Panzerkampfwagen II Light Tank11,
Industrial Tractor 10011,
LaS 10011
The Germany Army wanted the PzKpfw II to be a training tank, like the PzKpfw I.7 It was to be used until the PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV became available in the late 1930s.7
In July 1934, the Army Weapons Department put out specifications for a 10 ton armored vehicle, that had a 20 mm gun in a fully revolving turret.7 The three companies were Henschel, Krupp, and MAN.11 Krupp used it's PzKpfw I prototype and installed a 20 mm gun and MG in the turret. The Henschel and MAN prototypes were similar but had different suspensions. The one by Augsburg-Nuremburg Machine Works (MAN) was selected for a pre-production run.7,11
From 1935-1937 MAN completed several prototypes.7 These were designated the Landwirtschäftlicher Schlepper (LaS, industrial tractor) 100, as it was against the Treaty of Versailles for Germany to develop tanks.7 In 1938 they were designated the Panzer II.7
MAN became responsible for chassis and Daimler-Benz for superstructure.11 Production was done by FAMO11 of Breslau (1936-43), MIAG11 in Brunswick (1936-40), and Wegmann11 of Kassel (1935-41). It started being delivered in 1935 but it took 18 months for the design to be finalized and production could increase.
Even with the experiences in France showing that the Pz II was obsolete, an Armor Committee on July 17, 1941, met to determine how to expand the number of panzer divisions to 36 as ordered by Hitler. It was decided that they would need 4,608 Pz IIs, and equally surprising is that production on Pz IIs continued.
Design
The hull was made from welded heat-treated steel.11 The driver sat on the left side. The fighting compartment was also located on the left side.11
The transmission and drive sprocket were in the front.10 The engine was in the rear.10
The engine was mounted in the rear with the drive sprocket in the front.8
20 mm gun could fire 280 rounds per minute. It was fed by 10 round magazines.9,10 Could penetrate 24 mm of armor at 500 yards. It's maximum effective range was 656 yards (600 m).
The 20 mm KwK38 could fire 450 rounds/minute.9 The AP shell weighed 0.31 lbs and had a muzzle velocity of 2,559'/second.9
Spain
Was used in the Spanish Civil War and it was found that it was outclassed, but the General Staff kept it in production into 1942.
Poland
1,223 were used in the invasion.7 81 were destroyed by Polish forces.7 32 loses were from the 4th Panzer Division that sent them into the suburbs of Warsaw on September 8-9.7
After battle experience in Poland some tanks received 20 mm armor bolted onto the front.7
Norway
16 PzKpfw IIs were with the 40th Panzer Battalion.7
France
For the invasion of France in 1940 there were 955 available.
Most PzKpfw IIs were used in areas that weren't critical.7 In the Ardennes, General Heinz Guderian's XIX Panzer Corps had 146 PzKpfw IIs.7
Russia
By July 1, 1941 there were 1,067 and by April 1, 1942, this had gone down to 860.
North Africa
In May 1942, during the battle for Tobruk, there were 50 PzKpfw IIs out of a total of 560 tanks.7 There were still 31 at the battle of El Alamein in October 1942.7
Taken off the Frontline
In early 1943, the remaining PzKpfw IIs were withdrawn from frontline units, and deployed in anti-partisan operations and garrison duties.7
Panzerbefehlswagen II:
Command version. 200 Ausf B chassis were modified. The turret was fixed and a small table was installed internally with Fu 2 and Fu 6 radios. 96 were available for the invasion of Poland.
150 mm sIG33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf):
12 were produced from November to December 1941.
Wespe, SdKfz 124:
From 1943-1944, 683 were produced.7
Mounted 10.5 cm le FH 18 M howitzer.
Marder II, SdKfz 131:
From 1942-1943, 1,983 were produced.7
Mounted 7.5 cm Pak 40/2 anti-tank gun. 531 converted during 1942 and 1943.
Marder I, SdKfz 132:
Mounted captured 76.2 mm Russian antitank guns.
Schwimmpanzer II (Schwimmkörper):
During the summer of 1940, 50 Schwimmpanzer IIs were converted from PzKpfw IIs.7 Was designed for Operation Sea Lion (Seelöwe), the invasion of England.7
Flotation devices installed to sides and front. All openings were made water tight. In September and October 1940 Armored Battalion A of the 2nd Panzer Regiment in Putlos was used in the conversion. Alkett of Berlin, Bachmann of Ribnitz, and from Sachsenberg of Roslau were asked to design equipment that would allow the speed of 10 kph11/6 mph11 in water and be able to withstand seas in a wind of force 3-4. 52 of the kits were delivered. The hull was divided into 3 chambers with walls that were made from inflated celluloid bags. A marine propeller was added and was run off the engine via an extension sleeve, universal joint, and shaft. There was a rubber tire placed between the turret and hull. The vehicle would submerge to approximately the top of the track covers. The turret guns could be fired while in the water.
