The tank was developed by MAN in cooperation with Daimler-Benz. Serial production of the tank began in 1937 and ended in 1942. The tank was produced in five modifications (A-F), differing from each other in the undercarriage, armament and armor, but the general layout remained unchanged: power point located at the rear, the fighting compartment and the control compartment are in the middle, and the power transmission and drive wheels are in front. The armament of most modifications consisted of a 20 mm automatic cannon and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in a single turret.

A telescopic sight was used to control fire from this weapon. The hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates, located without their rational inclination. The experience of using the tank in the battles of the initial period of the Second World War showed that its armament and armor were insufficient. The production of the tank was discontinued after the release of more than 1800 tanks of all modifications. Some of the tanks were converted into flamethrowers with the installation of two flamethrowers on each tank with a flamethrowing range of 50 meters. On the basis of the tank, self-propelled artillery mounts, artillery tractors and ammunition transporters were also created.

Work on new types of medium and heavy tanks in the middle of 1934 "Panzerkampfwagen" III and IV moved relatively slowly and the 6th Department of the Ministry of Armaments of the Ground Forces issued a technical assignment for the development of a tank weighing 10,000 kg, armed with a 20-mm cannon.
The new machine received the designation LaS 100 (LaS - "Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper" - agricultural tractor). From the very beginning, it was supposed to use the LaS 100 tank only for training personnel tank units. In the future, these tanks were to give way to the new Pz Kpfw III and IV. Prototypes of the LaS 100 were ordered by the firms: Friedrich Krupp AG, Henschel & Son AG, and MAN (Mashinenfabrik Augsburg-Nuremberg). In the spring of 1935, prototypes were shown to the military commission.
Further development of the LKA tank - the LKA 2 tank - was developed by Krupp. The enlarged turret of the LKA 2 made it possible to place a 20-mm cannon. Henschel and MAN developed only the chassis. The undercarriage of the Henschel tank consisted (in relation to one side) of six road wheels grouped into three carts. The design of the company "MAN" was made on the basis of the chassis, created by the company "Carden-Loyd". The track rollers, grouped into three bogies, were shock-absorbed by elliptical springs, which were attached to a common carrier frame. The upper section of the caterpillar was supported by three small rollers.

The prototype of the Krupp LaS 100 tank - LKA 2

The chassis of the MAN company was adopted for serial production, and the body was developed by the Daimler-Benz AG company (Berlin-Marienfelde). The LaS 100 tanks were to be produced by the MAN, Daimler-Benz, Farzeug und Motorenwerke (FAMO) plants in Breslau (Wroclaw), Wegmann and Co. in Kassel and Mühlenbau und Industry AG Amme-Werk ( MIAG) in Braunschweig.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. al, a2, a3

At the end of 1935, the MAN company in Nuremberg produced the first ten LaS 100 tanks, which by this time had received the new designation 2 cm MG-3 (In Germany, guns up to 20 mm caliber were considered machine guns (Maschinengewehr - MG), not cannons (Maschinenkanone - MK) Panzerwagen (VsKfz 622- VsKfz - Versuchkraftfahrzeuge - prototype ). The tanks were driven by a Maybach HL57TR liquid-cooled carburetor engine with a power of 95 kW / 130 hp. and a working volume of 5698 cm3. The tanks used a ZF Aphon SSG45 gearbox (six gears forward and one reverse), maximum speed - 40 km / h, cruising range - 210 km (on the highway) and 160 km (on rough terrain). Armor thickness from 8 mm to 14.5 mm. The tank was armed with a 20-mm KwK30 cannon (ammunition 180 rounds - 10 magazines) and a Rheinmetall-Borzing MG-34 7.92-mm machine gun (ammunition - 1425 rounds).

In 1936 it was introduced new system designations military equipment- "Kraftfahrzeuge Nummern System der Wehrmacht". Each car was numbered and named. Sd.Kfz("Sonderkraftfahrzeug"- a special military vehicle).

  • So the tank LaS 100 became Sd.Kfz.121.
    Modifications (Ausfuehrung - Ausf.) were designated by a letter. The first LaS 100 tanks received the designation Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. a1. Serial numbers 20001-20010. The crew - three people: the commander, who was also a gunner, loader, who also served as a radio operator and a driver. The length of the tank PzKpfw II Ausf. a1 - 4382 mm, width - 2140 mm, and height - 1945 mm.
  • On the following tanks (serial numbers 20011-20025), the cooling system of the Bosch RKC 130 12-825LS44 generator was changed and the ventilation of the fighting compartment was improved. Machines of this series received the designation PzKpfw II Ausf. a2.
  • In the design of tanks PzKpfw II Ausf. a3 further improvements have been made. The power and fighting compartments were separated by a removable partition. A wide hatch appeared at the bottom of the hull, facilitating access to the fuel pump and oil filter. 25 tanks of this series were manufactured (serial numbers 20026-20050).

