Tankettes

Here's some pics of the TKS getting about in different ways;

The Autocar/ Autotrailer /autotransport (someone please give me the correct name because i've forgotten completely! Think it was the Ursus AT?)

The Rail Draisine

The less versatile flatbed railcar

And the simple back of truck method

And not at all!

 

Or there's always the cunning plan gone wrong - by the TKS commander who just realises his idea to make his tankette look meaner was actually drawing more attention to it rather than less!

 

Seeing as nobody has posted any of the Japanese tankette models yet I thought I'd get the roadwheel rolling - I don't have exact figures and I think they would be hard to define but i think the Japanese probably operated more tankettes than any other country - of course the tankette/light tank line still makes that a little questionable.

Here are some photos of the Type 94 Te-Ke (often mistakenly called the Type 92)

A type 94 on the back of a Sherman - shows well how small the tankettes really were when compared to even medium tanks!

A type 94 early model showing the layout well

Type 94 with the specially designed chemical decontamination trailer

A later type 94 (sometimes called the type 97) carrying a 37mm gun which must have made the turret very cramped! Also was modified with a diesel engine which was pretty rare. Think this one goes into the light tank category more than tankette.

And finally a damaged/captured type 94 showing clearly the big rear hatch - the type was intended as an ammunition/supplies carrier at least as much as a tankette, although I'm not convinced you could get a lot inside, especially if the commander was still to ride in it.

 

And some of the Russian models;

T-27
T-37 amphibious tankette
T-37 swimming
T-38 amphibious tankette - development of T-37
T-20 Komsomolets tankette/tractor

 

A random selection more for your viewing amusement;

The Krupp LANDWIRTSCHAFTLICHER SCHLEPPER - essentially a prototype panzer 1 but counts in the tankette category i think

The Italian CV29

Japanese Type95

Russian T27 slung under a bomber

And the Skoda Mu-6/ 3-ton

 

Once again Nigel, thanks for supplying this thread
I was busy with work so I couldn't post more.
Here are some interesting videos of Polish TK's in reenactment:
In combat:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY5khXqSM_0[/YOUTUBE]

Manueverability:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lC1G9_PeWg[/YOUTUBE]

 

Nice vids - i get the impression there are still quite a lot of TKs etc in private hands - seems they have a longer lifespan than many of the heavier beasts? (maybe because they're cheap enough to run?)

 

Actually, I think the remaining TK's are rare and few, and couple of the better ones [restored perhaps ? ] are in private hands.

 

I shall do some research a bit later

 

A lot of people knock the Italian tankettes, but here are some examples of them in use around the world and some with good weaponry;

The Brazilian CV 33/II with the 13.2mm Madsen gun and torsion bar suspension
Hungarian M35s
The CV/L35 Lancia Fiamme
Some Austrian CV35s
CV35 with Soluthurn AT rifle

 

Two runners for the "most heavily armed tankette" prize.

View attachment 14611

 

that's a lot of faust to be next to if you get hit!

 

Top left Another Soluthurn 20mm CV 33 but this one kept te MGs
Top Right A Breda 20mm CV 33 from Spain
Mid Left Early attempt to improve the CV 33 drive train
Mid Right First step from the CV 33 to the later turretted models but still with the CV 33 hull
Bottom Left final version of the CV possibly officially called a CV 38
Bottom right early mock up for the carro assalto 36 (no longer a tankette)

View attachment 14612

 

Good set. bottom left looks very much like the Brazilian export model

 

Check this one out.
It's the early stage of a US Cunningham T1 . Looks like a tankette to me.

 

Got some more tankettes with guns;

T27 with 76.2mm recoilless AT gun (SU-76K) (in part answer to Crazy D's earlier post)
T27 with (Probably)76.2mm howitzer

Zis 30 57mm AT (based on T-20 chassis)

Early prototype TKS with short Swiss 20mm cannon

T27 with 37mm

 

And a very rare Spanish 'tanquedejuguete' which considering it means toy tank makes it a bit of a surprise that they bothered to make them. Apparently weren't very successful either;

 

It looks cool though

 

Here are some interesting videos of TK's.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZazBXVpr4Y&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ42tL-fYBs&NR=1[/YOUTUBE]
and not an actual videos about tankettes, but a battle reenactment, with tankettes in it
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld-Kv2TO3pw&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Cheers!

 

Nice. Thanks