SdKfz 121 Panzer II

History of the SdKfz 121 Panzer II

During the development of Pz. Kpf. Light tank W. I (Panzer I) (Sd. Kfz. 121) still in progress, Pz. Kpf. The W. II (Panzer II) light tank has been envisaged as a preliminary tank lineup to fill the gap between the early light tanks and the planned Pz. Kpf. W III (Panzer III) and Pz. Kpf. W IV medium tank.

Both the Panzer III and Panzer IV experienced project delays, which made the temporary design an absolute necessity for Hitler, who was determined to go to war before his army was even ready. The plan was to produce a better armed and armored version of the light tank to compensate for the limitations of the Panzer 1 and to provide valuable training for the tank crew. Plans for such a system are already in the works, and the first production Panzer I Ausf. As has yet to find its way out of the factory.

The Panzer II continued to form a large part of the German invasion group, pouring into Poland and France, and also saw fighting along the Eastern Front into Russia, although the system was nearly obsolete by this time.

NOTE: To help readers, it is important to follow the naming conventions for German military vehicles. Abbreviation Pz. Kpf. W. stands for "Panzerkampfwagen", which means "armored fighting vehicle". Same abbreviation Sd. Vehicle covers "special motor vehicle" which means "special motor vehicle". Ausf is a generic term used to cover "model" or "manufacture" to present significant variation.

With all of this in mind, the Panzer III might also be called the Pz. KpfW. II and Sd. Vehicle 121, while all model variants fall under the conventions of Ausf. A, Ausf. B, ausf. C and so on. "Ausf." is an abbreviated form of the word "execute," which simply means "model" or "design."

Development

The Panzer II was born out of a request issued by the German Arms Ministry in 1934, this time for the development of a 10-ton light tank with a 20mm cannon and 7.92mm machine gun armament. As with the development of the Panzer 1, it has become common practice for the new Germany, now entirely ruled by Hitler, to bypass the rules of the Treaty of Versailles and develop its system of warfare under various peaceful guise such as farm implements. The Treaty of Versailles was imposed on Germany by the victors after World War I, severely limiting the country's ability to fight.

The post-war army is now limited to 100,000 men, and the development and production of tanks or aircraft is prohibited except for certain types of security vehicles. Hence, this new light tank design came under the guise of an agricultural tractor and was named "Agricultural Tractor 100" (or "LaS 100").

German companies Krupp, Henschel and MAN all entered the competition and were awarded development contracts each, and despite Krupp's extensive experience developing the Panzer I, MAN prevailed, this time coming up with a simpler design. MAN will be responsible for the new chassis, while Daimler-Benz will build the superstructure and turret.

Several prototype forms of the MAN Panzer II appeared in 1935, while development continued until 1937. By July of that year, the Panzer II was approved and ready for production, and by 1939 there were approximately 1,226 Panzer IIs in circulation.

The Polish invasion took place on September 1, followed by the French invasion in 1940. Despite their limited combat effectiveness during the first two invasions, at least 1,000 Panzer IIs were still available for the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, some of which were now armed with French 37mm guns to compensate for their initially limited firepower.

While Panzer 1 proved to be the spearhead of these early invasion attacks, Panzer 2 was the backbone of these early attacks. Like the Panzer Is before it, underpowered, underarmored, and lightly armed, the Panzer II saw its harshness on the battlefield - especially against anti-tank weapons at close range.

Still, Hitler yearned for war, time was of the essence, and his deadly Panzer III and Panzer IV would soon come online. By 1942 there were still some 866 Panzer IIs in service, although by then the system had inevitably reached the end of the battle - it was completely overtaken by the new German armor and the upcoming Allied armor.

Ingenious anti-tank modifications of the Panzer II chassis were soon attempted reasonably and economically to extend the life of the chassis.

