Armored car monument "Kubus"
BA "Kubus" in front of the building of the Polish Army Museum. Behind is our PE-2 bomber
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the monuments of the righteous,
Matthew 23:29
Matthew 23:29
History weapons. Every nation has monuments to the valor of its ancestors, which have the most direct relation to the weapons of war. For us, it is the cruiser "Aurora" and many guns, tanks, aircraft and military trucks standing on pedestals in many cities of our country. There is even a submarine among them, and it seems that there is more than one. In Bulgaria, on a land slipway in the park of the naval museum in Varna, there is a destroyer "Derzkiy". In short, there are plenty of such monuments all over the world. Among them, a similar historical monument in Poland stands out for its unusualness. This is an improvised armored car "Kubus", which today stands in the courtyard of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw. During the Warsaw Uprising, Polish insurgents used it to beat the fascists and thus also brought our common victory closer. So, why not tell us about this interesting historical object...
Photograph of the Kubus taken during the Warsaw Uprising
It was built by a unit of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa – AK) from the Powiśle district of Warsaw. It was intended as a means of transport for “landing” attacks on German strongholds in the city. The entire work took only 13 days, and it was carried out during the Warsaw Uprising and in extremely difficult conditions. The decision to build the Kubus was made by the commanders of the Krybar unit, as well as the defenders of the power plant. Both the power plant and the Powiśle district were under constant German fire, which they conducted from the direction of Warsaw University. The shelling led to heavy losses and cut off communication with the Śródmieście district (the city center).
Therefore, the main task of "Kubus" was to participate in the capture of the Warsaw University complex. Captain "Krybar" (Cyprian Odorkevich), commander of the "Krybar" group, and captain of "Kubrin" - engineer Stanislav Skibnevsky were directly responsible for the construction of "Kubus".
The work began on August 10, 1944, when Junior Lieutenant "Kachka" (Engineer Edmund Friedrich), by prior arrangement on August 3, purchased a 3-ton Chevrolet Model 157 truck. The truck had been manufactured before the war in Warsaw under license by Lilpop, Rau and Lowenstein SA and was equipped with a wood-burning gas generator during the war. "Kachka" purchased the vehicle, as well as armor plates, a welding machine, and elements of the metal frame with an engine. The construction itself took place in the workshop of "Stach" (Stanislav Kwiatkowski) on the corner of Tamka and Topel Streets.
In the workshop, "Kachka" and his staff designed an armored car with a fully rotating turret on which a machine gun was mounted. On August 8, "Kachka" was replaced by order of Captain "Krybar", and now Junior Lieutenant "Jan" (Engineer Walerian Beletsky) was responsible for the work. "Jan" was informed that the armored car should be ready in 10-12 days according to the provided specifications. Shortly thereafter, "Globus" (Josef Fernik) became the chief engineer of the project, and construction began on August 10 after additional necessary materials were purchased and a working group was assembled. "Jan" consulted mechanics in his design work, as well as the "Renault Tank Manual" from 1921, which emphasized the importance of armor.
"Kubus" in the Polish Army Museum. Right view
Ibid. Left view.
The design and shape of the vehicle were largely a result of the available materials, especially steel plates. During the work, there was a shortage of steel plates and welding equipment. Plates and equipment were collected from all over Warsaw, controlled by the Home Army. The main source of plates was a safe-making workshop, as well as a destroyed German police armored car of an unknown type, from which the armor plates were removed.
Meanwhile, the German bombardment intensified due to suspicions that something was being done at the power plant. Therefore, the first armor plates were installed on the vehicle only on August 15. On the same day, "Kubus", the wife of "Globus", who was a doctor for the rebels, died trying to escape from a burning house, and his 7-year-old son was seriously injured. This sad event led to the armored car being named after "Globus's" wife - "Kubus".
Meanwhile, the first tests of the armour were carried out by firing at a distance of 30-40 cm at an angle of 90 degrees. The steel plates were 5-6 mm thick and were easily penetrated by shots. To increase protection, additional plates were installed at a distance of 6 cm from each other, creating an outer and inner shell. This provided protection from small arms, but a 37 mm anti-tank shell could penetrate such armour right through. The armour plates removed from a German armoured car were 6 mm thick and provided much better protection. All external armour plates of the hull had a strong slope to increase protection even more.
After the tests, a set of tactical and technical rules for the use of the new armored car was established, based primarily on the element of surprise achieved during the attack. They stated that the main function of the Kubus was to deliver 8 to 12 soldiers to the Warsaw University complex, where it was to protect them during the attack on the bunker near the gate. In case of failure, it was to evacuate them and retreat. The Kubus provided complete protection from small arms fire, including machine gun fire, due to its sloped armor. Hand grenades were not dangerous for the Kubus while moving, as they bounced off the sloped armor. The main danger for the Kubus was enemy armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.
The door to the armored car was to be located in the rear inclined plate with a 50-degree slope. An additional double-leaf emergency hatch was located on the floor. A double-leaf was also installed on the roof. Eventually, the door was removed due to technical problems, and the emergency hatch became the main and only way to enter and exit during combat.