Tanks PzKpfw Ausf. and I and a2 on the road wheels did not have a rubber bandage. The next 50 PzKpfw II Ausf. a3 (serial numbers 20050-20100) the radiator was moved 158 mm aft. Fuel tanks (front with a capacity of 102 liters, rear - 68 liters) were equipped with pin-type fuel level meters.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. b

In 1936-1937, a series of 25 tanks 2 LaS 100 - PzKpfw II Ausf. b, which have been further modified. These changes affected primarily the chassis - the diameter of the supporting rollers was reduced and the drive wheels were modified - they became wider. The length of the tank is 4760 mm, the cruising range is 190 km on the highway and 125 km on rough terrain. The tanks of this series were equipped with Maybach HL62TR engines.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. c

Testing tanks PzKpfw II Ausf. a and b showed that chassis the machine is subject to frequent breakdowns and the depreciation of the tank is insufficient. In 1937, it was developed fundamentally new type pendants. For the first time, the new suspension was used on tanks 3 LaS 100 - PzKpfw II Ausf. c (serial numbers 21101-22000 and 22001-23000). It consisted of five large-diameter road wheels. Each roller was independently suspended on a semi-elliptical spring. The number of support rollers has been increased from three to four. On tanks PzKpfw II Ausf. with used driving and steering wheels of a larger diameter.

The new suspension significantly improved the tank's driving performance both on the highway and on rough terrain. The length of the tank PzKpfw II Ausf. s was 4810 mm, width - 2223 mm, height - 1990 mm. In some places, the thickness of the armor was increased (although the maximum thickness remained the same - 14.5 mm). The braking system has also been changed. All these design innovations resulted in an increase in the mass of the tank from 7900 to 8900 kg. On tanks PzKpfw II Ausf. with numbers 22020-22044, the armor was made of molybdenum steel.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. A (4 LaS 100)

In the middle of 1937, the Ministry of Armaments of the Ground Forces (Heereswaffenamt) decided to complete the development of the PzKpfw II and begin large-scale production of tanks of this type. In 1937 (most likely in March 1937), the Henschel firm in Kassel was involved in the production of the Panzerkampfwagen II. The monthly output was 20 tanks. In March 1938, Henschel stopped producing tanks, but the production of PzKpfw II was launched at the Almerkischen Kettenfabrik GmbH (Alkett) - Berlin-Spandau. The Alkett company was supposed to produce up to 30 tanks per month, but in 1939 it switched to the production of PzKpfw III tanks. In the design of the PzKpfw II Ausf. And (serial numbers 23001-24000) several further changes were made: they used a new ZF Aphon SSG46 gearbox, a modified Maybach HL62TRM engine with an output of 103 kW / 140 hp. at 2600 min and a working volume of 6234 cm3 (the Maybach HL62TR engine was used on tanks of previous releases), the driver's seat was equipped with new viewing slots, and an ultrashort-wave radio was installed instead of a short-wave radio station.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. B (5 LaS 100)

Tanks PzKpfw II Ausf. B (serial numbers 24001-26000) differed little from the machines of the previous modification. The changes were mainly technological in nature, simplifying and accelerating serial production. PzKpiw II Ausf. B - the most numerous of the early modifications of the tank.



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Most likely, Pz Kpfw II owes its appearance to Guderian. It was he who wanted to see relatively light tank with anti-tank weapons. In July 1934, such a machine weighing 10 tons was ordered from MAN, Henschel and Krupp-Gruson. The tank with a 20 mm cannon was intended for use as a reconnaissance vehicle and was intended to replace the machine gun Pz Kpfw I. Until the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty were lifted, this tank was officially created as an agricultural tractor LaS 100.

In October 35, the first prototypes made of non-armored steel were ready. Not a single project of the customer was completely satisfied, and a combined machine was transferred to production: a chassis developed by MAN, a tower and a hull - Daimler-Benz. In the period from May 36 to February 37, 75 were made. The undercarriage of all machines consisted of six small-diameter road wheels, which were grouped into three bogies on one side. The combat weight of the tank is 7.6 tons.

German tanks near Rzhev, 1941. Left - light tank PzKpfw II, right - medium tanks PzKpfw III

German tank PzKpfw II on the road somewhere in the USSR

In turn, this batch of armored vehicles was divided into three submodifications a / 1, a / 2 and a / 3, each of which consisted of 25 vehicles. IN general plan the submodifications did not differ significantly from each other, but at the same time they served as a test bench for testing individual technical requirements. solutions. So, for example, Pz Kpfw II Ausf a / 2 received a welded one instead of a cast idler, as well as fire walls in the engine compartment. Pz Kpfw II Ausf a / 3 had reinforced suspension springs and an enlarged radiator in the cooling system.