The Panzer II Tour

To the casual observer, the Panzer II may share some similarities with the Panzer I, but it is a distinctly different machine in key ways. The system was powered by a water-cooled Maybach petrol engine, while the earlier Panzer I had an air-cooled engine designed by Krupp, but proved too underpowered for the role.

Therefore, the improved Panzer I Ausf opted for a water-cooled six-cylinder Maybach engine. Type B and Maybach engines (various models) have since become standard for the German Army, and the Panzer II line is no exception.

The tank is equipped with five rubber tire wheels on one side of the track. Ausf. A, B and C versions feature leaf springs for these wheels, while Ausf. D and E versions introduce a Christie-type torsion bar suspension with larger wheels for improved maneuverability and top speed.

The crew of the Panzer II was increased by one to three people. They consisted of a driver, a radio operator and a commander who also acted as a tank gunner.

Both the driver and the radio operator are located in the fuselage, the driver is offset to the left of the front of the fuselage, and the radio operator sits under the turret with his back to the front of the fuselage. As with Panzer 1, the commander/gunner retained his position in the hand-cranked turret and was responsible for loading, aiming and firing the guns while managing the crew's movements. Inside the smelly, noisy car, the communication between the commander and the driver takes place through a talk tube.

The turret was placed in the front of the superstructure and moved to the left (the first armored tank moved the turret to the right). The rear of the fuselage is dominated by a liquid-cooled engine, while the design places the gearbox at the front.

The viewports for the turret and superstructure are rich, allowing the crew to see the outside better. The commander and radio operator entered or exited the vehicle (in Panzer II Ausf.

A to F models) through an open hatch in the top of the turret, but this method officially gave way to a simpler hinged compartment at the commander's cupola location The flap, which is from the 1940 Ausf. F, also exists for 8 scopes.

The driver has access to a side hinged hatch located on top of the glacis panel on the forward hull. Its primary viewing port is a rectangle at the front of the superstructure, and is secondary from the side.

Armed

The armament is slightly improved over the Panzer 1's 2 x 7.92mm machine gun. Panzer II comes with a more powerful 20mm 2cm Kw. The K 30 L/55 (or Kw. K 38 L/55) automatic cannon was offset to the left of the welded steel turret and retained the coaxially mounted 7.92mm MG 34 machine gun on the right of the turret anti-infantry.

The automatic cannon had A 10-round magazine, oddly, was limited to fully automatic fire, which led to the standard practice of firing weapons in controlled bursts. The rate of fire is up to 280 rounds per minute. Eighteen additional 10-round magazines can be stored in the tank itself, for a total of 180 rounds of projectiles on hand.

Aiming can be accomplished with traditional fixed sights along the gun (when looking out of the sight port) or with an optical telescope magnified 2.5 times when the tank is "buckled up".

Panzer II Ausf. Ein

The first production Panzer II became Pz. Kpf. WIIEx. A and has fairly light armor on its front (15mm at its thickest). The actions of the Polish invasion of September 1939 proved that such close-range protection against anti-tank installations was useless, leading the German Army to issue bolt-on steel armor plates starting in 1940 (interestingly, this practice continues to this day) modern battlefield, adding explosive reactive armor to existing steel armor for additional protection against grenades and anti-tank missiles).

The Ausf. A has five wheels on leaf springs and can reach 125 miles at 25 mph through an upgraded manual transmission system. Weighing 9 tons, deliveries began in 1935 and it entered service in July 1937. Power is provided by a 130-horsepower Maybach liquid-cooled gasoline engine.

Panzer II Ausf. B

Pz.Kpf. W.II Ausf. B is essentially similar to Ausf. A and featured minor changes, including the implementation of a 140 hp engine and thicker frontal armor. Weight is listed as 8.5 tons with this revision. It eventually replaced Ausf.

A model that went down the production line from December 1937, but was itself replaced by an improved Ausf. C model.

Panzer II Ausf. C

The Ausf. C was introduced in 1937 and entered into force in June 1938, with production continuing until April 1940. The Ausf. C became the largest-capacity Panzer II available to the German Army. The frontal armor was improved again, and the wheels became a system of five independent springs on each side of the track.

