Tančík vz. 33
Encyclopedia
The Tančík vz. 33 was a Czechoslovak
-designed tankette
used mainly by Slovakia
during World War II
. Seventy-four were built. The Germans seized forty when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia
in March 1939; there is no record of their use. The Slovaks captured thirty at the same time when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia. In Slovak service it only saw combat during the Slovak National Uprising
.
; 2,600 rounds were stored for the machine guns.
The front armor was 12 mm (0.47244094488189 in) thick, the sides had a thickness of 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in), the top was 6 mm (0.236220472440945 in) thick and the bottom plates were 6 mm (0.236220472440945 in) in thickness. This was deemed enough to deflect armor-piercing 7.92 mm (0.311811023622047 in) bullets fired from distances greater than 125 metres (136.7 yd) from the front and 185 metres (202.3 yd) from the sides. Both were supposed to withstand ordinary bullets from over 50 metres (54.7 yd).
The 1.95 litres (118.9 cu in), water-cooled, 30 hp, inline 4-cylinder Praga engine sat directly in the fighting compartment. It had a top speed on the road of 35 kilometres per hour (21.7 mph). One 50 litres (13.2 US gal) fuel tank was located to the left of the engine. The transmission had four forward gears and one reverse gear. It, the reduction, differential, driving shafts and brakes were taken from the Praga AN truck.
The suspension was a modified version of that used in the Carden-Loyd tankettes. It consisted of two small road wheels fastened together on a frame, two frames paired and sprung by leaf springs that made a wheel carrier, one wheel carrier per side. The track was guided by wooden, metal-lined frames. It had a ground pressure of only 0.5 kg/cm2. It could cross a ditch 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) wide, climb an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high and ford a stream 0.4 metres (1.3 ft) deep.
While used as a substitute for the light tanks not yet in service during 1934—36 the Army decided to organize them in three-vehicle platoons and assigned them to support the border areas. These platoons were heavily used suppressing the protests and violence instigated by Konrad Henlein
's Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei - SdP) and the Sudetendeutsche Freikorps (paramilitary groups trained in Germany by SS
-instructors) between May and October 1938. They were also used to repel Hungarian and Polish border-crossers, sometimes up to a battalion in strength. They helped to screen the infantry when they had to evacuate southern Slovakia after the First Vienna Award
on 2 November 1938.
began in September 1944, but little is known of their activities.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
-designed tankette
Tankette
A tankette is a tracked combat vehicle resembling a small tank roughly the size of a car, mainly intended for light infantry support or reconnaissance. Colloquially it may also simply mean a "small tank"....
used mainly by Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Seventy-four were built. The Germans seized forty when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
in March 1939; there is no record of their use. The Slovaks captured thirty at the same time when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia. In Slovak service it only saw combat during the Slovak National Uprising
Slovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising or 1944 Uprising was an armed insurrection organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. It was launched on August 29 1944 from Banská Bystrica in an attempt to overthrow the collaborationist Slovak State of Jozef Tiso...
.
Description
The Tančík vz. 33 was assembled from a framework of steel "angle iron" beams, to which armor plates were riveted. The driver sat on the right side using a 300 by 125 mm (11.8 by 4.9 in) observation port protected by 50 millimetres (2 in) of bulletproof glass and an armored shutter which had a 2 mm (0.078740157480315 in) slit. The gunner sat on the left and had a similar vision port half the size of the driver's. His ZB vz. 26 machine gun was mounted in a ball mount directly to his front. There were similar vision ports on the sides and the rear. The driver's machine gun was fixed and he fired it using a Bowden cableBowden cable
A Bowden cable is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable relative to a hollow outer cable housing...
; 2,600 rounds were stored for the machine guns.
