List of armoured trains

This is a list of armoured trains of different countries.

Poland

Before regaining independence in 1918

Battle of Lwów (1918)

Polish-Soviet War

Names of fifty trains have been confirmed, but it is hard to be sure the exact number that remain to be found. Near the end of the war, on December 1, 1920, twenty-six trains formed the part of the armoured train Polish forces:

Other:

Lost in 1920:

In mid-1921, twelve trains were disbanded, and others were standardized. The twelve were retained and formed six divisions (dywizjon), which were attached to three regiments (pułks) of train sappers:

In 1924 those divisions were disbanded, and their equipment deposited in mobilisation reserve stores. For training purposes a training division was created (attached to the 2nd Regiment of Train Sappers in Jabłonno. This division retained two trains:

In January 1925 this division was renamed 'Armoured Train Training Division'.

Third Silesian Uprising (1921)

June 1921: 1 dywizjon

2 dywizjon

3 dywizjon

4 dywizjon

5 dywizjon

6 dywizjon

7 dywizjon

8 dywizjon

Other:

September 1939

Polish armoured trains in United Kingdom (1940-1943)

Armoured trains of Railway Defence Service (Służba Ochrony Kolei, SOK) after 1945

Retired from service after 1950.

Train artillery

Surviving units

Russia

Slovakia

Japan (for use in Manchukuo)

Armoured vehicles and auxiliary support vehicles

Railway Heavy Cannon

Armoured trains

Type 94 Armoured Train There were seven:

Special Armoured Train

Others types of Japanese Armoured trains

In 1920s, the Japanese built some improvised armoured trains converted from normal trains. They were used to guard the railways in Manchuria.

Iraq

During the Anglo-Iraqi War the British reported capturing an Iraqi armoured train near Basra in May 1941.

Croatia

Croatian Army possesses one armoured train which mounted French Hotchkiss H38 turrets.

Republika Srpska Krajina

The Serb army of Krajina used an armoured train with M-18 and a AA cannon M-55 20/3mm

France

First Indochina War (1946-1954)

United Kingdom

World War II

13 armoured trains were formed in June 1940 for coastal defence. They were typically formed by a small locomotive between two armoured wagons, usually small steel coal wagons with extra armour, and other wagons carrying ammunition. Each armoured wagon carried a mounted QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss gun and a Vickers machine gun or Lewis Gun. The infantry section on each wagon was also armed with a variery of small arms including Bren light machine guns, Thompson submachine guns and Lee–Enfield rifles. With the threat of invasion over, armoured trains were disbanded in November 1944.[1]

They trains were initially operated by Royal Engineers crews and armoured wagons were manned by Royal Armoured Corps troops. From late 1940 until 1942 they were operated by railway company crews and armoured wagons were manned by troops of the Polish Armed Forces in the West.[1] From 1942 they were operated by Home Guard units, composed of employees of the railway companies, until they were disbanded in November 1944.

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch armoured train, October 1940

The narrow gauge Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway also had a miniature armoured train. Due to its small size it could not carry Hotchkiss guns and instead carried two Boys anti-tank rifles and four Lewis guns. It was manned by the 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry and credited with shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf 109, a Heinkel He 111 and a Dornier Do 17.[1]

Royal Train

Armoured saloons were constructed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1941.

Battle of Malaya

In Malaya in 1942, an armoured train was part of Operation Krohcol, the British advance into Siam to resist the Japanese attack.

Hungary

1939-1945

101. sz. páncélvonat - high train:

102. sz. páncélvonat - flat train:

103. sz. páncélvonat - high train:

104. sz. páncélvonat - self-propelled, motor-driven train ( 1 x 36M 20mm AP gun, 1 x 22M 8 cm field gun, 2 x 31M 8mm machine gun)

United States

At least one armored diesel locomotive was built by Alco as #10001 for World War I usage, however with the Armistice just 14 days away, it never left the country.

Between 1953 and 1957, the St. Louis Car Company built an armored "White Train" for the United States Department of Energy. It was used for transporting nuclear weapons from the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas to various locations throughout the Continental United States. It consisted of armored transport, escort and support cars. The armored escort cars mounted heavy machine guns and carried armed security couriers from the Office of Secure Transportation. The train was initially painted white. Individual cars were subsequently repainted into different colors to make them less conspicuous, but it continued to be known as the White Train. It was withdrawn in 1987, replaced by newer vehicles which could be marshalled into any freight train. Some of the White Train cars are now preserved at the Amarillo Railroad Museum.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 G. Balfour (1981). The armoured train: its development and usage. Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-2547-4.
  2. ↑ "White Train". Amarillo Railroad Museum.
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