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| General Characteristics (Ausf A) | |
| Length: | 4.8 m |
| Width: | 2.2 m |
| Height: | 2.0 m |
| Weight: | 9.5 tons |
| Speed: | 40 km/h (road) - (off-road) |
| Range: | 200 km |
| Primary armament: | 20mm gun |
| Secondary armament: | 7.92mm MG34 |
| Power plant: | 140hp |
| Crew: | 3 (Commander/gunner, Driver and Loader) |
The Panzer II is a German tank used in World War II.
Production History
The first prototype was designed by MAN and Daimler-Benz 1934. Production started in July 1935.
Variants
Combat History
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.
Design
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 20mm cannon proved to be ineffective against many Allied tanks, and experiments were made towards replacing it with a 38mm 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.
Like all of Germany's World War II tanks, the Panzer II was fueled by gasoline.Armor
The Panzer IIA, 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. Model F and later had 20mm of side armor, in addition.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 7.62mm machine gun mounted coaxially with the main gun.Movement
All production versions of the Panzer II were fitted with a 140hp, six-cylinder Maybach HL 62 TRM engine. Models A, B, and C had a top speed of 40km/h (25mph). Models D and E had a better transmission, making up for the heavier armor, giving a top speed of 55km/h (35mph). The heavier side armor on models F and later slowed the top speed back down to that of the earlier models. All versions had a range of 200km (125 miles).
