Ww2 Polish Army painting guide
I have completed the assembly, undercoating and basing of my metal Polish infantry in preparation for painting this month. To kick of this project I am researching the uniforms worn in 1939.
I have purchased XAN, Fantassin Miniatures (now Captain miniatures both sculpted by the same about chap 15 years ago under the brand ) and Early War Miniatures for my Polish 1939 army. The artillery will be mixed FAA, Early War miniatures, HAT and First to Fight plastic. The cavalry will be HAT and FAA for the 10th motorised. My existing Hat Plastic Regiment will become a reserves unit.
As always I prepare a painting guide for myself digging through resource sets and having a look at other people’s guides then selecting colors that I think look closer to my needs.
WZ36 uniform
In 1936 the Polish army developed two new uniforms a dress WZ36 khaki gaberdine green wool uniform and the WZ36 summer cotton uniform and the third in service was the WZ27, these three were the uniforms for the 1939 invasion. Variation existed for mountain, cavalry, armoured, motorized, pilots and the reserve troops.
The WZ27 and WZ36 Khaki green uniform had collar patches listed below relating to branch of service with silver lace.
The WZ36 Cotton uniform seemed to have two collar variants seen in photos. One with the branch colors and lace, the other only had the lace patch. It seems the cavalry persisted with the pennon colours on the collar patch though.
Colour Suggestions
WZ35 Gaberdine Wool uniform - brown violet , worn by full time officers, NCOs and professional soldiers.
WZ27 mid war uniform - reserve units and mountain troops
Wz35 Summer uniform - brown violet 60, English uniform 40 or AK British uniform
Puttees - English uniform or olive green
Wool leggings - olive green
Canvas gaiters - khaki grey
Great coat - English uniform, greatcoats had the arm of service stripe on the leading edge of the collar.
Pack - khaki grey, red leather straps
Blanket - brown violet
Mess tin - brown voilet
Webbing harness - khaki grey canvas for infantry or red leather for cavalry, chasseurs and rifles
Rifle Ammo pouches - red leather
Bayonet scabbard - red leather frog, black scabbard
Entrenching tool - red leather pouch, olive green head, flat brown handle
WZ28 RKM LMG pouches - khaki grey
Bread bag - khaki grey
Gas mask - US field drab (french metal round model) or Khaki grey satchel bag
WZ 31 Boots- black lace up ankle boots, some reserve units wore natural brown in 1939
WZ15- French Adrian helmet - olive green ( worn by a majority of the conscript infantry, cavalry and frontier units)
WZ31- Helmet - brown violet, red leather chin strap (issued to infantry and some artillery only)
WZ17 - Austrian made Stahlhelm - olive green, worn by the 10th Cavalry Division
WZ36 Kop senior Officers round dress cap, English uniform with service colour band. round silver eagle also worn by chasseur and frontier unit officers and NCOs.
WZ35 Rogatywka Dress field cap - US olive drab, black visor, cap band in service colour (see chart below or cavalry regiment colour) silver officers lace, silver eagle
WZ37 Rogatywka soft field cap - English uniform, silver lace officers, NCO is service colour, white stitched eagle
WZ26 Furażerka forage side cap white metal eagle - English Uniform
Officer long boots - black
Officer map case - red leather
Officer belts - red leather brown infantry,artillery, engineer’s or black if rifles, armour and cavalry.
Pistol case - red leather or black for rifles and armour
Rifle - mahogany brown
Rifle metalwork - German grey
Rifle sling - red leather
Canteen - metal lid, khaki grey cover
The cavalry uniform
It differed with chamois leather reinforced inner leg patch’s in Iraqi sand and British uniform jodpurs, long black boots or short black boots and black leather gaiters and a black sword belt. Scabbard metal.
Overalls
One piece khaki grey overalls were used by artillery, armoured cars, tankettes and tanks, black or dark brown leather hip length jackets of the French design along with the French tank helmet.
Mountain troops
They had the American M1912 style cut jacket in the old cut, vallejo khaki green, along with the cape in the same colour and a mountain helmet in the same colour.
Motorised
Motorized 10th division reconnaissance battalion and one rifle regiment had a black waterproof rubberized greatcoat and wore an Austrian stahlhelm helmet.
Ranks
Shoulder board tape - Silver thread up to corporal and silver and red embroidered tape for Sergeants and above. Officers stars and lace in branch colour with silver tape
Headwear
Helmet options including the French Adrian wz28 with or without comb, the wz31 polish helmet and the stahlhelm 1916 Austrian pattern (10th motorized regiment) Wz16 and the podhale, a hardened felt helmet for the 21st and 22nd mountain rifle divisions and 2nd mountain brigade, finally the French Adrian tank helmet with the padded front.
For walking out dress and fatigues caps two options were available the hardened model, based on the rogatywka Mk. 1935, olive khaki green with black peak, the officers version could have general officers ranks on it, with the cap band in branch colour or regiment colour if cavalry, and the soft fatigue rogatywka – a square-topped wool peaked cap, both had a silver metal Polish Eagle badge on the front. This was the same khaki colour cloth as the summer field uniform.
Berets were also used by the armoured elements wore a black Beret with the silver eagle,
Collar Arm of service distinctions
These were mixed and photos have some being worn with the tab and lace and some just the lace.
Type Collar tab. Lace Cap band
Infantry. Dark Blue. Dark Yellow Dark Blue
Cavalry. Dark Blue (pennon colour) Dark Yellow. Regiment pennon band colour
Frontier. Dark Blue. Dark Green. Dark Blue
Rifles. Dark Blue. Mid Green. Dark Blue (mountain division)
Field artillery. Dark Green. Black. Dark Green
Heavy Artillery Dark Green. Red. Dark Green
Anti Aircraft Middle Green. Yellow. Dark Green
Engineers. Black. Carmine. Black
Signals. Black. Light blue. Black
Transport Sky Blue. Crimson. Sky blue
Military Police. Scarlet Light Yellow. Scarlet
Other equipment
Ammunition boxes - US olive drab
HMG tripod - US olive drab
Mortar - olive green
Saddles and horse equipment - red leather
Saddle Blanket - light grey
References