In the spring of 1937, 25 Pz Kpfw II Ausf b were produced with an improved transmission and running gear (wide support rollers, road wheels and a new idler wheel). Along the way, a more powerful engine was installed, which was much better cooled and ventilated. The weight of the tank has increased to 7.9 tons.

The undercarriage, which later became classic for this type of tank, consisting of five medium-diameter road wheels mounted on an individual suspension and made in the form of quarter-elliptical springs, was tested on Henschel's 25 Pz Kpfw II Ausf.

Serial production of tanks began in March 1937. Until April 1940, 1088 tanks of modifications A, B and C were produced. All modifications had the same design, which had a rounded bow of the hull. The difference consisted only in the size and location of the viewing slots, as well as the sights used. As the campaign in Poland showed, the armor protection of tanks is rather weak. Even frontal armor was easily pierced from anti-tank rifle"Ur" Polish production. The armor protection was hastily reinforced by the shielding method - an overlay of 20 mm additional plates.

German armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251 of the 14th motorized corps drives past a column of Pz.Kpfw II tanks and a burning truck in the Serbian city of Nis, Yugoslavia

Destroyed and burned German light tank Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf.C

From May 38 to August 39, MAN and Daimler-Benz produced 143 Schnellkampfwagen ( fast cars) for tank battalions of light divisions. In fact, the tanks were the following modifications - D and E. These vehicles differed significantly from previous modifications in the Christie undercarriage, which had four large road wheels each, in which there were no supporting rollers. Suspension rollers torsion individual. The hull has been significantly redesigned. The turret and armament remained unchanged. Maybach HL62TRM engine with 140 hp allowed to reach speeds up to 55 km / h. The combat weight was 10 tons, the cruising range was 200 kilometers. Reservations: forehead of the hull 30 mm thick, tower and sides of the hull - 14.5 mm.

In an effort to expand the capabilities of this type of machine, in 1940, on the basis of the manufactured chassis, they decided to create flamethrower tanks. Until the summer of 1942, 112 machines were created, another 43 flamethrower machines were converted from linear ones during the overhaul. A 7.92 mm machine gun was mounted in a reduced turret. A pair of flamethrowers in armored heads were installed at the front corners of the hull. Flamethrowers in the horizontal plane were aimed in the 180 ° sector and produced 80 flame throwers at a distance of 35 meters for a duration of 2-3 seconds.

The combat weight of Pz Kpfw II Flamm Ausf A and E (Sd Kfz 122), also known as Flamingo ("Flamingo"), was 12 tons. Power reserve - 250 km. The number of crew members did not change and amounted to three people. The thickness of the armor increased slightly: in the frontal parts of the hull and turret up to 30 mm, on the sides up to 20-25 mm. however, this was not enough: the short flamethrowing range forced the flamethrowing tanks to come too close to the enemy’s combat positions and they suffered significant losses. Having received a baptism of fire on the Soviet-German front in June 1941, these vehicles were eventually converted into self-propelled guns.

Destroyed German light tank PzKpfw II

Destroyed by Soviet artillery, the German light tank Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C

The Pz Kpfw II Ausf F tank is practically the last mass modification of the "twos". From March 1941 to December 1942, 524 vehicles were produced (in the future, only self-propelled guns were produced on the base chassis). The main difference (as well as the main advantage) from the previous samples was enhanced armor protection. Now the bow of the hull was made of a sheet 35 mm thick, the slope to the vertical was 13 °. The top sheet, 30 mm thick, had a slope of 70°. Changed the shape of the sloth and the design of the turret box. In the front sheet of the turret box, which was set at an angle of 10 °, a viewing slot was imitated with a groove on the right.

The commander's cupola had eight periscopes.

At the beginning of World War II, Pz Kpfw II light tanks accounted for about 38% of the entire Wehrmacht tank fleet. In battles, they turned out to be weaker in terms of armor and armament of almost all vehicles of a similar class: the French H35 and R35, the Polish 7TR, the Soviet BT and T-26. But at the same time, the production of Pz Kpfw II tanks, which decreased significantly in 1940, increased sharply in the next couple of years. Before accumulation required amount Pz Kpfw III and Pz Kpfw VI, light vehicles remained the main equipment in tank units and units. Only in 1942 they were withdrawn from the tank regiments, they were partially used in assault artillery brigades, and on secondary sectors of the front. The tank chassis of these vehicles after repairs were transferred in large quantities for the installation of self-propelled guns.

On a few experimental machines (twenty-two VK1601, twelve VK901, four VK1301), the original tech. solutions. So, for example, in preparation for the invasion of England, German designers developed pontoons with propellers for the Pz Kpfw II. Experimental machines afloat developed a speed of 10 km / h, while the sea was 3-4 points. Attempts to radically strengthen the reservation and increase the speed did not end in anything.

