German Pz.Kpfw 38(t) Aust G Light Tank

1/35 scale unassembled model kit. (Cat # MQ-3540). Order it Now.

[Specifications]      [Home]

In 1936 the Chech Army Command began work on the creation of a new, improved light tank to replace the LT vz.35 tank, that had not been very successful. This resulted in the TNHP-LT vz.38 tank, which was subsequently taken into service.

    By May 22nd, 1939 the first nine LT vz.38 tanks had left the gates of the CKD factory in Praque, Czechoslovakia, but never entered service with the Czech army before the seizure of the country by Germany. The Germans renamed the tank the PzKpfw 38(t). The letter 't' in brackets meant that the tank was of Czech design (the German for Czech is 'tschechisch').

The PzKpfw 38(t) was a light tank, intended mostly for reconnais sance purposes, but at the beginning of World War  II it was succesfully used as a main battle tank. Reasonably well protected, capable of a high speed and adequately armed, the PzKpfw 38(t) was a worthy adversary of the enemy's light tank.

The PzKpfw 38(t)'s armament consisted of a semiautomatic Skoda A-7, 37,2mm calibre cannon and two ZB vz.37 machine guns, one in the turret and the other in the hull.

The PzKpfw 38(t) was first used in action by the Germans during the Polish campain in 1939 and then in France in 1940. The PzKpfw 38(t) tanks from the 8th Panzer Division took part in the battles in Balkans in 1941 and according to the plan of Operation Barbarossa the Germans fielded 623 tanks of this type as well as 41 command PzBfwg 38 (t) tanks. The PzKpfw 38(t) tanks were the basis of the 7th, 8th, 12th, 19th and 20th Panzer Divisions of the Wehrmacht.

During the war, the PzKpfw 38(t) were exported to Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgar. Sweden began production of the Strv m/41 tank, which was based on the PzKpfw 38(t).

The last modification of the PzKpfw 38(t) was Ausf.G. The front armoured plate, as in the previous modifications Ausf. D,E and F, lost its curve and became straight and thicker -        50 mm.

From October 1941 until June 1942, 500 chassis and 324 tanks of this modifications were built in total. The chassis were used for the building of self-propelled anti-tank vehiclessuch as 'Mar der III' and 'Grille'. In total, 1414   PzKpfw 38(t) - LT vz.38 were built until production were stopped in May 1942.

[Top]          [Home]