The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t), commonly shortened to Panzer 35(t) or abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. 35(t), was a
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
-designed
light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...
used mainly by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The letter (t) stood for ''tschechisch'' (German for "Czech"). In Czechoslovak service, it had the formal designation Lehký tank vzor 35 (Light Tank Model 35), but was commonly referred to as the LT vz. 35 or LT-35.
A total of 434 were built; of these, the Germans seized 244 when they
occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939 and the
Slovaks
The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak.
In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...
acquired 52 when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Others were exported to
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. In German service, it saw combat during the early years of World War II, notably the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
, the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
and
the invasion of the Soviet Union before being retired or sold off in 1942. It was used for the remainder of the war by other countries and as a training tank in Bulgaria into the 1950s.
Description
The ''Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)'' was assembled from a framework of steel "angle iron" beams to which the armour plates were riveted. A
firewall
Firewall may refer to:
* Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts
* Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...
separated the engine compartment from the crew. It had several mesh-covered openings to allow access to the engine and improve ventilation by drawing air in through the commander's hatch. This had the advantage of rapidly dispersing gun combustion gases when firing,
[This scheme is used by the modern American ]M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) is a continuous track, tracked armoured fighting vehicle platform of the United States developed by FMC Corporation and manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, formerly United Defense. It is named after U.S ...
, although it uses removable panels in lieu of the firewall. but several disadvantages. The constant draft generated by the engine greatly affected the crew during cold weather, the danger of an engine fire reaching the crew compartment was increased and the engine noise and heat increased crew fatigue.
[Kliment and Francev, p. 60]
The driver sat on the right side of the tank using a observation port protected by of
bulletproof glass
Bulletproof glass, ballistic glass, transparent armor, or bullet-resistant glass is a strong and optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to penetration by projectiles. Like any other material, it is not completely impenetr ...
and an armoured shutter thick. To his right was a vision slit () with a similar thickness of bulletproof glass. The Germans replaced the original three colored lights used by the Czechs to communicate with the driver with an intercom system. The radio operator sat on the left and had his own observation port with the same protection as the driver's. His radios were mounted on the left wall of the hull. The hull machine gun was between the driver and radio operator in a ball mount capable of 30° of traverse, 25° of elevation and depressing up to 10°. Most of the machine gun's barrel protruded from the mount and was protected by an armoured trough. The mount had a spotting telescope, but open sights could be used if the plug at the top of the ball mount was removed. If necessary, the driver could lock the mount into position and fire it himself using a
Bowden cable
A Bowden cable ( )
is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable relative to a hollow outer cable housing. The housing is generally of composite construction, consisting of an inne ...
. The driver's hatch was exposed to direct fire and could be damaged from the front.
[Kliment and Francev, p. 61]
The turret ring had a diameter of . The turret had a flat face in the center of which was mounted the main gun. On the right side was another machine gun in a ball mount. The commander had four episcopes in his cupola and a monocular mirror, 1.3 × 30° periscope which he could extend, once he had removed its armoured cover in his hatch, to give vision while "buttoned-up".
As the sole occupant of the turret, the commander was responsible for loading, aiming and firing the main gun and the turret machine gun while simultaneously commanding the tank. The Germans added an extra crewman on the right side of the turret to load the main gun and to operate the turret machine gun. Some ammunition had to be removed to accommodate him.
[Kliment and Francev, pp. 66–67]
The Škoda T-11/0 four-cylinder, water-cooled
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
produced at 1,800 rpm. Two fuel tanks were fitted, the main tank with a capacity of was on the left side of the engine and the auxiliary tank was on the other side. The engine could run on gasoline, an alcohol-gasoline mixture, and "Dynalkohol" (an alcohol-
benzole
In the United Kingdom, benzole or benzol is a coal-tar product consisting mainly of benzene and toluene. It was originally used as a 'motor spirit', as was petroleum spirits. Benzole was also blended with petrol and sold as a motor fuel under trad ...
mixture). It was mounted in the rear along with the six-speed transmission which drove rear-mounted drive sprockets. The suspension was derived from the
Vickers 6-Ton
The Vickers 6-ton tank or Vickers Mark E, also known as the "Six-tonner" was a British light tank designed as a private project at Vickers. It was not adopted by the British Army, but was picked up by many foreign armed forces. It was license ...
tank; eight small pairs of road wheels on four
bogies
A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...
per side, each pair of bogies sprung by a single
leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, it ...