Combat and technical characteristics of German light tanks Pz Kpfw II (Ausf A / Ausf F):
Year of issue 1937/1941;
Combat weight - 8900/9500 kg;
Crew - 3 people;
Body length - 4810 mm;
Width - 2220/2280 mm;
Height - 1990/2150 mm;
The thickness of the armor plates of the frontal part of the hull (angle of inclination to the vertical) - 14.5 mm (cyl.) / 35 mm (13 degrees);
The thickness of the armor plates of the sides of the hull is 14.5 mm (0 degrees) / 15 mm (0 degrees);
The thickness of the armor plates of the frontal part of the tower is 14.5 mm (cyl.) / 30 mm (cyl.);
The thickness of the armor plates of the roof and bottom of the hull - 15 and 15/15 and 5 mm;
Cannon - KwK30/KwK38;
Gun caliber - 20 mm (55 klb.);
Ammunition - 180 shots;
The number of machine guns - 1;
Machine gun caliber - 7.92 mm;
Ammunition - 2250/2700 rounds;
Engine type and brand - Maybach HL62TR;
Engine power - 140 liters. With.;
The maximum speed on the highway is 40 km / h;
Fuel supply - 200/175 l;
Power reserve on the highway - 200 km;
The average ground pressure is 0.76/0.66 kg/cm2.

Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C

Main characteristics

Briefly

in detail

1.0 / 1.0 / 1.0 BR

3 people Crew

69% Visibility

forehead / side / stern Booking

35 / 15 / 15 cases

30 / 15 / 15 towers

Mobility

9.1 tons Weight

267 l/s 140 l/s Engine power

29 hp/t 15 hp/t specific

48 km/h ahead
9 km/h ago43 km/h ahead
8 km/h ago Speed

Armament

180 shells ammo

6.0 / 7.8 sec recharge

10 rounds clip size

280 shots/min rate of fire

9° / 20° UVN

shoulder rest stabilizer

1,800 rounds of ammunition

8.0 / 10.4 sec recharge

150 rounds clip size

900 shots/min rate of fire

Economy

Description

Panzerkampfwagen II (2 cm) Ausführung C or Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C - German light tank, armed with a 20 mm KwK30 cannon and an MG34 machine gun, the crew consisted of three people. This vehicle combined high driving characteristics, speed and maneuverability, but had poor armor and armament. Making an order for the design of the Pz.Kpfw. II, the German military command pursued the goal of closing the gap in the absence of tanks in the Third Reich until more modern tanks Pz.Kpfw. III and Pz.Kpfw. IV, which were then still under development. But, by the beginning of hostilities, due to an acute shortage of medium tanks, Pz.Kpfw. II, it was decided to use it in real combat conditions (before that, the tank was used as a training tank), where it proved to be very good. Having entered the war in 1939, the vehicle was effectively used until 1942, when it became obvious that the tank was already outdated and significantly inferior to all its opponents. Separate units of Pz.Kpfw. II went through the entire war and participated in the hostilities until the surrender of Germany in 1945.

Ausf modification. C was the third production modification and was produced from July 1938 to March 1940. After graduation civil war in Spain, it became clear that the armor of the early Pz.Kpfw. II clearly does not match modern requirements and can be easily affected by the field anti-tank artillery, so the tanks of the Ausf modification. C were reinforced with overhead armor plates 14.5 and 20 mm thick, and the gun mask acquired an armored shield with folds at the top and bottom, which protected the junction of the mask and the edge of the embrasure from shell fragments and bullets. Also, the thickness of armored glasses of observation devices was increased from 12 to 50 mm. Instead of a double-leaf hatch on the roof of the tower, a commander's cupola with eight periscope observation blocks was installed, new scope TZF4 / 38, surveillance devices were modernized, and a smoke grenade launcher mount was provided at the stern of the hull.

Main characteristics

Armor protection and survivability

An inclined section of armor that does not allow you to put an effective rhombus

For its combat rating, Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C, does not have special armor protection, however, it has thicker frontal armor than most of its rivals, of course, it will not save from hits from cannon shells, but tanks armed with heavy machine guns, such as the M2A2 and T-60, can penetrate the frontal armor of the Pz. II cannot. A feature of the armor of the vehicle are bevels on the sides of the hull, with driver's viewing slots, which have good angles of inclination if the tank is facing the enemy with its forehead, however, when the tank is placed in a rhombus, these areas will be very vulnerable to the enemy, because. when turning the tank, they will not have any angle of inclination. The armor of the sides and stern of the hull is rather weak and the tank can even be hit there heavy machine guns. The survivability of the vehicle is also affected by the fact that the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. There are only three crew members, and incapacitating at least one of them significantly increases the reload time of the gun. It is worth noting the low silhouette of the tank, which will come in handy more than once for the player when camouflaging on the ground in RB and SB.

