Builder: Your Lego Guy
Region: Europe & Middle East
Category entered:
Year entered: 2023
Brand of building bricks used:
LEGO
Since 2026, the Brick Train Awards have accepted models created with other LEGO®-compatible construction brick systems.
About PP 53 Śmiały the Brave by Your Lego Guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeK6biIs7mo
Śmiały the Brave, also known as PP 53 or Armored Train 53, was a polish armored train that saw significant action during the german invasion of Poland in september 1939
The train was first captured from the Austrians during the final period of World War 1, in november 1918 and was immediately put into service, being sent soon after to Lwów to help in the Polish-Ukrainian war.
During the Interwar period it was stationed with the 2nd Batalion of Armored Trains, near Kraków, where it was modernized with a new Ti3-type locomotive. Before World War 2, the convoy had a total amount of two 100mm howitzers, to 75mm cannons, 19 heavy machine guns, two motorcycles, a Renault FT tank modified for rail use and equipment to repair tracks.
On the break of World War 2, commanded by the Captain Mieczysław Malinowski, Śmiały took on his journey to the Polish-German border for patrol duties, only to be later reassigned to the Łódź army to support the Volhynian Cavalry Brigade
During the Battle of Mokra on september 1, the train succesfully destroyed several tanks of the german 4th Panzer Division, before being damaged and forced to retreat.
After a few days, on september 5, the polish army started a general retreat, and the train left for Warsaw; on september 14 the train would repulse and attack of the 10th Panzer Division near the Żabinka station, only to withdraw when the germans captured the station of Brześć.
On september 17, when news of the soviet invasion arrived at the crew, the train headed towards Lwów, arriving the day after to support the polish infantry in the Battle of Lwów.
On september 19 the convoy participated in his last action during the war, a raid on Kamionka, returning to Lwów that evening. Three days later, after the capitulation of polish forces in the city, the crew abandoned theyr train
Abandoned, Śmiały was captured by the soviets and from then onwards, tracks of the train were lost