, a front idler wheel, and four track return wheels. An unsprung road wheel was located directly underneath the idler wheel to improve obstacle crossing. The transmission, brakes and steering were mechanically assisted with compressed air, reducing driver fatigue. This last feature proved problematic in the extreme conditions of the
Eastern Front.
![Pz 35T 001 russian 41](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Pz_35T_001_russian_41.jpg)
The main armament was a Škoda 37mm
''ÚV vz. 34'' (German designation "KwK 34(t)") gun with a pepperpot
muzzle brake
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
and a prominent armoured recoil cylinder above the barrel. Škoda called it the ''A3''. It fired a armour-piercing shell at . It was credited with penetrating a plate inclined at 30° from the vertical thick at , thick at , thick at , and thick at . Kliment and Francev quote penetration of a vertical plate thick at . The machine gun's ball mount could be coupled to the main gun or used independently. Both weapons could elevate 25° and depress 10°. They both used 2.6× power sights with a 25° field of view. Initially the tank used
Zbrojovka Brno
Pre-war Československá zbrojovka, akc.spol. (or a.s.) (Czechoslovak Armory)and post-war Zbrojovka Brno, n.p.(Brno Armory) was a maker of small arms, light artillery, and motor vehicles in Brno, Czechoslovakia. It also made other products and ...
''
Tk vz. 35'' machine guns, but these were exchanged for
''ZB vz. 37''s during 1938. This was adopted by the Germans as the ''MG 37(t)''.
In German use, 72 rounds of 37 mm ammunition were carried. These were stored in 6-round boxes: three on the hull side wall, eight in the turret overhang and one ready box above the gun on the turret roof. For the machine gun, 1,800 rounds of belted 7.92 mm ammunition were carried. The machine gun ammunition was in 100 round belts, stored three to a box. In Czech service, the ''LT vz. 35'' carried 78 rounds (24
AP, 54
HE) and 2,700 rounds of machine gun ammunition, the difference being removed to make room for the fourth crewmember in German service. The German command tank version (''Panzerbefehlswagen'' 35(t)) exchanged some ammunition - exactly how much isn't known - for another radio set and a
gyrocompass
A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical direction automatically. The use of a gyroc ...
.
[ It could be recognized by the prominent "clothesline" radio antenna mounted on the rear deck.
]
Armour
The gun mantlet was thick. The rest of the armour was as follows:[Chamberlain and Doyle, p. 42]
Development
The Czechoslovak Army formulated a requirement in the II-a category of light cavalry tanks by the end of 1934. Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk
Českomoravská () is a Prague Metro station on Line B. It was opened on 22 November 1990 as the eastern terminus of the extension from Florenc. It is under Drahobejlova street in Vysočany. Českomoravská remained a terminal station until the ...
proposed an improved version of its ''P-II'' light tank already in service as the '' LT vz. 34'', but Škoda offered a new design that used the pneumatic system and engine earlier proved by its unsuccessful ''SU'' or ''S-II'' light tank prototype. One prototype was ordered from each company for delivery during the summer of 1935. Both tanks had the same armament and three-man crew, but ČKD's ''P-II-a'' was much smaller at and had only a maximum of armour while Škoda's ''S-II-a'' weighed and had of armour. The army thought that ''P-II-a'' was at the limit of its development while the ''S-II-a'' could be improved as needed.
The first production order for 160 ''LT vz. 35''s, as the S-II-a was designated in Army service, was placed on 30 October 1935 and deliveries began in December 1936. An additional order for 35 was made on 12 May 1936 and a follow-on order placed for 103 more a month later.[Kliment and Francev, pp. 55–58] The total order for 298 tanks was split equally by Škoda Works
The Škoda Works ( cs, Škodovy závody, ) was one of the largest European industrial conglomerates of the 20th century, founded by Czech engineer Emil Škoda in 1859 in Plzeň, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Austrian Empire. It is the predece ...
and ČKD
ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk) () was one of the largest engineering companies in the former Czechoslovakia and today's Czech Republic. It is famous for the Tatra T3, a tramcar that sold 13,991 units worldwide.
