Stridsvagn m/21 (Strv m/21)

History

During the final stages of World War I (1914-1918), the Germans worked on designing a light tank for infantry support operations. The work was led by Joseph Volmer and began with the Light Combat Vehicle I (LK I), which appeared in two prototypes in June 1918. These will only serve as the basis for the upcoming armed "LK II" armed with a 37mm gun, with 580 copies to be ordered.

However, the war of November 1918 ended this order and further work on the type.

After the war, the Swedish government secretly ordered parts for 10 LK II tanks, which arrived in the country and assembled under the designation "Stridsvagn m/21" (Strv m/21). The initiative kicked off a long local history of tanks in Sweden that continues to this day. Unlike the German artillery LK II vehicles, the Strv m/21 was armed with 2 x 6.5mm Madsen ksp m/14 machine guns. It has a combat weight of 9.7 tons and measures 19 feet long, 6.7 feet wide and 8.3 feet high.

Road speeds peak at 10 miles per hour. Another change is the addition of a fourth crew member.

The original German tank was based on a Daimler car with a simple addition of an armored superstructure to the existing chassis. The interior configuration thus mimics the layout of a conventional car, with the engine in the front compartment, the driver in the middle and the passenger seating area in the rear. Although track rollers and drive sprockets are now installed, two axles remain, with drive sprocket arrangements on the sides of each hull. The sloping fuselage superstructure was installed at the rear of the car, including the driver's position and the fighting compartment for the three crew members.

A turret was installed above the carriage to manage the main armament.

In 1929, five of the original batches were rebuilt into a more refined form, the most notable change being the installation of a 37mm main gun. Another version carried two machine guns, but both were powered by a local Scania-Vabis petrol engine via an original Daimler-Benz four-cylinder. The armor has also been revised for improved protection, but retains the same general lines.

Work began on the updated "Strv m/21-29" designation used to cover these vehicles.

The culmination of this early development was the 1931 Stridsvagn m/31 (also known as the "L-10") from AB Landsverk that emerged as a very modern light tank in the 1930s. The 37mm main gun was still used, but the turret was now positioned further forward than contemporaries saw.

By this point, the German government managed part of the company and assisted Sweden in the design, development and production of their first truly domestically produced tank. The line then grew steadily throughout the war years until the m/42 in 1943, the first Swedish tank with a 75mm gun.

The m/21 and m/21-29 tanks were still in service from 1922 to 1939, just before World War II (1939-1945). Only ten were procured, but this proved to be a milestone in consolidating the local Swedish armor industry that continues to this day.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Not available.

Changes