German Light Tanks

Germany's light tanks were the first ones produced by Nazi Germany and therefore played a great role early in the war but were later relegated to reconnaissance roles.

PanzerKampfwagen (PzKpfw) I
PzKpfw I	DIMENSIONS
	Mass (mt): 5.48 - 5.89	Length (m): 4.02 - 4.42	Width (m): 2.05	Height (m): 1.7
	TIME PERIOD: 1934 (1A La S Krupp [LKA1]) to 1941 (PzKpfw I Ausf B)
Inspired by the British Carden Loyd Mk IV tankette, the Panzer I began life as a two-man "farm tractor" with a Krupp chassis and a Daimler-Benz superstructure called the 1A Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper Krupp (1A La S Krupp) intended as a training vehicle for Germany's budding tank legions. In October of 1935, the La S 1A, along with the La S 100, was allocated into Germany's first three panzer divisions. These "training vehicles" proved their worth in September 1939 against the disorganized Polish resistance, where they were given their "honest" names of PzKpfw I and II. An improved Panzer I with a longer suspension and improved top speed (pre-war designation '1B La S May'), the Ausf B, was created some time in 1935. With extremely light armor and weaponry, it is astounding that over 800 out of an original 1,445 made it to mid-1941, when this remainder was reverted back to its intended training role. A large portion of the survivors were converted into self-propelled guns, such as the Panzerjäger I and the sIG 33, which saw battle in France.

PZ I AUSF A LIGHT TANK				Max. Speed: 37 kph		Range: 145km
Front Bottom	Front Driver	Hull, Side	Hull, Rear	Hull, Deck	Gun Shield	Turret Front	Turret Side
15mm	15mm	15mm	15mm	8mm	15mm	15mm	10mm
2 7.92mm Turret Machine Guns				Max. Range: 450m		Light Machine Gun

PZ I AUSF B LIGHT TANK				Max. Speed: 40 kph		Range: 140km
Front Bottom	Front Driver	Hull, Side	Hull, Rear	Hull, Deck	Gun Shield	Turret Front	Turret Side
15mm	15mm	15mm	15mm	8mm	15mm	15mm	10mm
2 7.92mm Turret Machine Guns				Max. Range: 450m		Light Machine Gun

PanzerKampfwagen (PzKpfw) II
PzKpfw I	DIMENSIONS
	Mass (mt): 9.5	Length (m): 4.8	Width (m): 2.6	Height (m): 2.05
	TIME PERIOD: 1934 (1A La S 100) to 1942 (PzKpfw II)
Another pre-war light tank, the Panzer II was also initially designed (under the false "farm tractor" designation) as a training tank. Far superior to the Panzer I in that the II actually had a main gun (albeit a small one), the Panzer II played a major part in the front-line forces in the battles for Poland and France. Later in the war, the old Panzer II was relegated to reconnaissance and used until 1942, practically until they were obsolete. A mid-war variant of the Panzer II, the Ausf L Luchs (Lynx), was created to fill the role of a high-speed recon tank (SchnellKampfwagen). This tank, far removed from its boxy ancestors with its sloped turret and interweaved suspension, filled this role admirably until the end of the war.

PZ II AUSF A LIGHT TANK				Max. Speed: 40kph		Range: 200km
Front Bottom	Front Driver	Hull, Side	Hull, Rear	Hull, Deck	Gun Shield	Turret Front	Turret Side
15mm	15mm	15mm	15mm	8mm	15mm	15mm	10mm
20mm KwK 30 Tank Gun				Max. Range: 910m		Mx. Penetrate: 85mm
7.92mm Coaxial Machine Gun				Max. Range: 450m		Light Machine Gun

PZ II AUSF C LIGHT TANK				Max. Speed: 40kph		Range: 200km
Front Bottom	Front Driver	Hull, Side	Hull, Rear	Hull, Deck	Gun Shield	Turret Front	Turret Side
35mm	35mm	20mm	20mm	10mm	35mm	35mm	20mm
20mm KwK 30 Tank Gun				Max. Range: 910m		Mx. Penetrate: 85mm
7.92mm Coaxial Machine Gun				Max. Range: 450m		Light Machine Gun

PZ II AUSF L "LUCHS" LIGHT TANK				Max. Speed: 62kph		Range: 248km
Front Bottom	Front Driver	Hull, Side	Hull, Rear	Hull, Deck	Gun Shield	Turret Front	Turret Side
35mm	35mm	20mm	20mm	10mm	30mm	30mm	20mm
20mm KwK 30 Tank Gun				Max. Range: 910m		Mx. Penetrate: 85mm
7.92mm Coaxial Machine Gun				Max. Range: 450m		Light Machine Gun

PanzerKampfwagen 38(t) "Skoda"
PzKpfw 38(t)	DIMENSIONS
	Mass (mt): 9.4 - 9.85	Length (m): 4.6 - 4.61	Width (m): 2.12 - 2.14	Height (m): 2.4
	TIME PERIOD: 1938 (LT-38) to 1942 (Pz 38(t) Ausf G)
With Panzer III and IV production behind schedule and the mighty German panzer legions filled with light Panzer Is and IIs, Germany needed a stopgap medium tank to fill the void in its order of battle. After the annexation of Czechoslovakia and its relatively modern military, it was discovered that the Czech LT-38 (or TNH P-S, depending who you talk to) tank armed with a Czech 47mm gun was an effective light anti-tank design. After coopting these tanks for itself under the designation 38(t), (with (t) "of course" standing for the German "tczechoslowakie" (Czechoslovakian)) Germany used them with good effect in Poland, France, and, after they began showing their age in North Africa, converted them into various support vehicles such as the Flakpanzer 38(t).

PZ 38(t) LIGHT TANK				Max. Speed: 50kph		Range: 180km
Front Bottom	Front Driver	Hull, Side	Hull, Rear	Hull, Deck	Gun Shield	Turret Front	Turret Side
25mm	25mm	16mm	16mm	10mm	25mm	25mm	16mm
37mm Skoda PAK Tank Gun				Max. Range: 1360m		Mx. Penetrate: 80mm
7.92mm Coaxial Machine Gun				Max. Range: 450m		Light Machine Gun

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