History
ČKD was formed i ...
according to their cartel agreement.
Development was rushed and there were many defects in the ''LT vz. 35''s. Many tanks had to be returned to the factories to be repaired. Most of these repairs involved the electrical system, not the complicated pneumatic system.
Foreign interest
In August 1936, Romania placed an order for 126; the bulk of these were delivered from the end of 1938 by Škoda. Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
ordered ten in 1940; but, these were sold instead to Bulgaria. Total production was 434, including 298 for the Czechoslovak Army, 126 for Romania (under the designation Škoda R-2) and ten for Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. The Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
used 218 vehicles captured from the Czechoslovak Army in March 1939. Britain's Alvis-Straussler negotiated for a production license from September 1938 until March 1939 when the Nazi occupation made an agreement impossible. The Soviets were also interested so Škoda shipped the ''S-II-a'' prototype and one production ''LT vz. 35'' to the proving grounds at Kubinka
Kubinka (russian: Ку́бинка) is a town in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Setun River, west of Moscow. Population:
__TOC__
History
Kubinka, founded in the 15th century, may have been named after Prince , a ...
for evaluation. The Soviets were interested only in buying the prototype, but Škoda refused to sell unless a license was purchased as well, believing that the Soviets would simply copy the design and build it without paying any royalties.
Variants
Czechoslovak
* S-IIa – Prototype tank built by Skoda for the Czechoslovak Army S-II light tank requirement
* Lehký tank vzor 35 (Light Tank Model 35) – Abbreviated as LT vz.35 or LT-35, production tanks for the Czechoslovak Army
German
* Panzerkampfwagen 35(t) – Czechoslovak Army LT vz.35 tanks inducted into the Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
after annexation.
* Panzerbefehlswagen 35(t) (Pz.Bef.Wg.) – Command tanks with radios.
* Artillerie Schlepper 35(t) – Artillery tractor conversions of Pz.Kpfw. 35(t), also called Mörser Zugmittel 35(t)
Romanian
* R-2 – Designation used by Romania for LT vz. 35 tanks supplied to the Romanian Army before the Second World War.
* R-2a – Improved R-2 with better engine, radio and improved armor. The Romanians were interested in buying it, but the Germans intervened and didn't approve any exports. A proposal to up-armor the R-2 also existed later in Romania.
* R-2c – R-2 tank with different rear for both the turret and hull. The ''c'' stands for ''cimentate'' ("cemented"), because this version used cemented armor.
* TACAM R-2
The TACAM R-2 (''Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil R-2'' – "Anti-tank gun on R-2 mobile gun carriage") was a Romanian tank destroyer used during World War II. It was built by removing the turret of the Panzer 35(t), R-2 light tank and building a pedest ...
– Tank destroyer conversions of R-2 tanks, mounting 76 mm ZiS-3 guns.
Others
* T-11 – Ten Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) tanks ordered for the Afghan Army in 1940, diverted to Bulgaria. The ''T-11'' was built to an Afghan order placed in 1940 and differed mainly in that it used an improved Škoda ''A-7'' gun (as used on LT vz. 38). Ten were built, but were sold to Bulgaria and delivered in the third quarter of 1940.
Operational history
Czechoslovakia
The 298 ''LT vz. 35'' tanks were assigned to the armoured regiments belonging to the four ''Mobile (Rychlá) Divisions'' between 1936–39. Each regiment was supposed to detach three-tank platoons to support the infantry divisions and border areas in times of crisis. These platoons were heavily used suppressing the protests and violence instigated by Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten Germans, Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well ...
's Sudeten German Party
The Sudeten German Party (german: Sudetendeutsche Partei, SdP, cs, Sudetoněmecká strana) was created by Konrad Henlein under the name ''Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront'' ("Front of the Sudeten German Homeland") on 1 October 1933, some months afte ...
