The Leichter Kampfwagen II ("light combat vehicle"), commonly known as the LK II, was a

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 ...

designed and produced in limited numbers in Germany in the last year of World War I. A development of the LK I, it incorporated a fixed rear superstructure and had two distinct configurations; one variant being armed with the

MG 08/15 The ''Maschinengewehr'' 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun. It was produced in a number of variants during the war. The MG 08 served during W ...

, and the other being armed with a

5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt The 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt ''"Canon de caponnière"'' was a fortress gun and infantry gun developed during the 1880s in Britain which was sold to Belgium and later produced under license by the Cockerill company. It saw action during World ...

gun. Its armor was 8 to 14 mm thick, which led to a total weight of 8.75 tons. Power was provided by a Daimler-Benz Model 1910 4-cylinder 55-60 hp gasoline engine, giving a maximum speed of 14 to 18 km/h with range of 65–70 km. The LK II was designed by German engineer and automobile designer Joseph Vollmer, who also designed the A7V, the

K-Wagen The ''Großkampfwagen'' or "K-Wagen" (short for ''G.K.-Wagen'') was a German super-heavy tank, two prototypes of which were almost completed by the end of World War I. History In June 1917, before the first A7V tanks had been completed, the Germ ...

and the LK I. Vollmer was appointed to the position of chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section Only two prototypes were produced by June 1918, and were followed by orders for 580 tanks, which were never completed.

Stridsvagn m/21-29

Sweden

After the war, the Swedish government bought parts for 10 examples in secrecy for 200,000

Swedish kronor The krona (; plural: ''kronor''; sign: kr; code: SEK) is the official currency of the Kingdom of Sweden. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it b ...

. The parts were shipped under the pretence of being boiler plates and agricultural equipment and then assembled in Sweden as the ''Stridsvagn m/21'' (Strv m/21 for short), which was essentially an improved version of the LK II prototype. The Strv m/21 was powered by a sleeve valve engine located in the front, the driver and crew being in the rear. The suspension and running gear was protected by armored skirts. Ten of these tanks were built, their armament a single Schwarzlose machine gun. In 1929, five were rebuilt to create the Strv m/21-29 variant which was armed with a 37mm gun or two machine guns and was powered by a Scania-Vabis engine. The Strv m/21-29 was an upgraded version of the fm/21. The modifications included a more powerful engine, a new alternator, and external lighting. One of these improved vehicles was driven by Heinz Guderian during a visit to Sweden in 1929. The Germans later bought a main share of the Landsverk Company and made Otto Merker the main designer and in 1931, it produced the '' Strv m/31'' (L-10), which was the first tank produced in Sweden. The Strv m/21-29 remained in service until 1938. A surviving example can be seen at the Deutsches Panzermuseum at

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, Germany, and both strv m/21 and strv m/21-29 was displayed at the Axvall Tank Museum in Sweden. One Strv m/21-29 is in the early stages of being restored to full working order in Sweden. As of 2018, the tank has been restored to running condition, and is now on display at the :sv:Försvarsfordonsmuseet Arsenalen in Strängnäs.http://blog.arsenalen.se/

References

{{Weapons made in Sweden 1914–1945, style=wide World War I light tanks World War I tanks of Germany Light tanks of Germany Tanks of Sweden World War II tanks of Sweden Tanks of Hungary Light tanks of the interwar period Trial and research tanks of Germany History of the tank hu:Landsverk M–21