Mobility

One of the main advantages of the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C is his speed and mobility. By top speed, in its combat rating, the tank is inferior, perhaps, to the Soviet light tanks BT, so he may well be one of the first to take advantageous positions or capture points. The maneuverability of the car is just excellent, it can easily and quickly turn around or make a maneuver both on the go and from a standstill. The reverse speed is also good - you can always roll back in time or behind cover to reload and repair, unless, of course, the cover is too far away. The downside is the lack of electric drives for turning the turret, it rotates rather slowly, therefore, in case of sudden flank attacks or the appearance of enemies from the rear, you will have to turn the hull, because until the turret turns itself in the right direction, Pz. II may already be destroyed. The disadvantage of the tank is the buildup during sharp maneuvers and stops at high speed. As for the vehicle's cross-country ability on rough terrain, there is a Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C shows itself from a very good side - easily overcomes slopes, hills and small water obstacles, but significantly slows down when overcoming obstacles such as fences, trees and other objects that are destroyed when they ram or run over them.

Armament

main gun

The location of the crew and modules inside the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C

Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C is armed with a 20 mm KwK 30 gun with 150 rounds of ammunition and equipped with a shoulder rest (single-plane vertical stabilizer). The 20mm autocannon is capable of effectively dealing with all opponents on its combat rating. The peculiarity of the gun is that it is loaded not by one shell, but by a clip of ten shells, which ensures a high rate of fire and continuous fire, however, the clip reloads a little longer than that of a cannon loaded with one shell. Due to the short barrel of the gun and the reduced armor penetration of shells at long ranges, the gun is not well suited for firing at long distances.

Three types of shells are available for the tank:

  • Standard- the clip kit includes shells: an armor-piercing incendiary tracer (BZT) and a high-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (OFZT). Standard ammo clips for this tank. They have the least effectiveness in combat, because. every second OFZT projectile will not penetrate armored targets, respectively, every second shot will not cause absolutely no damage to enemy vehicles.
  • PzGr- armor-piercing incendiary tracer projectile. It can effectively deal with all opponents on its combat rating, it has the best armor action of all the presented projectiles. Recommended for medium to long range use.
  • PzGr 40- Armor-piercing sub-caliber tracer projectile. It has the highest armor penetration of all the presented shells. It can effectively fight not only with opponents of its combat rating, but also hit some opponents, a rank higher than its own, in the side and stern. Recommended for close combat, as well as for delivering pinpoint strikes against well-armored opponents.

Machine gun armament

Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C is armed with a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun with 1800 rounds of ammunition, coaxial with the main gun in the turret. The machine gun is only capable of fighting truck-based SPAAGs; it is useless against other opponents.

Use in combat

According to its game application Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C is almost universal. You can safely go on the attack on it, the main thing is not at the forefront of the team. Given its weak armor protection, as well as the number of crew, going in the forefront of attacks, you can lose a car very quickly. But the tank can very effectively assist the main attacking forces by moving right behind them and supporting teammates with fire or covering them from sudden flank attacks. Due to its speed, Pz.Kpfw. II, can be one of the first to arrive at the capture point and hold it until the main forces arrive, or, right during the battle, quickly move around the map, capturing points that the enemy has left undefended. If the opponents roll out at the player one at a time or if there are several of them, but they have weak armor, then Pz. II can effectively defend capture points or important strategic positions. But where does he show himself with the most better side, so it is in strikes from ambushes and shelters. To implement such tactics, city maps or maps with a mountainous landscape or maps are most suitable. big amount stones and shelters. It is necessary to find a good cover or position where the entrances to the capture point from the enemy side or the places where the enemy is most likely to move will be clearly visible. It is necessary to take advantage of the surprise attack to destroy the enemy before he notices the player. If the enemy noticed the position taken by the player or there was a threat of entering the rear or flank, it is better to take advantage of the speed of the tank and move to a new position or, if necessary, move to the rear. The only role for which Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C is not good at all - this is the role of a sniper, due to the small caliber of the gun, and also due to the fact that shells at long distances lose their penetrating ability, the tank is not suitable for conducting sniper shooting on enemy tanks at long distances.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

  • Excellent speed and maneuverability
  • rapid fire gun
  • The presence of sub-caliber shells
  • Good frontal armor
  • Good reverse speed
  • Single Plane Stabilizer

Flaws:

  • The buildup of the tank during a sudden stop
  • Slow turret rotation
  • Three crew members

Historical reference

Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C

Following the termination by Germany of the military articles of the Treaty of Versailles in 1935, which limited the number of german army and forbidding her to have her own armored forces, the development of tanks of her own production began actively in the Third Reich. But the government soon realized that the development of tanks that meet modern requirements would take considerable time, so the sixth department of the Ministry of Armaments of the Ground Forces issued an assignment to develop a version of a ten-ton tank armed with a 20-mm cannon, one machine gun and more powerful armor than the Pz.Kpfw.I , which would become an intermediate option until medium tanks are developed that are more suitable for future campaigns, as well as for the training of future crews German tanks. The task of the Ministry was entrusted to three firms: Krupp, Henschel and MAN. After testing, in the summer of 1935, the choice fell on the MAN project, mainly because of the promising chassis that was installed on their tank prototype. The layout of the provided option became classic in the future - the engine compartment was located at the rear, with the transmission located in front of the tank, the fighting compartment was in the middle of the hull, the driver's compartment was in the front.