(''Sudetendeutsche Partei'' - SdP) and the ''Sudetendeutsche Freikorps'' (paramilitary groups trained in Germany by SS-instructors) between May and October 1938.
After the Munich Agreement, two tank battalions were sent to reinforce the ''3rd Mobile Division'' in Slovakia. They were used to repel Hungarian and Polish border-crossers, sometimes up to a battalion in strength. They screened the infantry when they had to evacuate southern Slovakia after the First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, which ...
on 2 November 1938.
The ''S-II-a'' prototype and one ''LT vz. 35'' tank were returning from testing in the Soviet Union when the fighting began. They detrained in Sevljus and participated in a counterattack at Fančíkovo, but the ''LT vz. 35'' was damaged and captured by the Hungarians. The prototype was forced to retreat into Romania by 17 March, along with most of the other Czech troops in eastern Ruthenia. The Romanians returned the prototype to Škoda six months later.
Germany
In 1939, following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
in March 1939, 244 vehicles of the Czechoslovak Army were seized by the Germans where they were known as the ''L.T.M.35'' until January 1940. In German service, they were used as substitutes for the Panzerkampfwagen III
The ''Panzerkampfwagen III'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany, Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was List of Sd.Kfz. designations ...
medium tank. They were assigned to the ''Panzer Battalion (Panzerabteilung) 65'' (39) of the '' 1st Light (leichte) Division'' and the independent ''Panzer-Regiment 11'' (81) where they participated in the invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
. 77 of these were lost during the campaign, mostly due to mechanical breakdowns, but only 7 of these were irreparable. From 1940 on, there had not been any spare parts available and tanks had to be completely rebuilt to remain operational.
The 1st Light Division absorbed the 11th Panzer Regiment and was redesignated as the 6th Panzer Division
The 6th Panzer Division ( en, 6th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, the ''Heer'', during World War II, established in October 1939.
The division, initially formed as a light brigade, particip ...
on 18 October 1939. It took 132 ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s into the Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
where it was assigned to XXXXI Corps (mot.) for ''Panzergruppe von Kleist''s attack through the Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
. 44 of these had been lost by the end of May. 35 replacements were issued on 3 June in preparation for Fall Rot
''Fall Rot'' (Case Red) was the plan for a German military operation after the success of (Case Yellow), the Battle of France, an invasion of the Benelux countries and northern France. The Allied armies had been defeated and pushed back in th ...
, the attack on the remnants of the French Army that began the following day. A total of 62 ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s were either total write-offs or were damaged beyond the ability of the field maintenance workshops to repair during the campaign.
For the invasion of the Soviet Union, 6th Panzer Division had 160 ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s. to support 4th Panzer Group
The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...
's drive on Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. By 10 September 1941, the division had only 102 operational ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)'', despite having received two replacements from Germany. Eight tanks were repairable, but 47 were total losses. By 31 October, only 34 were operational with another 41 requiring repair. On 30 November, all ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s were reported non-operational.[Jentz, p. 208]
Due to the cessation of production of these tanks, and the absence of spare parts being made, it was decided that the summer campaign of 1941 was to be their last. The fighting in Russia exposed the vehicle's unsuitability for cold weather operations and general unreliability. This weakness, in addition to their thin armour and inadequate firepower, resulted in the 6th Panzer Division being reequipped with German tanks on its withdrawal from Russia in April 1942. All 26 remaining ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s still in working condition in 1942 were sold to Romania. Some vehicles had their turrets and hull machine guns removed so that the chassis could serve as a munition carrier or an artillery tractor, the ''Artillerie Schlepper'' and the ''Mörserzugmittel 35(t)''. These had a towing capacity of .
