The Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. L "''Luchs''" (German for

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

) is a German light tank from the

Second World War 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 ...

, developed between 1940 and 1942 by

Daimler-Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...

and

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

. The ''Luchs'' was the only

Panzer II The Panzer II is the common name used for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen'' II (abbreviated PzKpfw II). Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while l ...

design with the ''Schachtellaufwerk'' overlapping/interleaved road wheels and "slack track" configuration to enter series production, with 100 being built from September 1943 to January 1944 in addition to the conversion of the four Ausf. M tanks. Originally given the experimental designation VK 13.03, it was adopted under the alternate name ''Panzerspähwagen'' II and given the popular name ''Luchs''. The Luchs was larger than the Panzer II Ausf. G in most dimensions. With a six speed transmission (plus reverse), it could reach a speed of with a range of . The FuG 12 and FuG Spr radios were installed, while 330 rounds of 20 mm and 2,250 rounds of 7.92 mm ammunition were carried.

History

In the summer of 1938, German manufacturing firms

and

began developing a new reconnaissance tank under the VK 9.01 index. This tank was positioned as a development of Panzer II, but in fact it was a brand new machine. The chassis with the overlapping wheel arrangement of the support links consisted of five links on both sides. The tank was powered by a 150 hp Maybach HL 45 engine that allowed the 10.5-ton tank to reach a top speed of 50 km/h. In 1939, a prototype was produced, and after testing it was adopted under the name Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. G. From April 1941 to February 1942, 12 machines were manufactured, after which production was halted. On April 15, 1939, Daimler-Benz and MAN were ordered to design a 13-ton reconnaissance tank designated VK 13.01. The design of the tank was based on the VK 9.01. The main difference was the turret of the VK 13.01 fits two people on turret. However, in July 1940, the

Waffenamt ''Waffenamt'' (WaA) was the German Army Weapons Agency. It was the centre for research and development of the Weimar Republic and later the Third Reich for weapons, ammunition and army equipment to the German Reichswehr and then Wehrmacht ...

connected the Czech firms

Škoda Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

and Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik (BMM) to the program of the creation of a 13-ton reconnaissance tank. In July 1941, MAN manufactured the tank chassis. At the end of January 1942, testing of prototypes began at the Kummersdorf test site. The Škoda company developed a T-15 light tank based on LT vz.35, and BMM, with their Panzer 38(t) n.A., developed on the basis of

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 Cz ...

. As a result of the first stage of the tests, the BMM project won. However, in the second phase of the trials, which took place between May and June 1942, the MAN project won. The tank was adopted by 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 ...

under the name Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. L.

Design

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-090-3915-18A, Russland, Soldat im Panzerturm

Hull and turret

The box-shaped welded hull was divided into three compartments (control, combat and engine). In the front of the hull there was a mechanic-driver and a radio operator. The front armor was 30mm of steel. The sides of the hull was 20 mm, the rear was also 20 mm. The roof and bottom of the hull had only 10 mm of armor. The tank's weight was 11.8 tons.

Armor layout

The Luchs has 30 mm of armor at the front (sloped between 10-25°), sides is 20 mm, rear is 20 mm, top is 13 mm, and bottom of the tank is 10 mm. In some tank divisions, the frontal armor of the tank was reinforced with additional 20-mm armor plates. A similar reinforcement was carried out in the 4th reconnaissance battalion of the 4th Panzer Division.

Armament

The armament was one 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 autocannon and one 7.92mm

MG 34 The MG 34 (shortened from German: ''Maschinengewehr 34'', or "machine gun 34") is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It introduced an entirely n ...

machine gun. Onboard were 320 rounds of 20mm ammunition and 2,250 rounds of machine gun ammunition. To launch smoke grenades on the sides of the turret were installed three ''

Nebelwurfgerät The ''Nebelwurfgerät'' was a turret mounted launcher used to disperse the ''Schnellnebelkerze'' 39 smoke grenade. It was typically found on German tanks from 1942 through 1943. Operation The ''Nebelwurfgerät'' was mounted in two sets of thr ...

'' 39 smoke generators with a caliber of 90mm. Even during the design phase, it was clear that the 20 mm gun would significantly limit the capabilities of the tank, so in April 1943 it was decided to start production of tanks with a 5 cm KwK 39 L/60, but the new gun did not fit in the tank turret. To solve this problem, it was decided to develop a new turret which could take the 5 cm gun on it; however mass production of 5 cm-armed tanks was never started.

Crew

The tank accommodated four crew members, the commander (gunner), driver, loader and the radio operator.

Engine and transmission

The tank was fitted with a Maybach HL 66P six-cylinder four-stroke in-line liquid cooling engine with a power of 180 hp. The engine starter is the Bosch GTLN 600/12-12000 A-4. A manual launch was also possible. The fuel is ethylated petrol with an octane number 76 was placed in two tanks with a total capacity of 235 liters. The carburetor used in this vehicle was the

Solex Solex may refer to: * Solex (musician), Dutch musician * Solex Carburetor, a French manufacturer of carburetors and the powered bicycle VéloSoleX * Solex College, a former private for-profit college in Chicago, Illinois * Solex Unit, a fictiona ...

