Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t)
| Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) | |
|---|---|
.JPG)
Panzer 35 (t) in the Belgrade Military Museum |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 4th |
| length | 4.90 m |
| width | 2.16 m |
| height | 2.21 m |
| Dimensions | 10.67 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 15-25 mm |
| Main armament | 3.7 cm KwK 34 (t) L / 40 |
| Secondary armament | 2 × 7.92 mm MG 37 (t) |
| agility | |
| drive | Škoda T 11 4-cylinder petrol engine 120 PS (88 kW) |
| Top speed | 35 km / h |
| Power / weight | 8.2 kW / t (11.2 PS / t) |
| Range | 190 km (road) |
The Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) often abbreviated to Panzer 35 (t) or officially abbreviated to Pz.Kpfw. 35 (t) was in Czechoslovakia developed light tank , which after the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Wehrmacht in World War II was used.
Of the Czechoslovak model, 434 were built, of which 244 were confiscated by the Wehrmacht and mostly converted. The tanks were used during the early years of World War II. Most of them were also lost during these years and could not be repaired as there were no more spare parts.
history
From 1935 to 1938 the companies Škoda and ČKD produced 424 copies (chassis no .: 50001–50424) of this tank. It was named Škoda LT vz in 1936 . 35 put into service. 126 tanks were exported to Romania , where they were used under the designation R-2 . After German troops marched into Czechoslovakia in March 1939, 202 examples were taken over by the Wehrmacht as Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) . The (t) stood for “Czech”.
In terms of armament and armor, the vehicle was somewhat weaker than the Panzer III , but clearly superior to the Panzer II . It was an immediate asset to the arsenal of the Wehrmacht shortly before the start of the Second World War. The very balanced chassis and reliable gearbox gave the tank good mobility. The main disadvantage was the riveted construction of the armor. In the original configuration for the Czech armed forces, the vehicle had a crew of three. For use in the Wehrmacht, space was created for a fourth crew member, dispensing with 6 rounds of the main weapon and 900 rounds of MG ammunition.
commitment
112 copies of the tank were used by the Wehrmacht in the attack on Poland , 75 of them in the 1st Light Division (11th Panzer Regiment) and 37 in the Panzerabteilung 65. Seven Panzer 35 (t) were destroyed by fighting.
During the campaign in the west in 1940, the 6th Panzer Division was the only unit equipped with a total of 118 35 (t) tanks and 14 35 (t) tank command vehicles. Of these, 62 were lost during May or June 1940.
At the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union , 160 Panzer 35 (t) were ready in Panzer Regiment 11 of the 6th Panzer Division. By September 10, 1941, 47 had failed as total losses. With the numerous appearances of the T-34 , they were no longer up to their role as tank fighters. In addition, due to its pneumatic control, the steering often froze in extreme frost, which is why a mechanical control was installed later. On October 31, 1941, 37 Panzer 35 (t) were still operational, and none by November 30. Since there were no longer any spare parts for the Panzer 35 (t) , several damaged tanks had to be put together in working order.
On March 12, 1942, the 6th Panzer Division was pulled out of the front and converted to German tanks.
ammunition
The Panzer 35 (t) could carry 72 projectiles for the main weapon and 1800 rounds for the two machine guns in the turret. Usually 50 percent high explosive and 50 percent tank shells were loaded.