Romania
Romania ordered 126 of the tanks on 14 August 1936 as the ''R-2'' and received the first 15, which had been diverted from the Czech order, in April–May 1937 to display in a parade. They suffered from numerous teething problems and the Romanians put a hold on production until these issues were resolved. The constantly changing Romanian demands didn't help the situation, but they refused to accept any vehicles until trials were conducted in Romania. Three R-2s were shipped to Romania on 12 July 1938 for the trials, but Skoda knew which one would be chosen and prepared the vehicle well and it passed all tests. After disassembly and checks of the trial tank were completed, the Romanian commission approved the design on 23 August. In the meantime, the initial batch was returned to Skoda to be upgraded to current standards on 28 July. Shipments to Romania began on 1 September with 27 shipped before the Munich Crisis forced the Czechs to hold all remaining tanks in case they were needed. 5 finished tanks and six almost-finished tanks were appropriated and shipped to Slovakia although they were quickly returned after the Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...
was signed. The last shipment departed on 22 February 1939.
The ''R-2''s were assigned to the ''1st Armoured Regiment'' of the ''1st Armoured Division'' where they participated in Operation Barbarossa. The division was withdrawn from combat after the Battle of Odessa in 1941. At the start of 1942, 40 tanks were sent to Pilsen for overhaul while 50 more were repaired in Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest.
The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commu ...
. The division returned to the front on 29 August 1942 with 109 ''R-2''s. By the eve of the Soviet Stalingrad Counter-offensive on 19 November the division could only muster 84 serviceable ''R-2''s with as many as 37 unserviceable tanks stationed in the rear. The division was on the outer edges of the Stalingrad Pocket, but managed to break through the western wing of the encirclement, although 77 ''R-2''s were lost in the process. Only about a third of these were destroyed by the Soviets, the rest were either abandoned or broke down and couldn't be recovered. One ''R-2'' arrived from Romania during December as a reinforcement. The ''1st Armored Division'' was ordered home in early January 1943.
Despite the delivery of 26 ''Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s during 1942, Romania could only muster 59 ''R-2/Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)''s on 1 April and 30 August 1943, but raised this to 63 by 25 March 1944. There were 44 on hand on 19 July 1944. By this time they were relegated to training duties with the ''1st Training Armoured Division''. A company of ''R-2''s was sent to Transnistria
Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
with the ad-hoc ''Cantemir Mixed Tank Group'' on 24 February 1944, but it did not see combat before being withdrawn on 28 March 1944.
A company of ''R-2''s was assigned to the ''Popescu Armoured Detachment'' after King Michael's Coup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and Romanian's defection from the Axis at the end of August 1944. The ''Detachment'' was tasked with preventing the German units stationed around Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest.
The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commu ...
from breaking out to the north and finding refuge in Hungary. They accomplished their task and the ''R-2''s were withdrawn from combat operations until the following year. Romania had concentrated all of its remaining tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the ''2nd Armoured Regiment'' in early 1945 as the unofficial Soviet arms embargo began to have effect. It had five ''R-2''s on hand in early February 1945 when it was sent to the front, but the Soviets confiscated most of them when it arrived. Both ''R-2''s were serviceable when the regiment entered Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
on 4 April 1945, but these were probably destroyed when the regiment was nearly surrounded in Austria on 10 April because they are no longer listed among the regiment's vehicles afterwards.
Twenty-one tanks were rebuilt as TACAM R-2
The TACAM R-2 (''Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil R-2'' – "Anti-tank gun on R-2 mobile gun carriage") was a Romanian tank destroyer used during World War II. It was built by removing the turret of the Panzer 35(t), R-2 light tank and building a pedest ...
tank destroyers with an ex-Soviet 76.2 mm gun in 1943–44.
Slovakia
The Slovak Army seized 52 ''LT vz. 35'' tanks when they declared their independence from Czechoslovakia in March 1939. They were organized into a battalion that was later incorporated into the ''Armoured Regiment''. They received LT-35 designation in Slovak Army. Three of these tanks participated in the Slovak-Hungarian War of March 1939. One tank company participated in the invasion of Poland, but didn't see any fighting. The Army upgraded the internal communications system of its tanks with German intercoms in 1941, but it is unknown if they added a fourth crewman as did the Germans. When Slovakia joined the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...