An additional problem was protecting the tires from enemy fire. This was done by installing armor plates over the tires using bolts so that they could be easily removed if necessary. The tires were also protected by hanging chain skirts. Observation was provided by a viewing slit in the front armor plate measuring 10 x 30 cm. The size of the slit on the inner armor plate was larger - 10 x 40 cm. Slits were also made in the side plates, and they could also be used as pistol loopholes.
Work on the armoured car continued until the early hours of 23 August 1944, the day chosen for the attack on the university complex. The Kubus was to be driven by "Anastasia" (Sergeant Fijalkowski), who had no opportunity to train due to the secrecy surrounding the construction. So the Kubus left the workshop and immediately went into battle. Its crew consisted of 12 people, including the driver. The vehicle was armed with a Soviet 7,62 mm DP M1928 machine gun and a flamethrower, as well as the personal weapons of the crew. It was to operate together with a captured German half-track medium infantry carrier Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf D "Les", with which they formed an armoured platoon of the motorised column "Otter". The platoon was commanded by commander "Grey Wolf" (Andrzej Devic). The unit was based in the garden of the Conservatory in Powiśle.
Around 4:00 AM, the platoon was on its way to its objective. After the main gate was damaged by improvised explosives, the APC rammed what was left of it and drove into the university complex, followed by the Kubus. Once inside, the crews of both vehicles attacked the bunker near the gate. However, without the expected reinforcements and meeting fierce German resistance, both crews were forced to retreat, losing their commander, "Grey Wolf". After the battle, Sd.Kfz.251 "Les" was renamed "Grey Wolf" in memory of the fallen commander.
During the retreat, the Kubus' engine failed to start, making it very difficult for the crew to evacuate the wounded through the hatch in the floor. The situation became even more dangerous when the Germans brought in an anti-tank gun and tanks. But before the Germans could fire a single shot, the Kubus finally got moving and evacuated the wounded from the fire. On the way back, it crashed into a street lamp, bending the tire guard at full speed and cutting it. However, the Kubus still managed to return to safety.
Interestingly, although the attack failed, it had an impact on the morale of both Poles and Germans. It led the Germans to believe that the Polish units in the Powiśle area were much stronger and better equipped than they had expected. After the operation, the Kubus was returned to the workshop, where it was modified. The driver's visor was enlarged and fitted with 8 cm thick armoured glass found in a captured Sd.Kfz.251. A machine gun shield (or PIAT) was mounted on the roof, in front of the gunner's double hatch. It was also decided to use the Kubus as an assault vehicle for the airborne troops, while the Grey Wolf was to support and protect the infantry. On 2 September 1944, the Kubus took part in the third attempt to capture the Warsaw University complex. It was to support the soldiers from the Krybar during their attack on the side gate.
The Kubus entered combat at 16:00, providing fire support to the attacking unit. The Germans were numerous, and their fire forced the Polish unit to take cover. The Kubus attempted to ram the gates and barbed wire, but German fire and shrapnel punctured its tires, forcing it to retreat. Lacking maneuverability and leaning to the right, it began to move in reverse. Thus, all actions involving the Kubus and the Gray Wolf were unsuccessful in the face of stubborn German defense.
It was suggested to move the Kubus to Śródmieście, but this proved risky because it would have required dismantling two street barricades. In the end, the commander of Aspir (Wacław Jastrzebowski), who was responsible for the platoon and training the crews, decided that it should be burned. On September 6, 1944, the day the Krubar began evacuating Powiśle, the starter and generator were removed from the Kubus and it was left parked in the garden of the Conservatory in Powiśle.
"Kubus" at some festival in Warsaw...
After Warsaw was liberated by the Red Army and the Polish People's Army on 17 January 1945, "Kubus" was found where "Krybar" had left it on 6 September 1944. It was then transported to the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw, where it was restored a few years later by "Globus" himself. "Kubus" was then restored again and is now on display at the entrance to the museum. In mid-2004, a replica was made and put on display at the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw. Since then, it has also been used at several memorial events held in the Polish capital.
Assembly model of the BA "Kubus" in scale 1:72
However, it would be wrong to end the story about the "Kubus" right here. The fact is that in the 90s, when the author was publishing the "Tankomaster" magazine, there was a company under the same name that was producing "resin kit" models, that is, resin kits. Among them were a conversion of the T-60 tank, an armored car of the Spanish revolutionary general Pancho Villa (and a set of Mexican soldiers for it), a BA "Ford-T" - the first Polish armored car, and a number of other models. And then the "Kubus" in 1:35 scale got into the TAM model line. And it is clear why...
Polish pride was well known to everyone and at all times. So there was no doubt about good sales of this model in the country neighboring us, and for beautiful green banknotes. The simplicity of manufacturing the model and its low cost, which was also very important, were also attractive. We made it so that the entire body of the "Kubus" was cast from resin as one large blank. True, there was a cardboard box inside to reduce the consumption of expensive resin. The bottom of the body was absolutely smooth. Those parts of the wheels that were visible from under the armor were also cast from resin. The transmission was also made of resin (the part that was visible between the wheels!), but the DP machine gun was cast from "white metal" and was a small masterpiece of model art. That is, the model required minimal work, and it was easy as pie to assemble. I remember that we released quite a few "Kubuses" back then, and almost all of them went abroad...
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