Panzer 35(t)

Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)
Panzer 35(t) at the Belgrade Military Museum
TypeLight tank
Place of originCzechoslovakia
Service history
In service1936–1950s
Used by
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerŠkoda
Designed1934–1936
ManufacturerŠkoda, ČKD
Unit cost741,868 or 745,068 Czechoslovak koruna
Produced1936–1940
No. built434
VariantsT-11, R-2c, TACAM R-2
Specifications (Panzerkampfwagen 35(t))
Mass10.5 t (10.3 long tons; 11.6 short tons)
Length4.90 m (16 ft 1 in)
Width2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Height2.37 m (7 ft 9 in)
Crew4 (3 in original design)

Armor8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in)
Main
armament
3.7 cm (1.5 in) KwK 34(t) gun
Secondary
armament
2 x 7.92 mm (0.3 in) MG 37(t) machine gun
Engine4-cylinder, water-cooled Škoda T11/0 gasoline
120 hp (89 kW)
Power/weight11 hp/tonne
Transmission6 x 6
Suspensionleaf spring
Fuel capacity153 L (40 US gal)
Operational
range
  • 190 km (120 mi) (road)
  • 115 km (71 mi) (cross-country)
[1]
Maximum speed 34 km/h (21 mph)

The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t), commonly shortened to Panzer 35(t) or abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. 35(t), was a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used mainly by Nazi Germany during World War II. 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 acquired 52 when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Others were exported to Bulgaria and Romania. In German service, it saw combat during the early years of World War II, notably the invasion of Poland, the Battle of France 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.

  1. ^ Jentz, T. (1996). Panzertruppen: The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933–1942. Schiffer. page 281.