it sent a ''Mobile Group'' that included thirty ''LT vz. 35''s. The ''Mobile Group'' was reinforced and reorganized in early July 1941 as the ''Mobile Brigade'', also known as ''Brigade Pilfousek'' after its commander, and it mustered only twenty-seven tanks despite seven reinforcements because breakdowns had caused ten to be evacuated back to Slovakia. This was due to a conspiracy among the Slovak tankers that the tanks would be needed to overthrow the regime at some point and couldn't be wasted in combat against the Soviets. This caused a high incidence of crew sabotage to which the officers and maintainers turned a blind eye, which caused the tanks to be withdrawn to Slovakia at the beginning of August 1941. On 1 January 1942, the Slovaks had 49 ''LT vz. 35'' on hand because three had been destroyed in the battle for Lipovec earlier in the summer. However, of these 49 only seven were operational as part of the conspiracy to keep the tanks in Slovakia. The ''LT vz. 35''s were relegated to the training/reserve role by 1943 when the Germans began to supply more modern tanks to Slovakia. At least eight ''LT vz. 35''s were used by the insurgents during the Slovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising ( sk, Slovenské národné povstanie, abbreviated SNP) was a military uprising organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. This resistance movement was represented mainly by the members of the ...
in 1944.
Slovak insurgents used LT vz. 35 tanks also in its 3 armored trains. Not only turrets, but whole tanks were used, when they placed tank on flat wagon, and then built armored walls around it. One LT vz. 35 is preserved until today, inside of original armored tank car from Armored Train Štefánik
The Armored train Štefánik was a military train used during World War II (during the Slovak National Uprising) in Slovakia.
The building of the armored train started on September 4, 1944. It was finished on September 18, 1944, in a Railway Manu ...
, which is displayed in the Museum of Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mo ...
.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
used 26 tanks, delivered by Germany from used war reserve stock in early 1940, with the normal ''A-3'' gun and 10 New ''T-11'' tanks with the more powerful ''A-7'' gun from the confiscated Afghan order were delivered between August and October 1940. They equipped the 1st and 2nd companies of the Bulgarian armored regiment in June 1941. They were supposedly relegated to training duties once the Germans began to deliver Panzerkampfwagen IV
The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a Nazi Germany, German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the World War II, Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation ...
medium tanks in 1944, but apparently remained in service into the Fifties. But Kliment and Francev claim that the ''T-11''s participated in the fighting in Yugoslavia and ended the war south of Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
as part of the ''1st Tank Brigade''.[Kliment and Francev, pp. 200–201]
Hungary
Hungary captured one ''LT vz. 34'' in Carpatho-Ukraine
Carpatho-Ukraine or Carpathian Ukraine ( uk, Карпа́тська Украї́на, Karpats’ka Ukrayina, ) was an autonomous region within the Second Czechoslovak Republic, created in December 1938 by renaming Subcarpathian Rus' whose full ...
on 15 March 1939, when it conquered that country, and also a LT vz. 35 in fighting with the Czech demonstration detachment returning from Kubinka in med-March 1939. They were impressed and asked Škoda for a quote to repair them. The Hungarians did not accept the price, but Škoda fixed them for free once the Hungarians had bought a license to build the medium 40M Turán I tank in August 1940. The tanks were returned to Hungary in March 1941 and were used for training through 1943.[Kliment and Francev, pp. 97–98]
See also
* Weapons of Czechoslovakia interwar period
This is a list of weapons used by Czechoslovakia during its interwar period (1918–1938). These include weapons that were designed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia and Czechoslovak modifications to existing weapons, like the Schwarzlose machine ...
* Panzer 38(t)
The 38(t), originally known as the ČKD LT vz. 38, was a tank designed during the 1930s, which saw extensive service during World War II. Developed in Czechoslovakia by ČKD, the type was adopted by Nazi Germany following the annexation of Cze ...
Footnotes
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
Information about the Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) at Panzerworld
R-2 on worldwar2.ro
LT vz. 35 - light tank mod. 35 in original camouflage
Captured German vehicles
- A PDF file on the surviving the German vehicles based on captured and modified foreign equipment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panzer 35(T)
Light tanks of Czechoslovakia
Cavalry tanks
Light tanks of the interwar period
Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s
World War II light tanks