs-5, -6 and -7 were withdrawn, which in
1960 received new tactical numbers: 863, 864, 865. The longest - until the end
of the 70s served three small ODM barges, which received new tactical numbers.
The Amphibious Means Flotilla,
formed in 1951, included a squadron of landing barges consisting of three
groups: large, medium and small barges, and a group of motor boats and landing
boats[7]. Until June 1952 it was based in Gdynia-Oksywie, then in Dziwnów, and
from September 1953 finally in Œwinoujœcie. From October 1953 to 1956, the
BDD-5 and -6 (amphibious-mine) barges were nevertheless stationed in
Gdynia-Oksywie as a Group of Large Amphibious Barges, as part of the
Minesweeper Flotilla. From 1956, the flotilla changed its name to the
Amphibious Assault Ships Flotilla and consisted of a large amphibious assault
squadron, a medium landing ship squadron and a small amphibious assault ship
squadron and amphibious cutters. It was subordinate to the Commander of the MW
Œwinoujœcie Base.
At the end of the 50s, in
connection with the development of Operational Plans of the Warsaw Pact and the
withdrawal of obsolete small ships (and in fact barges), the renewal of the
landing fleet began. According to the technical guidelines received from the
USSR, a new type of medium landing ship (ODS) was developed in the Northern
Shipyard in Gdañsk - project 770. These were classic landing ships with a
displacement of about 700 t, with a covered hold, from which the landing took
place still by approaching the shore, but also by unloading floating combat
vehicles in the vicinity of the shore. The armament consisted of one double (in
other types two double) 30 mm plot cannon (AK-230) and launchers of unguided
140 mm missiles to support the landing. The project was successful and was then
developed in the form of further projects 771 and 773. In addition to the 23
vessels that came under the Polish flag, the remaining 107 ships were built for
foreign orders, mainly for the USSR. The amphibious assault ships of Project
770 and its derivatives, which received the name Of the North Class
("Northern" type in the NATO code, most likely from the name of the
shipyard), became one of the most widely known post-war units of this class in
the world, used by the USSR and the countries of the Eastern Bloc, and a number
of African and Asian states in the Soviet sphere of influence. In Poland, large
project 775 amphibious assault ships (in nato code Toad) were then developed,
but they were built only for the USSR Navy and did not serve in Poland.
In the years 1964-1971, 22
landing ships came under the Polish flag: 9 of the 770D project (OORP
"Oka", "Bug", "Narew", "San",
"Wis³a", "Pilica", "Bzura", "Warta",
"Noteæ"), 2 proj. 770MA (OORP "Odra", "Nysa"), 6
proj. 771 (OORP "Lenino", "Brda", "Studzianki",
"Siekierki", "Bautzen", "Polichno"), 5 proj. 771A
(OORP "Janów", "R¹blów", "Narwik",
"G³ogów", "Cedynia"). On the basis of project 773, the
landing command ship of project 776 ORP "Grunwald" was built and
incorporated into the Navy in 1973 (it could carry one armored personnel carrier).
They were given names derived from rivers, and then places of battles, mainly
associated with the Polish People's Army and the GL/AL partisans. Ships proj.
770 bore side numbers from 888 to 899, and the ships were proj. 771 and 776
numbers from 801 to 811. Despite the numbers, the fleet of proj. The 770/771
had a moderate combat potential, as these ships could carry 5 (maximum 6 in
project 771) T-55 class MBTs, landing ashore, posing a threat of destruction of
the stationary ship. In addition, they took about 200 soldiers, of which only
21-41 (depending on the version) in the landing rooms, and the rest in the hold.
Since the 770MA project, it has been possible to land amphibious vehicles
(PT-76 floating tanks, TOPAS armoured personnel carriers or K-61 or PTS-M
floating personnel carriers) in the water near the shore. This was also
associated with risks, and in addition, the PT-76 tanks were poorly armed and
armored (the world trends of the time consisted in building larger landing ships-docks,
from which the transport of MBTs to the shore was carried out using smaller
barges).
In January 1965, the Amphibious
Assault Flotilla was transformed into the 2. Landing Ship Brigade in
Œwinoujœcie, part of the 8. Coastal Defence Flotilla. 11 proj. 770 formed the
1st Squadron, and 11 ships of the Proj. 771 and ORP "Grunwald" - 2nd
Squadron. These ships were used to transport the 7th Lusatian Amphibious
Division - "blue berets", organized in 1963 on the basis of the 3rd
Lusatian Landing Division. Marine Regiment and 23. Infantry Division and part
of the land forces. Polish amphibious forces were used in numerous exercises,
including with the amphibious ships of the Baltic Fleet of the USSR and the
landing ships of the GDR (e.g. exercises September-67 in 1967).
Landing boats
In addition to landing ships,
landing boats were developed in Poland, designed and built at the Naval
Shipyard in Gdynia. The first were the 15 Units of Project 709 (nato code:
Eichstaden), which began to enter service in 1962.[15] They could deliver 40 soldiers
to the shore (due to the classic bow without a ramp, they did not provide
transport with a "dry leg"). Landing cutters could be used to unload
the assault and dispersion throw in the first wave of the landing. They did not
have their own weapons. They wore tactical numbers from the range around 866.
At the end of the 60s, they were rebuilt and the landing compartment discovered
so far on the bow was covered with a cover with manholes. From 1965, amphibious
cutters formed the 3rd Squadron in the 2. Landing Ship Brigade in Œwinoujœcie.
The first of the cutters was withdrawn in 1987, the rest by mid-1990.
Subsequently, an experimental
series of three larger project 719 boats (Marabut class, in NATO code also
Marabut) was built, incorporated on March 9, 1975. They received armament in
the form of a 14.5 mm wkm and a 7.62 mm km in the turret and could transport a
light vehicle (e.g. BRDM-2 reconnaissance car) to the beach.[ A novelty was the
use of polyester-glass laminate for the hull construction, which, however, did
not work well for landing boats and this series was withdrawn on August 31,
1984. They wore tactical numbers from the range around 517.