| Ammunition and penetration performance of the KwK 34 (t) L / 40 | |||
| Ammunition nomenclature | Tank shell (t) | Panzerranate (t) coll. | Tank shell 40 |
| Bullet weight | 0.85 kg | 0.815 kg | 0.368 kg |
| Muzzle velocity | 675 m / s | 675 m / s | 980 m / s |
| Penetration performance of the KwK at a 30 ° angle of impact | |||
| 100 meters | 35 mm | 34 mm | 60 mm |
| 500 meters | 30 mm | 29 mm | 39 mm |
| 1000 meters | 23 mm | 25 mm | |
| 1500 meters | 21 mm | 22 mm | |
Technical specifications
| Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) | |
| 0 General characteristics | |
| Weight | 10.5 t |
| Ground pressure | 0.5 kg / cm 2 |
| length | 4.9 m |
| width | 2.06 m |
| height | 2.37 m |
| Ground clearance | 35 cm |
| Chain width | 32 cm |
| 0 armament | |
| Main armament | 3.72 cm KwK 35 (t) L / 40 |
| Elevation field | -10 ° to + 15 ° |
| Target means | TZF (t) and MGTZF (t) |
| Secondary armament | 2 x 7.92 mm MG |
| Swivel range | Turret machine gun 14 ° to 25 ° elevation, 10 ° horizontal; Bow machine gun 35 ° to the left and 11 ° to the right |
| 0 mileage | |
| engine | Four cylinders - gasoline engine , type Škoda T11 |
| cooling | water |
| Displacement | 8.52 l |
| Bore × stroke | 140 × 140 mm |
| maximum speed | 1800 rpm |
| power | 120 hp |
| Liter output | 14.1 hp / l |
| Power / weight | 11.4 hp / t |
| transmission | 6V, 1R (six gears) |
| drive wheel | back |
| Speed limit road | 34 km / h |
| Fuel supply | 153 l |
| Range road | 190 km |
| Range terrain | 115 km |
| steering | differential |
| Steering ratio | 1.9 |
| Rollers | 8 × 2 |
| suspension | Leaf springs |
| Fording depth | 80 cm |
| Turning circle | 7 m |
| 0 armor | |
| Tub bend 30 ° | 25 mm |
| Tub side 0 ° | 16 mm |
| Tub rear 0 ° | 16 mm |
| Tub roof | 12 mm |
| Tub bottom | 8 mm |
| Tower cover | 25 mm |
| Tower front 10 ° | 25 mm |
| Tower side 14 ° | 16 mm |
| Tower stern 15 ° | 16 mm |
| Tower roof 81 ° to 90 ° | 8 mm |
variants
- S-II-a prototype that was built by Škoda for the Czechoslovak Army.
- Panzerbefehlwagen 35 (t) Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t), which was converted into a command vehicle by installing an additional radio.
- Artillery Schlepper 35 (t) Disarmed Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) which was used for towing artillery pieces and transporting ammunition.
- T-11 tanks ordered by the Afghan army and diverted to Bulgaria.
- R-2 The Romanian army ordered 126 copies of the Škoda LT vz in August 1936 as part of an army modernization program . 35 . The first 15 tanks were delivered in May 1937, but returned due to defects and to be converted for Romanian needs and operations. In 1939 all 126 tanks were modified and delivered to Romania.
The Romanians wanted to order another 382 tanks from the German-controlled Škoda works in mid-1939, but the Germans rejected this request.
The 1st tank regiment of the Romanian tank division was equipped with the R-2 during the fighting in Russia from 1941 to 1942. The tanks turned out to be very valuable in fighting the disorganized Soviet forces.
The armored division served as the spearhead of the attack on Kishinev . At Odessa , however, many tanks were destroyed while supporting the infantry in the battle for the Black Sea port . At the end of 1941, 26 R-2s had been destroyed.
The Germans then decided to give the Romanians 26 used copies of the almost identical Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) as replacements in 1942 . The division was reorganized and rebuilt in the hinterland in August 1942 and then incorporated into the Romanian 3rd Army for defense on the Don (Sea of Azov) . Field tests on captured T-34s showed that the armament of the R-2 was ineffective against the armor of this tank.
At the end of 1942 the positions of the Romanian 3rd Army were breached by Soviet forces; it showed that the R-2 and the poorly equipped Romanian armed forces were nowhere near up to the medium and heavy Soviet tanks. The armored division lost 60% of its forces and withdrew behind the river Tschir with only 19 R-2 tanks .
See also
literature
- Walter J. Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) and 38 (t) and their variants , Volume 11, Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, ISBN 3-87943-708-4 .
- Joachim Baschin: The Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) , Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, ISBN 3-613-02130-7 .
- Robert Jackson: Tanks: Models from Around the World from 1915 to Today , Parragon Books Ltd, ISBN 978-1-4075-7742-5 .
- Wolfgang Fleischer: Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t) development and operations , Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Friedberg, (c) 2003, ISBN 3-79090-787-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Thomas L. Jentz , Die deutsche Panzertruppe Volume 1 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0623-9 , p. 104
- ^ Thomas L. Jentz, Die deutsche Panzertruppe Volume 1 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0623-9 , p. 141
- ↑ Thomas L. Jentz, Die deutsche Panzertruppe Volume 1 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0623-9 , p. 209
- ^ Thomas L. Jentz, Die deutsche Panzertruppe Volume 1 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0623-9 , p. 283
- ↑ Thomas L. Jentz, Die deutsche Panzertruppe Volume 1 , Podzun-Pallas Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0623-9 , p. 281
- ↑ Panzerkampfwagen 35 (t). panzerworld.com, accessed January 17, 2019 .