TKS (tank)
| TKS | |
|---|---|
Polish tankette |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 2 (commander, driver) |
| length | 2.6 m |
| width | 1.8 m |
| height | 1.3 m |
| Dimensions | 2.4 / 2.6 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 4-10 mm |
| Main armament |
7.92 mm machine gun km wz.25 or 20 mm gun |
| Secondary armament | no |
| agility | |
| drive |
40/46 hp (30/34 kW) |
| Top speed | 34 km / h |
| Power / weight | 17/18 hp / t |
| Range | 200 km |
The TK-series with the TK-3 and the TKS were Polish tankettes at the time of the Second World War . The tankette was based on the British Carden Loyd tankette , but with an improved chassis. The TK has been in production since 1931. The TKS is the improved version of the TK-3 with 10 mm armor compared to the TK with 8 mm. In 1939 the Polish military began equipping the tankettes with 20 mm guns. At the beginning of the war, however, only 24 pieces were equipped with cannons.
The tankettes formed the motorized units in Poland before World War II. 575 pieces were mainly produced in the 1920s. The advantages of the tankettes were their small size and high speed, which could be used for reconnaissance and reinforcement of infantry units .
The disadvantages were more serious, because the weak standard armament, which in the standard version only consisted of a machine gun, and the weak armor, which did not exceed 10 mm at any point, made it, like the German Panzerkampfwagen I , no serious opponent for enemy tanks .
Tankette units suffered heavy losses during World War II, as they were often used like tank units and were far inferior to German tanks.
particularities
The TKS had a special system for long-distance journeys: the TKS constantly pulled a trailer that could be driven under the tankette. Then the chains of the TKS were removed and the drive wheel was connected to the trailer axles with a belt. So the rubber-tyred wheels of the trailer could be used as a road chassis.
Models
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- TK ( TK-3 ): Tankette (1931), approx. 280 pieces
- TKF : TK tankette with 46 HP (34 kW) engine, 18 pieces
-
TKS : improved model (1933), approx. 260 pieces
- of which converted to a 20 mm cannon - approx. 24 by 1939
- C2P : unarmed tractor, approx. 200 pieces
- German troops captured tanks were under the name Panzerkampfwagen TKS (p) used
Experimental models
- TK-1 , TK-2 : first prototypes
- TKD : light self-propelled gun with 47 mm gun, four pieces
- TKW : light reconnaissance tank with turret, a prototype
- TK-3 : with a 20 mm gun - only a prototype with improved armor was made
- TKS-D : Light Panzerjäger with a 37-mm Bofors - anti-tank gun , two pieces
