LT vz. 38 / PzKpfW 38(t) (SdKfz 140)

History

This light tank system was originally created by the Czechoslovaks in the form of the LT vz 38, but - like the previous LT vz 35 light tank series - ended up serving the interests of the German Army during its career PzKpfW 38 (t). As a war machine, the small tank proved its worth in the early stages of a conflict, offering reliability and excellent performance with a respectable firepower presence suitable for blitzkrieg operations.

Despite its 1930s heritage, the LT vz 38 served in some post-war countries into the 1960s - a testament to its superior design.

As the political and military situation in Europe seemed to be increasing day by day, in 1937 the Czech Army made new requirements for light tanks to improve the initial shortcomings of the 1936 LT vz 35 light tank. The LT vz 35 went into production without proper testing and evaluation at the behest of Czech army authorities, and thus went through a lot of early growing pains.

Develop follow-up designs. This time, however, the Czech Army will take full advantage of the extended evaluation period to address potential problems before they arise in operational practice.

Czech companies Skoda and CKD have both submitted applications for the Army Light Tank Program. Skoda offered two pilot vehicles (prototypes) in its S-11-a and S-11-b entries, while CKD took the existing LT vz 35 and upgraded it with the power pack of the TNH LTL export light tank , already in production for export customers - Lithuania will be one of them.

In addition, CKD submitted another export product, the TNH P-S light tank and the V-8-H medium tank, for consideration.

After evaluation, TNH P-S was found to have the best performance to meet the required specifications. As a result, the pilot was selected in 1938 as the next generation of the Czech Army's standardized light tank, which would soon go into series production.

In the Czech Army's inventory, the new tank will be listed under the designation LT vz 38.

Germany officially occupied the sovereign state of Czechoslovakia in 1939, when production of the LT vz 38 was increasing. As the country's war installations were now under Hitler's control, the LT vz 38 was instead put into service by the German army and was given the new designation Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), SdKfz 140 - abbreviated as PzKpfW 38(t).

Production of this type will continue until 1942, when more than 1,400 examples will be offered.

PzKpfw 38(t) was available in large numbers during the German land invasion of neighbouring France in May 1940 - about 228 examples, and a large percentage of German armored divisions - up to 25% overall at one point. By the end of the year, some 432 PzKpfW 38(t) light tanks were in service with Germany.

A total of 750 copies were available before the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.

While tanks performed well in these early engagements, it was soon discovered that the armor provided insufficient protection against enemy artillery, and the main guns were quickly obsolete, even against stronger enemies - especially the Soviets those used. Additionally, earlier models of the 38(t) had rivet construction that could hit the armor directly, causing those rivets to fly around like bullets in the turret and hull - causing extremely fatal damage to the crew. Therefore, welded plates were later implemented on the newer PzKpfW 38 (t) tanks.

25mm bolt-on frontal armor increases front fairing protection to 50mm thick.

The basic armament of the PzKpfW 38(t) consists of a single 37mm Skoda A7 main gun mounted in a two-person swivel turret, which is also armed with a coaxially mounted 7.92mm universal anti-infantry machine pistol. The commander was the gunner and the radio operator was the loaderboth in their respective positions in the turret. The driver sits in front right, with the archer next to his left, managing an additional 7.92mm machine gun.

The machine gun is armed with 2,500 rounds of 7.92mm ammunition and the main gun is armed with 90 rounds of 37mm ammunition. The main battery is released to fire AP (armor-piercing) and HE (high-explosive) rounds, as determined by the commander/gunner depending on the target. AP is usually used for armored targets, HE is used for troop concentration or fortifications.

The fuel tank is powered by a single Praga EPA 150 hp petrol engine mounted in the rear compartment of the fuselage. The drivetrain is tightly coupled at the rear, offering five forward gears and one reverse.

The drive sprocket is located at the front of the chain assembly, the chain idler is located at the rear, and the two chain idlers are located under the top of the chain. Four large rubber tire wheels - mounted in pairs on leaf spring suspension - occupy each side of the track.

Although the chassis of the PzKpfw 38(t) was greatly improved and largely obsolete in 1943, it was well used by the Germans for the Marder III self-propelled gun and the "Hetzer" tank destroyer. The Marder III came in two different forms and received different German stock markings SdKfz 138 and SdKfz 139.

The former is armed with German 75mm anti-tank guns, while the latter is armed with captured Soviet 76.2mm anti-tank guns. Both versions have a fixed superstructure with an open top and limited protection for the rifle occupants. Likewise, the SdKfz 138/1 "Grill" was developed from the PzKpfW 38(t) chassis, integrating a German 150mm infantry howitzer into an open-top superstructure.

The inexpensive Jagdpanzer 38(t) "Hetzer" became one of the most dramatic and successful modifications to the PzKpfW 38(t), incorporating the 75mm L/48 anti-tank gun into a robust fully enclosed hull structure. The gun's limited travel required the entire vehicle to be aimed at the target, but due to its low profile and sloping superstructure, it proved to be an excellent ambush platform.

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) proved to be a very successful tank killer at the time and was commissioned as a G-13 by the Swiss Armed Forces after the war.

The other PzKpfW 38(t) forms in service became the Flammpanzer self-propelled armored flamethrower and the SdKfz 140 Flakpanzer 38(t) anti-aircraft platform. The latter were armed with a 20mm anti-aircraft gun and produced a total of 141 in January 1944, but by December of the same year this number had dropped sharply to just nine, their losses not being made up for.

The SdKfz 140/1 was developed as a light reconnaissance armoured vehicle, fitted with the turret of the full SdKfz 222 series armoured vehicle another cost-effective measure.

At least about 4,000 PzKpfW 38(t)-related production vehicles (in various forms) ended up in service during the war and in subsequent years - sometimes in Soviet hands as examples of capture. By 1943, the 38(t) was gradually withdrawn from front-line use and relegated to the second line in support of the armored divisions, although serial production continued after the war to replenish Czech Army stocks.

Until the end of the war in 1945, Czechoslovakia remained a German interest under Hitler's occupation.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

90 x 37mm bullet

2,550x7.92mm ammo

Changes