The Panzer II is a German tank used in World War II. Designed as a stopgap, it played an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. By the end of 1942 it was largely removed from first line service. Production of the tank itself had ceased by 1943, but its chassis was used for several other armoured vehicles, including the Wespe.
History
In 1934, delays in the design and production of the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks were becoming apparent. Designs for a stopgap tank were solicited from Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz. The final design was based on the Panzer I, but larger and with a turret mounting a 20mm anti-tank gun. Production began in 1935, but it took another eighteen months for the first combat-ready tank to be delivered.
The Panzer II was the main battle tank of the German Panzer divisions beginning with the invasion of France, until it was replaced by the Panzer III and IV in 1940/41. Afterwards, it was used to great effect as a reconnaissance tank. The Panzer II was tested in the Spanish Civil War and used in the German campaigns in Poland, France, Denmark, Norway, North Africa and Russia. After being removed from front-line duty, it was used on secondary fronts and for patrolling.
Armor
The Panzer II A, B, and C had 14mm of slightly sloped homogenous steel armor on the sides, front, and back, with 10mm of armor on the top and bottom. This armor proved to be ineffective against anything heavier than a machine gun, so starting with the D model, the front armor was increased to 30mm. The Model F had 35mm front armour and 20mm side armor.
Armament
All models of the Panzer II were armed with a 20mm KwK30 L/55 cannon. This cannon was based on the 20mm FlaK 30 anti-tank gun, and was capable of firing at a rate of 280 rounds per minute, a very high rate for a tank. The Panzer II also had a 7.92mm machine gun mounted coaxially with the main gun.
The 20mm cannon proved to be ineffective against many Allied tanks, and experiments were made towards replacing it with a 37mm cannon, but nothing came of this. Greater success was had by replacing the regular armor-piercing explosive ammunition with an early version of APDS solid ammunition, but this ammunition was in chronically short supply.
Mobility
All production versions of the Panzer II were fitted with a 140hp, six-cylinder Maybach HL 62 TRM engine and ZF transmissions. Models A, B, and C had a top speed of 40km/h (25mph). Models D and E had a Christie suspension and a better transmission, giving a top road speed of 55km/h (35mph) but the cross country speed was much lower than previous models, so the Model F reverted back to the previous Leaf Spring type suspension. All versions had a range of 200km (125 miles).
Like all of Germany's World War II tanks, the Panzer II was fueled by gasoline.
Crew
The Panzer II had a crew of three. The driver sat in the forward hull. The commander sat in a seat in the turret, and was responsible for aiming and firing the guns, while a loader/radio operator stood on the floor of the tank under the turret.
Variants
- Panzer II Ausf a1,a2,a3,b,c - Prototype versions. 100 total produced.
- Panzer II Ausf A - First production model in 1938.
- Panzer II Ausf B
- Panzer II Ausf C - Total of 1113 of A, B, and C produced.
- Panzer II Ausf D,E - Variants with a Christie suspension. This produced a higher road speed but a very poor cross-country performance. 250 produced.
- Panzer II Ausf F - Light recon variant. 524 built.
- Panzer II Ausf G1/G3/G4 - different suspension. 12 produced, none saw combat.
- Panzer II Ausf H - never got beyond prototype stage.
- Panzer II Ausf J - Light recon variant, thicker armor. 22 produced.
- Leopard (VK 1602) - Heavy recon variant. Never got beyond prototype stage. The turrents were used on the Puma (8 wheeled armoured car).
- Panzer II Ausf L Luchs - Variant produced between 1943 and 1944. 100 produced with 20mm gun, a further 31 are rumoured to have been produced with a 50mm KwK 39 L/60 gun.
Designs based on chassis
- Panzerkampfwagen II Flamm Ausf A und Ausf B - Flamethrower tank. 112 built, 90 converted from existing Ausf D and E chassis.
- Marder II (SdKfz 131) - Tank destroyer based on Panzer II. 576 built, 75 converted from existing tanks
- Wespe (SdKfz 124) - Self-propelled howitzer. 676 produced.
- Munitions Sf auf Fgst PzKpfw II - ammunition carrier for Wespe. 159 produced.
- Bison (15cm sIG33 auf Panzer II) - Self-propelled howitzer. Chassis lengthed and an extra road wheel added. Used in North Africa.
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