User:Satv9/sandbox

Wawel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Wawel was a prototype Polish assault gun manufactured before World War II, used throughout World War II.

10TP ps.
The Wawel SPG, officially named by the Polish military forces as the 10TP ps., was a heavily armored self-propelled gun. It was intended as a spearhead vehicle used to break through enemy lines. It was built by an unknown engineer from 1937 to 1939, on a 10TP prototype chassis taken without permission from the Wojskowy Instytut Badań Inżynierii. It was very complex and even though multiple variants were planned, only 1 was ever built. It was built out of multiple armour plates welded together and then attached to the frame. Armed with a 50mm anti-aircraft gun, twin machine guns, a flamethrower and a howitzer which fires custom ammunition, it was very powerful for its time.

Polish service
The Wawel fought in the German Invasion of Poland, and after it was secretly shipped with 8000 Polish soldiers and other military equipment through the Baltic Sea, in the Battle of France. It was brought to Britain on one of the transport ships in the Dunkirk evacuations. In 1941 it was sent the the USSR during Operation Barbarossa where it fought with Polish and British volunteers alongside the Soviets.

German use
It was captured by the Germans in 1942 but was in such poor condition (due to lack of spare parts) that it was unusable for combat. The Wawel was brought to Poland in 1944 being intended to be used as a stationary fortification.

Warsaw Uprising
It was in Warsaw when the Warsaw Uprising began and was repaired to full operative status by it's designer. It was used to counter German Sturmtigers during fighting in the inner city, which it excelled at. When the uprising was put down the Wawel was hidden in a farm outside Warsaw, where it was later discovered by a Soviet infantry division.

Postwar
The Wawel was used for training for a short time after the end of the war but was transferred to the Polish Army Museum in 1946. There it was displayed beside Kubuś, part of a exhibit on Polish efforts in WWII. It would remain there until the completion of the Warsaw Uprising Museum in 2004, when it was moved to a display in the museum lobby. It is still functional and is brought out every year on November 11th for Polish Independence Day celebrations.