Production is divided between Alkett, FAMO, Daimler-Benz, Henschel, MAN, MIAG and Wegmann. Top speed is 25 mph on the road and 12 mph off-road. Power comes from a Maybach HL 62 TRM inline 6-cylinder gasoline engine producing 140 hp. The range is 93 miles on-road and 62 miles off-road.

Panzer II Ausf. D

Pz.Kpf. The W.II Ausf. D was introduced in early 1938 with a new Christie-type torsion bar suspension system with four large diameter wheels.

This change improves the vehicle's maneuverability, allowing highway speeds of up to 34 mph (though off-road speeds are actually slower than the previous production model). The Ausf-D has a completely new hull and superstructure, but retains the turret of the Ausf. C type. Ausf. The manual transmission on the A, B and C models was abandoned and replaced by an automatic transmission system in the Ausf.

The D. MAN completed production from May 1938 to August 1939. These units participated in the Polish campaign and served until March 1940.

Panzer II Ausf. E

Pz.Kpf. W.II Ausf. E is basically similar to Ausf. D Except for some minor changes to the suspension. The Ausf. E model was built side by side with the Ausf. D model.

Panzer II Ausf. F

Pz.Kpf. The W.II Ausf. F became the last major production form of the Panzer II and was based on the Ausf. C production model. This particular model is called a Scout Tank. The suspension system has been revised, as has the Commander's cupola.

Production of the FAMO first appeared in 1940, with a total of 524 examples produced, with numbers reaching in early 1942 and continuing through December 1942. The Ausf. F differs externally from its predecessor, with a redesigned front hull and additional frontal armor (up to 35mm at its thickest) installed inside.

The weight is now over 11 tons, forcing the top speed down. The Ausf. F reverted to leaf spring suspension due to the reduced off-road performance due to the introduction of the Christie suspension system of earlier models. The Ausf. F is powered by a Maybach HL45P 6-cylinder gasoline engine producing 140 hp.

Road speed is listed at 34 mph, with a maximum range of 125 miles. Wading up to 2 ft 10 inches and inclines up to 50%. Vertical obstacle access is limited to 1' 5" and a 5' 9" traverse trench depth is possible.

Panzer II Ausf. J

Based on the Ausf. F, the Ausf. J was also designed as a reconnaissance tank, but with better armor protection (up to 80 mm along the front panel). Ausf. J is powered by a Maybach HL45P engine (same as Ausf. F) with 2cc Kw. K 38 L/55 machine gun.

MAN produced only 22 of these between April and December 1942, several of which fought on the Eastern Front.

Panzer II Development

The Panzerspahwagen II Luchs (or "Lynx", officially named Sd. Kfz. 123) also carried the Pz. Kpf. Designated as W.II, but essentially a different type of light tank, designed for high-speed off-road reconnaissance missions.

Compared to all Panzer II Ausf versions, they retain a different exterior design, have a considerably more rugged shape, and pack a more powerful 180-horsepower engine. Five large overlapping wheels are mounted on one side of the track, and there is also a torsion bar suspension. The relatively high superstructure equips the turret with the corresponding main weapon. The new car weighs 12.79 tons.

The Luchs also had a crew of four (driver, commander, dedicated gunner and radio operator) - one more than the base and the original Panzer II - and could reach speeds of 37.7 mph. Armament consists of a 20mm automatic cannon and a 7.92mm coaxial machine gun with optical sights for distance. MAN produced at least 100 of this interesting development from September 1943 and ran until January 1944, but plans to improve the 50mm model were eventually scrapped after that. The original plan called for 800 Luchs tanks, the first 100 being 20mm armed and the last being 50mm armed. Despite limited production, by the end of the war the Luchs had fought on both fronts, deployed by the 116th Armored Division in the west.

In anticipation of more intense action in the east, the German Luges were outfitted with additional armor.