Pz.Kpfw. II somewhere on the Eastern Front

The tank was put into service under the name LaS 100 (LaS - "Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper" - agricultural tractor) and, after some modifications, its mass production began in 1937 under the index Pz.Kpfw. II. By the time of the German attack on Poland, it turned out that the medium tanks Pz.Kpfw. III and Pz.Kpfw. IV in the ranks of the Panzerwaffe is sorely lacking, so it was decided to use the Pz.Kpfw.I and Pz.Kpfw.II tanks, which were previously used only for training purposes, in combat operations. To the surprise of the Wehrmacht command, Pz.Kpfw.II proved to be very positive in battle, although, in the Polish campaign, they rather played the role of infantry support tanks, because. there were very few armored vehicles in the Polish army. Further, the tank was used in the French campaign, where it accounted for 70% of the entire tank fleet of the Wehrmacht. And in this campaign, the tank proved to be a very effective combat vehicle, thanks to its speed, maneuverability and good armor protection, the tank could easily make flank bypasses of the enemy and very fast movements both on roads and over rough terrain, the vehicle was often used for reconnaissance. In the French campaign Pz.Kpfw. II was used not only as an infantry support tank, but also fought against French armored vehicles, however, the Wehrmacht command realized that for head-on collisions with well-armored enemy tanks and anti-tank artillery, the Pz.Kpfw.II armor was clearly not enough. The last campaign in which the Pz.Kpfw.II showed its effectiveness was the Balkan campaign and the initial stage of the North African campaign. With the invasion of the Third Reich on the territory Soviet Union in 1941, the Wehrmacht realized that the Pz.Kpfw.II was already clearly inferior not only in armor, but even in light firepower Soviet tanks, this became especially obvious with the advent of the winter of 1941-1942, when the tank brought more problems to tankers than good, therefore, in 1942, it was decided to abandon further production.

In total, from 1937 to 1942, more than 1800 Pz.Kpfw. II tanks of all modifications were produced, in total there were five serial modifications A-F. The machine showed itself effectively in all the initial campaigns of the Wehrmacht, until the summer of 1941, when it became clear that the Pz.II was already outdated and did not match the armor and firepower. But, despite the cessation of production of this tank in 1942, its chassis was widely used for the production of self-propelled guns, as well as artillery tractors and other modifications, and damaged tanks arriving for repairs from the battlefields were converted into flamethrower vehicles or were subjected to the above modifications. There are cases when the Pz.II with the turret removed was used as an armored vehicle by the commander of a tank unit. Some vehicles were recalled in 1941-1942 to Germany and were used there as training tanks for crew training.

Media

    Pz.Kpfw. II (right) overcomes an obstacle

    Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C crosses a shallow river

    Pz.Kpfw.I (left) and Pz.Kpfw. II (right) crossing a water barrier

    Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C in one of the museums of armored vehicles

    A column of German armored vehicles, including Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C (foreground) in one of the villages of the USSR


No, don't be alarmed, it's not my roof that's gone, it's a normal American practice, when the naming of equipment took place independently in different departments and branches of the military. So here it is we are talking not about a light infantry tank T2 ah o' cavalry"car with the same name.



It was built in 1928 and was intended to reinforce and escort cavalry units. An indispensable requirement was cannon armament and sufficient speed so that the cavalry did not really run away from the tanks. The author of the machine, engineer Cunningham (firm " James Cunningham & Sons Company"), did not reinvent the wheel and based on a series of his lungs experimental tanks T1 (those are still shushi, I must say) built a slightly enlarged version called T2. The car had a classic Cunningham layout, with a front-mounted MTO and rear-wheel drive. In fact, in terms of layout, it was a truck cab, armored and crowned with a turret.



Since the car had to be nimble, with a dead weight of about 13.6 tons, it was equipped with an engine V12 Liberty, power in 312 hp, which allowed her to accelerate to 27 miles per hour (43.5 km / h), almost 2-3 times faster than typical tanks of that period. With such an engine, the car at the training ground looked very menacing, rapidly overcoming obstacles. True, at such speeds and a four-speed gearbox, the engine was peddling, so a rev limiter had to be introduced into the design, which slowed down the car to 20 miles per hour (32 km / h), which was still very decent at that time.

