PIBWL presents:

The prices of Polish armament before 1939

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  © Michal Derela, 2002 Updated 16. 03. 2005

This page is an attempt of gathering the prices of Polish pre-war armament in one place. They are taken from many different sources, so not all of them are sure. Many prices are unavailable - I will try to supplement them, updating the page. The prices are in Polish currency - złoty [zloty] (zł, PLZ). I also write a price year, if available - but the value of zloty in the 30's was quite stable. Of course, most of these prices are approximate values, and they could vary in real conditions, depending on a production batch. Some of the weapons, like the firearms, were getting cheaper with time, because of the experience in serial production. Some weapons, produced in the first series or information series, would be cheaper in a mass production. As for imported weapons, I try to give the price in original currency as well.

The exchange rate in the thirties until 1939:
1 $ (USD) = 5.31 zl
1 GBP = 24.84 zl
1 FRF (French frank) = 0.1407 zl
1 RM (German Reichsmark) = 2.1254 zl

Infantry weapons - Vehicles - Artillery - Aircrafts

Infantry weapons:

7.92mm carbine wz.29 (Mauser) 250 zl [1930/31]; 187.75 zl [1935/36]; 164.96 zl [1938/39]
7.92mm LMG wz.28 (Browning - variant of BAR) 2430 zl [1930/31]; 1640 zl [1935/36]; 1433 zl [1938/39]
7.92mm HMG wz.30 4076 zl [1931/32]; 3124 zl [1935/36]; 2102 zl [1938/39]
9mm Mors SMG (information series) 2,500 zl [1939 - information series], 400 zl (anticipated price)
46mm grenade launcher wz.36 1032 zl [1938]
sabre wz. 34 - New34 - 36 zł (production cost - 25 zł)

Vehicles:

light tank 7TP 181,500 zl (without armament) / 231,000 zl (with armament)
light tank Vickers E (twin turret) about 180,000 zl (?) (13,800 GBP - probably this in an error) import [1931] (without armament)
light tank Vickers E about 111,780 zl (4,500 GBP) (without armament) - a price of tanks bought by Finland in 1936.
light tank Renault R-35 - updated 196,980 zl (1,400,000 FRF - import) [1939]
tankette Carden-Loyd Mk IV about 28,000 zl (without armament) [1929 - import]
tankette TK 45,000 zl (other source: 34,900 zl)
tankette TKS 47,800 zl
tankette TKS with 20 mm cannon 70,900 zl (estimated – all were rebuilt from existing vehicles)
armoured car wz.28 about 30.000 zl [1929]
armoured car wz.29 Ursus about 93,450 zl (without armament) [1930] (some sources give erroneous value 36,000 zl)
armoured car wz.34 32,457 zl (but I don't know if this price is true, and what would it consist of, because all these cars were rebuilt from wz.28 cars)
tank destroyer TKS-D (prototype) 68,000 zl (anticipated price, including 28,000 zl - armament)
 
halftrack artillery tractor C4P 15,000 zl
tracked artillery tractor C7P 100,000 zl [1938/39]
 
light truck PF-618 Grom (1.5t) 7,100 zl
light staff car PF-508/III 5,400 zl [1936] (civilian model, the Army's would be similar)
motorcycle Sokól 1000 (CWS) M111 4,200 zl [1935] (standard with a sidecar)
motorcycle Sokól 600 RT M211
(+ sidecar) 		1,840 zl + 578 zl (lowered price; full commercial price: 2,300 zl + 680 zl [1937])
light motorcycle Sokól 200 M411 1,320 zl [1939] (the production was starting in 1939)
light motorcycle MOJ 130 950 zl [1937] (for civilian market mainly)

...and some information about armoured trains. I don't know, how reliable these prices are, considering, that armoured trains were "produced" in isolated units, and the last armoured wagons were built in Poland in 1921.
armoured locomotive 300,000 zl
armoured wagon 100,000 zl
rail chassis for a tank (presumably FT-17) 22,000 zl
rail runner for a tankette 6,321 zl [1936]

Guns:

20mm tank machine gun wz.38 FK-A about 30.000 zl [1939 - the first series]
37mm AT-gun wz.36 (Bofors)22,900 zl [1937]
47mm infantry gun wz.25 "Pocisk" (prototype) 40,000 zl [1926]
 
100mm howitzer wz.14/19P about 147,620 zl
220mm mortar wz.32 (Skoda) 700,000 zl [1933 - import]
40mm anti-aircraft gun wz.36 Bofors - New 105,000 zl (it decreased later)
75mm anti-aircraft gun wz.36 Star 135,000 zl (round - 90 zl)

Aircraft:

fighter PZL P-7a [1933]
179,600 zl (without armament: 2 x MG's)
(71,600 zl - airframe; 108,000 - engine)
fighter PZL P-11c [1935]
178,500 zl
(63,500 zl - airframe; 95,000 - engine; 14,000 - 4x MG's; 6,000 - radio). Most had 2 x MG's and no radio, so the price should be about 165,500 zl then.
observation plane RWD-14b (LWS) Czapla [1938]
85,000 zl (without armament: 2 x MG's)
(45,000 - airframe, 40,000 - engine)
light bomber PZL-23a Karas (airframe only) [1935]
125,000 zl (without engine, radio and armament)
medium bomber PZL-37b Los [1938]
580,000 zl
(280,000 zl airframe; 130,000 - engine (2x); 20,000 - armament)
The source [2] counted 450,000 zl - but I believe this is an error caused by taking 130,000 as a cost of both engines.
trainer / liaison plane RWD-8 [1934]
22,300 zl
(13,000 - airframe, 9,300 - engine)
advanced trainer / liaison plane PWS-26 [1936]
77,000 zl (possibly without armament: 1 MG)
(47,000 - airframe, about 30,000 - engine),

Aircraft not used in Poland:

light bomber PZL-43 Karas (export model) [1937] - New
236,000 zl (without armament and radio)
(135,000 - airframe, 68,000 - engine, + trade costs)
light bomber PZL-43A Karas (export model, 3 actually used) [1938] - New
248,000 zl (without armament and radio)
(135,000 - airframe, 88,500 - engine, + trade costs)
torpedo-bomber seaplane CANT Z-506B (1 used, but not armed) [1939] - New
750,000 zl
fighter Spitfire MkI (one ordered in Great Britain in 1939, not delivered)
about 298,000 zl (about 12,000 GBP, +/- 1,000 GBP)
fighter Seversky PA-1 (offered to Poland) - New
about 288.000 zł

(top)

Main sources:
1. Rajmund Szubański, "Polska broń pancerna 1939"; Warszawa 1989. 2. Andrzej Glass, "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939"; Warszawa 1977.

[ Main page ] [ Polish armour ] [ Polish armoured units ] [ Steel Panthers page ]   Michal Derela, 2002

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