Used by the 18th Panzer Regiment in the central sector in Russia in 1941.
Brükenleger:
Had a 2 part pivoting bridge. Four were in service with the engineers of the 7th Panzer Division in Belgium and France.
Pionier-Kampfwagen II (ohne Aufbau):
Carrier for engineers, which involved removing turret.
5 cm PaK38 L/60 auf Fahrestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf),
5cm Pak 38 auf Fgst PzKpfw II:
Self propelled gun, similar to Marder II, with 50 mm gun.3
Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1c / 5cm PaK38 auf Panzerkampfwagen II (VK901):
2 prototypes were delivered in January 1942, but production was cancelled as the 50 mm gun was unsuitable to battle the tanks that were being faced in 1942.3
| Panzerkampfwagen II | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 39 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | |
| Length w/gun | 15.8'9 |
| Length w/o gun | |
| Height | 6.5'9 |
| Width | 7.3'9 |
| Width over tracks | |
| Ground clearance | 13.6"9 |
| Ground contact length | 94.5"9 |
| Ground pressure | 8.8 psi9 |
| Turret ring diameter | |
| Armament | |
| Main | 20 mm KwK 30 or KwK 389 20 mm11 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | 7.9 mm MG34, coaxial9 7.92 mm MG, coaxail11 |
| Side arms | |
| Quantity | |
| Main | 1809,11 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | 1,4259,11 |
| Side arms | |
| Armor Thickness (mm) | Front: 1.2"9 Side: 0.6"9 |
| Hull Front, Upper | |
| Hull Front, Lower | |
| Hull Sides, Upper | |
| Hull Sides, Lower | |
| Hull Rear | |
| Hull Top | |
| Hull Bottom | |
| Turret Front | 1.2"9 |
| Turret Sides | 0.6"9 |
| Turret Rear | |
| Turret Top | |
| Engine (Make / Model) | Maybach HL 62 Tr9 |
| Bore / stroke | |
| Cooling | Water9 |
| Cylinders | I-69 |
| Capacity | |
| Net HP | 140@2,600 rpm9 |
| Power to weight ratio | |
| Compression ratio | 6.5:19 |
| Transmission (Type) | Synchromesh, 6 forward, 1 reverse9 |
| Steering | Clutch brake9 |
| Steering ratio | |
| Starter | Electric9 |
| Electrical sytem | 12-volt9 |
| Ignition | Magneto9 |
| Fuel (Type) | Gasoline9 |
| Octane | |
| Quantity | 45 gallons (27 in tank #1, 18 in tank #2)9 |
| Road consumption | 3 mpg9 |
| Cross country consumption | 2 mpg9 |
| Performance | |
| Traverse | Hand9 |
| Max speed | 25 mph9 |
| Cross country speed | |
| Road radius | 130 miles9 |
| Cross country radius | 99 miles9 |
| Turning radius | |
| Elevation limits | |
| Fording depth | 36.4"9 |
| Trench crossing | 5.9'9 |
| Vertical obstacle | 16.5"9 |
| Climbing ability | 37° (70%) slope9 |
| Suspension (Type) | Quarter elliptic spring9 |
| Wheels each side | 59 |
| Return rollers each side | |
| Tracks (Type) | Dry pin9 |
| Length | |
| Width | 11.8"9 |
| Number of links | 1059 |
| Pitch | 3.6"9 |
| Tire tread | |
| Track centers/tread | 6.2'9 |
| Production |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- Panzer Truppen The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933-1942, Thomas L. Jentz, 1996
- Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two, Peter Chamberlain and Hilary Doyle, 1999
- Tanks of the World, 1915-1945, Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
- The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Chris Bishop, 1998
- Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles The Complete Guide, Leland Ness, 2002
- German Tanks of World War II, Dr. S. Hart & Dr. R. Hart, 1998
- Tanks of World War II, Duncan Crow, 1979
- Tank Data, Aberdeen Proving Grounds Series, 1968?
- Panzers At War, Michael and Gladys Green, 2005
- Tanks - Over 250 of the World's Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles, Chris Chant, 2004
| Want to learn about a new vehicle? Select the random picture to learn about the vehicle. |