40 JFF II. (One Luchs production tank was equipped with a 12-cylinder V-shaped Tatra 103 diesel with power input of 220 hp). The transmission consisted of a two-disc main dry friction clutch of the

Fichtel and Sachs ZF Sachs AG, also known as Fichtel & Sachs, was founded in Schweinfurt in 1895 and was a well-known German family business. At its last point as an independent company, the company name was Fichtel & Sachs AG. In 1997, the automotive supplier wa ...

Mecano type, a mechanical synchronized transmission of the Aphon SSG48 (6-1), a gimbal shaft and MAN-type pad brakes.

Running gear

For each side, the Luchs' chassis consisted of five cropped support links, with a wheel diameter of 735 mm, located in two rows. It uses ''Schachtellaufwerk'' overlapping/interleaved road wheels and "slack track" configuration.

Torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...

is the primary suspension for the Luchs.

Production

Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg's original order consisted of 800 tanks, of which 700 were to be produced as ''Luchs 5 cm''. Serial production began in September 1943 and continued until February 1944. Only 100 Panzer II “Luchs” were produced in total, all manufactured by MAN. A total of only 100 (2cm) vehicles were produced (serial No. 200101–200200) but not a single tank with a 50 mm gun was produced. The MAN company was not able to fulfill the order completely as it was producing the

Panther tank The Panther tank, officially ''Panzerkampfwagen V Panther'' (abbreviated PzKpfw V) with ordnance inventory designation: ''Sd.Kfz.'' 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to ...

Combat history

The Luchs were to enter service with armoured reconnaissance detachments (''Panzer-Aufklarung-Abteilung'') which were made up of four platoons of seven Luchs and one in the company HQ. There were also four Sd.Kfz. 250/1 light half-track armoured personnel carriers, one

Sd.Kfz. 9 The Sd.Kfz. 9 (also known as "Famo" ) was a German half-track that saw widespread use in World War II, and the heaviest half-track vehicle of any type built in quantity in Nazi Germany during the war years. Its main roles were as a prime mover f ...

heavy half-track and seven Sd.Kfz.2 ''Kettenkrad'' half-track motorcycles. The Luchs' troops began to enter in the autumn of 1942. The first new tanks were received by the 2nd Company of the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion ( 2.''Kompanie/Pz.Afkl.Abt''.4) of the 4th Panzer Division. On September 26, 1943, the company was disbanded, and the remaining tanks were sent to the factory for repairs. Not all tanks returned from it; some were left off. Later, the company was re-created as the 1st Company of the 9th Reconnaissance Battalion (1.''Kompanie./Pz.Afkl.Abt.''9) of the

9th Panzer Division The 9th Panzer Division was a panzer division of the German Army during World War II. It came into existence after 4th Light Division was reorganized in January 1940. The division was headquartered in Vienna, in the German military district Weh ...

. It reached combat readiness by March 1944. This time it consisted of 25 tanks - one HQ and six in each of the four platoons. These tanks did not reach the Eastern Front; first combat use was in France in June 1944. The remaining assembled tanks were either later transferred to the specified units for additional recruitment or distributed piece by piece to other units. One of the few operations in which the Luchs took part on a massive scale (source?) was the

Operation Citadel Operation Citadel (german: Unternehmen Zitadelle) was a German offensive operation in July 1943 against Soviet forces in the Kursk salient, proposed by Generalfeldmarschall Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein during the Second World War on ...

. In its course, by August 17, 1943, only 5 tanks remained in an operational state in the 2nd tank reconnaissance company. By September 1, out of 29 vehicles, 10 remained in the company in one form or another. In these formations the Luchs were used until the end of World War II.

Variants

*''Luchs 5 cm'' – an attempt to mount the 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 on a different turret. Never produced. *''Bergepanzer Luchs'' – an armored recovery vehicle version of the Luchs. Never produced. *''Flakpanzer Luchs'' (VK 13.05) – an anti-aircraft tank based on a lengthened chassis of the Luchs and armed with either the 20mm Flakvierling or 37mm Flak 36 gun was made, but this project was never realized.

Specifications

*Manufacturer:

MAN SE MAN SE (abbreviation of ''Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg'', ) was a manufacturing and engineering company based in Munich, Germany. Its primary output was commercial vehicles and diesel engines through its MAN Truck & Bus and MAN Latin Ame ...

–

*Weight: 13 tons *Crew: 4 people - commander/gunner, loader, radio operator, driver *Engine: Maybach HL 66P 6-cylinders / 180 hp (130 kW) *Speed: 60 km/h (on road) *Range: Road: 300 km *Length: 4.63 m *Width: 2.48 m *Height: 2.21 m *Radio: ''FuG Spr Ger 2'', FuG 12 *Main armament: 20 mm KwK 38 L/55 *Ammunition: Panzergranate (Pz. Gr.) 40/330 shells

Surviving vehicles

Panzer II Ausf L 'Luchs' (SdKfz 123) (23342032620)

Of the original 100 Panzer II Luchs, there are only 2 surviving today. These are: * —

Musée des Blindés The ''Musée des Blindés'' ("Museum of Armoured Vehicles") or ''Musée Général Estienne'' is a tank museum located in the Loire Valley of France, in the town of Saumur. It is now one of the world's largest tank museums. It began in 1977 un ...

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

, chassis number 200164. * —

Bovington Tank Museum The Tank Museum (previously The Bovington Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. It is about north of the village of Wool and west of the major port of Poole. The collecti ...

References

Citiations

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

Luchs AFV Database
* * * {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=Tanks , portal3=World War II World War II tanks of Germany