In general, in 1933, one of Cunningham's experimental tanks on tracks invented by him (?) with rubber-metal hinges (?) accelerated up to 50 miles (80 km) per hour. And without any wheel-tracked perversions.



The armament of the machine was not formed immediately. No, what d.b. the gun was not discussed, but everything else.


In the process of improvements, everything happened - the gunner of the gun in the hull greatly interfered with those sitting in the tower, the hefty breech pushed it literally under their feet, and it was inconvenient to serve the gun with one hand while you were loading it - it had already lost its target, so the 37mm gun migrated to tower, and its place (not immediately) was taken by a machine gun. Then, in addition to the machine gun in the hull, a second machine gun appeared, coaxial with a cannon, and also a large-caliber one (classic, M2), and the cannon itself in the turret again grew in caliber from 37mm to 47mm. At the same time, it should be noted that the BC of a heavy machine gun was (if Heigl is not mistaken) as much as 2000 rounds. Quite, by the way, not bad for 1928-31, in the end, I find it difficult to name a more powerful and faster tank on the fly.

The armor was differentiated, from 22.23mm (7/8") forward and in the turret to 3.35mm (1/4") on horizontal surfaces.

Official designation: Medium Tank T2
Alternative designation: Cunningham T2
Start of design: 1929
Date of construction of the first prototype: 1930
Completion stage: one prototype built.

Born in 1921 medium tank M1921, without a doubt, became, if not a breakthrough, then at least a landmark vehicle in the history of American tank building, which in those years was only gaining momentum.

In addition to the "classic" layout, this tank had good security and armament, but a number of technical problems prevented its mass production in time, and even after standardization in 1928 as the Medium Tank T1, it still did not get into mass production. In parallel, from March 1926, work was underway on the M1924 tank, but this machine could not get out of the stage of sketches and scale models.

However, it is also impossible to say that American tank builders are fixated only on improving the M1921. The main “engine of progress” was the engineer Harry Nox, who, thanks to his irrepressible energy, was able to literally to push through several rather controversial (from a constructive point of view) designs and bring them to the stage of full-fledged prototypes.

When it became clear that it would not be possible to “squeeze” something more out of the M1921, Knox presented a project for a completely new medium tank, the already built prototype Light Tank T1 was used as a model for the appearance of which. In turn, the layout of the light tank was clearly borrowed from the British Medium Tank Mk.I.

Design of a medium tank, later designated Medium Tank T2, was started in 1929. The lead designer was the already mentioned Harry Knox, and a team of engineers was allocated by James Cunningham Son & Co. Actually, at its facilities, the construction and refinement of a prototype was subsequently carried out.

Structurally, the American "medium" was indeed very close to the British "medium". In the bow of the hull housed the power plant, which was based on a very powerful aircraft 12-cylinder air-cooled Liberty L-12 engine, derated from 400 to 338 hp to reduce the load on the transmission. The engine was installed with an offset to the right, since the driver's seat was located to the left of it.

To improve the living conditions of this crew member, a box-shaped superstructure was introduced with three hatches that opened up on hinges: a front one with a viewing slot and two side hatches. The engine compartment contained a lubrication and cooling system, and the exhaust pipe was brought to the starboard side. The fuel tanks were taken out of the hull and placed in the side boxes. At the same time, for ease of maintenance, air filters were installed in the fighting compartment.

Behind the partition, in the aft part of the hull, there was a combat and transmission compartment, which were made combined. For boarding and disembarking from the tank, only one double-leaf door was intended in the vertical aft armor plate of the hull. Due to the large volume, the layout of the workplaces of the rest of the crew members (commander / gunner, loader and second gunner) turned out to be quite spacious.

The armor of the T2 tank could hardly be called impressive, but the 19-22 mm thick frontal armor reliably protected against small arms fire (including heavy machine guns) and small fragments. The situation from the sides was a little worse, but even in this case, the security of the crew and vital units was considered sufficient.

The armament was very powerful. In a cylindrical turret mounted on the roof of the fighting compartment, an installation of a 5-shot 47-mm gun and a 12.7-mm Browning M2HB machine gun was mounted. On the roof of the tower was a commander's cupola with a single hatch.

In addition, in the frontal hull sheet, to the right of the driver, there was a T3E1 ball mount with a 37-mm semi-automatic cannon and a coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun. It is worth noting that this gun fired 1.91-pound shells with initial speed 777 m/s. In theory, similar combination trunks was deadly for any armored vehicle of a potential enemy, but in practice there were problems with the maintenance of such installations.

The undercarriage deserves special mention. Drawing analogies with the chassis of the Medium Tank Mk.I\Mk.II would not be very correct, since the British tank used a slightly different suspension system.