The front armor was 12 mm (0.47244094488189 in) thick, the sides had a thickness of 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in), the top was 6 mm (0.236220472440945 in) thick and the bottom plates were 6 mm (0.236220472440945 in) in thickness. This was deemed enough to deflect armor-piercing 7.92 mm (0.311811023622047 in) bullets fired from distances greater than 125 metres (136.7 yd) from the front and 185 metres (202.3 yd) from the sides. Both were supposed to withstand ordinary bullets from over 50 metres (54.7 yd).
The 1.95 litres (118.9 cu in), water-cooled, 30 hp, inline 4-cylinder Praga engine sat directly in the fighting compartment. It had a top speed on the road of 35 kilometres per hour (21.7 mph). One 50 litres (13.2 US gal) fuel tank was located to the left of the engine. The transmission had four forward gears and one reverse gear. It, the reduction, differential, driving shafts and brakes were taken from the Praga AN truck.
The suspension was a modified version of that used in the Carden-Loyd tankettes. It consisted of two small road wheels fastened together on a frame, two frames paired and sprung by leaf springs that made a wheel carrier, one wheel carrier per side. The track was guided by wooden, metal-lined frames. It had a ground pressure of only 0.5 kg/cm2. It could cross a ditch 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) wide, climb an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high and ford a stream 0.4 metres (1.3 ft) deep.
Development
The Czech Army bought three Carden-Loyd tankettes and a production license for them in 1930, Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk building four copies that same year as prototypes for future orders. The Carden-Loyds were evaluated during the Fall maneuvers and revealed numerous problems: the crews had very poor vision through the narrow slits, the machine gun had a very narrow field of fire, and the crewmen had a difficult time communicating. Furthermore they were slow, underpowered and often broke down. One of the P-1 prototypes was rebuilt to address these issues with additional vision ports in all directions, internal ammunition storage and the machine gun's field of fire increased to 60°. It was extensively tested during 1931—2 and a few other changes were made as a result. The armor was increased from 6 to 8 mm (0.236220472440945 to 0.31496062992126 in) and from 9 to 12 mm (0.354330708661417 to 0.47244094488189 in) and a fixed machine gun was added for the driver. Two of the other prototypes were rebuilt to the same standard; all three were officially accepted by the Army on 17 October 1933. The other prototype was eventually given to the Shah of Iran. The order for seventy was placed on 19 April 1933, all being delivered by October 1934.Czechoslovakia
The 1934 Fall maneuvers validated the misgivings of many in the Army. The gunner had trouble holding his weapon at speeds over 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 mph) and could not lay it properly at all. The driver could not use his machine gun in addition to driving the vehicle. They had trouble negotiating the terrain and proved unsuitable for reconnaissance as the crew could only observe the road while "buttoned-up". The lack of a radio made coordination impossible among the vehicles in a platoon or larger-sized formation.While used as a substitute for the light tanks not yet in service during 1934—36 the Army decided to organize them in three-vehicle platoons and assigned them to support the border areas. These platoons were heavily used suppressing the protests and violence instigated by Konrad Henlein
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
's Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei - SdP) and the Sudetendeutsche Freikorps (paramilitary groups trained in Germany by SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
-instructors) between May and October 1938. They were also used to repel Hungarian and Polish border-crossers, sometimes up to a battalion in strength. They helped to screen the infantry when they had to evacuate southern Slovakia after the First Vienna Award
First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was the result of the First Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace on November 2, 1938. The Arbitration and Award were direct consequences of the Munich Agreement...
on 2 November 1938.
Germany
The Germans captured forty Tančík vz. 33s when they occupied Czechoslovakia, but there is no record of their use so they were presumably quickly scrapped or relegated to training duties.Slovakia
The thirty Tančík vz. 33s formed one platoon in the Armored Battalion "Martin" formed by the Slovak Army in mid-1939, but they were relegated to training duties during 1940. They saw some use by the insurgents when the Slovak National UprisingSlovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising or 1944 Uprising was an armed insurrection organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. It was launched on August 29 1944 from Banská Bystrica in an attempt to overthrow the collaborationist Slovak State of Jozef Tiso...
began in September 1944, but little is known of their activities.