14 Challenger 2 tanks assigned to ‘A’ Squadron of the Queen’s Royal Hussars arrived in Poland today.
The British tanks will be integrated into the Polish 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade, 18th Mechanized Division for six months as part of Britain’s growing military presence in eastern Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The below tweet, translated, says:
“The transfer of the British Challenger tank company to south-eastern Poland is coming to an end. The last tanks and accompanying vehicles will arrive within the next dozen or so hours. Tankers from will train with sub-units of the Iron Division.“
Dobiega końca przerzut brytyjskiej kompanii czołgów Challenger do południowo-wschodniej Polski. Ostatnie czołgi i pojazdy towarzyszące przybedą w ciągu kilkunastu najbliższych godzin. Czołgiści z ?? będą się szkolić z pododdziałami Żelaznej Dywizji. pic.twitter.com/3RiVD0N5wu
— 18 Dywizja Zmechanizowana (@Zelazna_Dywizja) July 8, 2022
Britain deployed Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to Poland to allow Poland to supply Ukraine with T-72 tanks.
“We are looking more at what we can do to backfill in countries such as Poland, who may want to send heavier weaponry to help defend the Ukrainians”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a press conference in India back in April.
“We are looking at sending tanks to Poland to help them as they send some of their T72s to Ukraine. We’ve got to look at what more we can do military, we’ve got to keep intensifying the economic sanctions – we want to make sure there is wave after wave of intensifying pressure on Putin.”
The Ministry of Defence said the same month:
“These would be deployed on a short-term basis and operated by UK personnel to bridge the gap between Poland donating tanks to Ukraine and replacements arriving.”
