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Panzertriebwagen Nr.16 (PzTrWg 16)

1943 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History of Armored Rail Car No. 16 (PzTrWg 16)

Panzertriebwagen Nr. 16 (PzTrWg 16) was a German "one-off" armoured heavy rail cruiser for World War II (1939-1945). It appeared in late 1942 and was used under the German flag until the end of the European War in May 1945. Its main use was to patrol the turbulent southwest of occupied Poland until the area was quickly captured by advancing Soviet forces - where it was captured during the final days of the war.

After the war, the train was assigned to the Polish People's Army and served in the Polish Communist Army until around the 1960s, when it was finally abandoned.

The heavy armored railway cruiser uses a diesel powered WR550D14 locomotive that produces 550 hp. Armor is added to this base vehicle along all visible panels, creating an extremely angular look.

The original armament required the placement of 20mm FlaK-38 series anti-aircraft guns in the front and rear compartment sections of the locomotive. Before the end of 1942, it was changed to offer the Putilov 76 with a turret. 2 Type 02/30 field guns (one per wagon platform). Weapons come from captured enemy stocks.

Firepower was increased in mid-1944 when the PzTrWg 16 used flatbeds with full Soviet T-34 tank turrets in the front and rear positions.

During 1943, the unit patrolled southwestern Poland against rebels and was commissioned by Army Group Center to deploy to Lavaluska and Lublin in early and mid-1944. They patrolled near Radom and took part in the battle around Kielce before decommissioning to carry out the necessary repairs.

The unit returned to combat in April 1945 and was seen at Neuruppin until it fell into the hands of the Soviet 61st Army at Neustadt.

Several design changes were made under Polish ownership, including the addition of more armor and the installation of additional machine guns. After being used for cross-party action, the system was decommissioned and handed over to the Railway Museum (Warsaw), where it remains an exhibit to this day (2015).