On the American T2, 12 road wheels were used on one side, assembled in 6 bogies with suspension on spring springs, 4 support rollers, a front guide wheel and a rear drive wheel. The caterpillar belt consisted of 80 metal tracks 381 mm wide. Open suspension elements were protected by a bulwark with hinged sections.

Tests of the prototype medium tank T2, which arrived at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in late December 1930, were initially very successful. With a combat weight of 14125 kg, the tank had a specific power of about 20 hp. per ton, which even in our time is considered more than an acceptable indicator.

Top speed was 25 mph (40 km/h) on paved roads, but was subsequently limited to 20 mph (32 km/h) to conserve undercarriage life. With a fuel reserve of 94 gallons (356 liters), the cruising range was 145 km. In general, reviews of the T2 were favorable and things could well go as far as series production except for two difficult circumstances.

The Great Depression, which began in 1929, led to such a significant reduction in military orders that subsequently manufacturing firms were forced to purchase the necessary equipment with their own money with a very illusory hope of payback.

Accordingly, money for the Medium Tank T2 modernization program was allocated on a very modest scale. But that was only half the trouble - the real problem was engineer GW Christie's fast M1928 and M1931 tanks, which really represented a revolutionary breakthrough. Despite weaker armor and modest armament, these vehicles developed simply fantastic speed and had the then promising "candle" suspension.

Despite this, the T2 tests were continued. In the process of practical firing, it turned out that the 47-mm automatic gun is unbalanced. They tried to eliminate this shortcoming by installing counterweights in front of the gun mantlet, which was done in May 1931.

Next, the T3E1 installation was dismantled (more on economic reasons), instead of which the T1 installation appeared with the old short-barreled M1916 gun of 37 mm caliber. However, this option was considered unsatisfactory, so in the summer of that year the gun was replaced by a 7.62-mm machine gun. Also increased the number of external fuel tanks to two on the port side.

After completing the first part of the test cycle, the tank was sent for revision. New tracked tracks were installed, as well as a turret for anti-aircraft machine gun, although otherwise the design of the T2 has not changed. When in January 1932 the tank was re-transferred to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, the weapons in the turret were dismantled from it. However, it was all in vain. The American "medium" developed by Harry Knox did not look presentable against the background of Christie's tanks, and it was in this situation that the Ordnance Department decided to hold "demonstration performances" with the participation of all competitors.

Somewhat earlier, medium tanks T2 and T3, as well as light tanks T1E1 and T1E2, were transferred for military testing to the 2nd tank company, which in October 1932 was reorganized into the 67th infantry company. The place of its deployment was Fort Benning, where American congressmen periodically came, on whose opinion the fate of many combat vehicles depended. Seeing the potential capabilities of Christie's tanks, it immediately became clear to them what to spend the already meager funds on - thus, by the beginning of 1932, the fate of the T2 was finally decided.

The only prototype built in the late 1930s. sent to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, where he became a museum exhibit. It was there for many decades and only recently the question of moving the Medium Tank T2 to the exposition of the new tank museum in Fort Lee was raised. In the meantime, the tank is in Anniston (Alabama) awaiting restoration.

Sources:
Sources:
R.P. Hunnicutt “Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank. Part I". Echo Point Books & Media. ISBN-10:1626548617. 2015
George F.Hofmann, Donn Albert Starry "Camp Colt to Desert Storm"
Warspot: Scaling Method (Yuri Pasholok)
WW2Vehicles: United States T2 medium tank
Surviving rare US pre-1945 Tanks

PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MEDIUM TANK T2 Medium Tank Model 1932

COMBAT WEIGHT 14125 kg
CREW, pers. 4
DIMENSIONS
Length, mm 2760
Width, mm 2440
Height, mm ~2500
Clearance, mm 400
WEAPONS one 47 mm cannon and coaxial 12.7 mm Browning M2HB machine gun in the turret, one 37 mm cannon in the hull and one 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine gun
AMMUNITION 75 rounds, 2000 rounds for 12.7 mm machine gun and 4500 rounds for 7.62 mm machine gun
AIMING DEVICES telescopic sight М1918
BOOKING hull forehead - 19 mm
hull board - 6.4 mm
hull feed - 6.4 mm
tower - 22 mm
roof - 3.35 mm
bottom - 3.35 mm
ENGINE Liberty, 12-cylinder, 338 hp at 750 rpm, water-cooled
TRANSMISSION mechanical type
CHASSIS (on one side) 12 track rollers interlocked in 6 bogies, 4 support rollers, front guide and rear drive wheel, caterpillar of 76 steel tracks 381 mm wide and 108 mm pitch
SPEED 40 km/h highway (max.)
32 km/h (normal)
HIGHWAY RANGE 145 km
OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME
Climb angle, deg. 35°
Wall height, m ?
Ford depth, m ?
Ditch width, m ?
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION —