Panzer 35(t)

Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)
Panzer 35(t) at the Belgrade Military Museum
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service	1936–1950s
Used by	Czechoslovakia Nazi Germany Kingdom of Romania Slovak Republic Kingdom of Bulgaria Kingdom of Hungary
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Škoda
Designed	1934–1936
Manufacturer	Škoda, ČKD
Unit cost	741,868 or 745,068 Czechoslovak koruna
Produced	1936–1940
No. built	434
Variants	T-11, R-2c, TACAM R-2
Specifications (Panzerkampfwagen 35(t))
Mass	10.5 t (10.3 long tons; 11.6 short tons)
Length	4.90 m (16 ft 1 in)
Width	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Height	2.37 m (7 ft 9 in)
Crew	4 (3 in original design)
Armor	8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in)
Main armament	3.7 cm (1.5 in) KwK 34(t) gun
Secondary armament	2 x 7.92 mm (0.3 in) MG 37(t) machine gun
Engine	4-cylinder, water-cooled Škoda T11/0 gasoline 120 hp (89 kW)
Power/weight	11 hp/tonne
Transmission	6 x 6
Suspension	leaf spring
Fuel capacity	153 L (40 US gal)
Operational range	190 km (120 mi) (road) 115 km (71 mi) (cross-country) [1]
Maximum speed	34 km/h (21 mph)

The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t), commonly shortened to Panzer 35(t) or abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. 35(t), was a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used mainly by Nazi Germany during World War II. The letter (t) stood for tschechisch (German for "Czech"). In Czechoslovak service, it had the formal designation Lehký tank vzor 35 (Light Tank Model 35), but was commonly referred to as the LT vz. 35 or LT-35.

A total of 434 were built; of these, the Germans seized 244 when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939 and the Slovaks acquired 52 when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Others were exported to Bulgaria and Romania. In German service, it saw combat during the early years of World War II, notably the invasion of Poland, the Battle of France and the invasion of the Soviet Union before being retired or sold off in 1942. It was used for the remainder of the war by other countries and as a training tank in Bulgaria into the 1950s.