Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

60-pounder and minenwerfer outside a Polish museum


RodB

Recommended Posts

The following two photographs of a 60-pounder and 25-cm minenwerfer are on Wikipedia, apparently outside a museum in Poland, but I've been unable to identify the museum. They appear very well preserved. Can anybody identify the museum ? Apparently the Polish army forcibly acquired the 60-pounder from the Russians - I assume the Russians got it from the allies during or after their intervention in the Russian Civil War ? Any suggestions the path by which the Polish army may have acquired the minenwerfer ?

BL_60_pounder_gun_of_Red_Army_captured_by_Polish_soldiers.jpg

Minenwerfer_of_Polish_Army_1918-1925.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello RobB it looks like its at the Polish Military museum in Warsaw .but not sure!!!!

http://pygmywars.com...rsawmuseum.html

If you send me a Pm I will send you another picture of the 60 pounder

I hope this is useful

Regards

Ian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think they are outside a Museum, I think they had been taken from the museum for a parade or something, it very obvious from the photo that its not a permanent exhibit. There is (well in July last year) a 60-pr in the Military Museum in Warsaw and I think its the same one. I think the street is probably Krakowskie Przedmiescie, the guns are probably quite close to the presidential palace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greetings,

The picture of the 60-pounder was taken opposite the corner of Nowy Swiat and Ordynacka in central Warsaw, and I'm pretty sure that the Minenwerfer was snapped a little further down the street (heading towards the Jerozolimskie crossroads). They were definitely not there for long, because I'd lived in Warsaw since 2006, go that way quite often, and have never seen them. I'd have plumped for them having been put out for August 15 (Assumption, and Army Day in memory of the Battle of Warsaw in 1920), but the clothes of the passersby ruined that idea. Even a zoom on the banners above the street didn't help me work out the timing. Maybe November 11 (independence day)?

As to where they come from, I'd guess the nearby artillery and vehicle display outside the fine Polish Army Museum, which is on Jerozolimskie near the River Vistula( Muzeum Wojska Polskiego; http://www.muzeumwp.pl/) or else its branch at the Powsin Fort in southern Warsaw, the Polish Military Technology Museum (Muzeum Polskiej Techniki Wojskowej http://www.muzeumwp.pl/muzeum-polskiej-techniki-wojskowej.php ). I'll go and have a look when the weather's less unfriendly, and see if I can also establish when and where the Polish military got hold of them.

Best regards,

JWF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The weather, trees and people's clothing looks like early winter, so November 11 fits. The photos were originally uploaded to Wikipedia December 2008 but the uploader has dated them 2007. These two pieces are in the Warsaw Army Museum's collection, as identified by Ian's information and photographs on his website, so this could be a special outside exhibition as you say.

regards

RodB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Incidentally, I think the 60-prs were among the artillery delivered by UK to Imperial Russia before the revolution. According to the MoM history 32 guns were supplied by August 1917. From an exhibited Fuze Indicator in the Prague military museum it's interesting to note that the instruments were specially made with Cyrillic script (apart from the maker's name!), the museum labelling is wrong but once you look at certain key features you realise what it is. Some of the English labels in the Warsaw museum are also 'interesting', generally being literal not actual UK or US terminology.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...