![]() ![]() To help mask the vehicle in combat situations where a swift retreat was considered necessary, three Nebelwurfgerat 39 90 mm smoke grenade launchers were provided. Read More The Elefant – Both Excellent and Terrible 2250 rounds of ammunition was provided for this weapon, which had a firing rate of 900 rounds per minute, and an effective combat range of nearly two kilometres. ![]() The coaxial weapon in the turret of the Luchs was the well tested MG 34 machine gun, which was mounted in a special armored sleeve next to the main gun. Interestingly, a fully automatic version of this gun (the BK-5) was used in some German aircraft. It was used in the later Panzer III and the Sd. The 50 mm KwK 39 (shown here) was a variant of the PaK 38 for use in tanks. As such, the Panzer II was relegated to the reconnaissance role. Its armor was only designed to stop machine gun fire and shell fragments, and the 20mm cannon that comprised its main armament was woefully inadequate against enemy armored vehicles. As the Panzer II was designed before the lessons of the Spanish Civil War became apparent, it had serious drawbacks in its initial role of equipping the Panzer divisions during the early part of the Second World War. ![]() The Luchs was a descendant of the Panzer II light tank, and designated as such, although it was an entirely new design. They suffered extremely high losses, and today only two survive. However only 100 would be built before the order was cancelled. The Luchs’ small length made it highly agile, its low weight made it fast, and its wide tracks allowed it to move over boggy ground. It incorporated lessons learned during the invasion of Poland in 1939, which, despite its overall success, highlighted a number of weak links with Germany’s equipment. The Luchs is the tank community’s favourite “cute” tank – why? Just look at it! With its tiny gun, small size and chunky proportions, the Luchs can make even the most cold-hearted tank enthusiasts feel warm and fuzzy inside.īut of course, the Luchs was not built to be cute (we haven’t seen any archive documents listing this requirement, at least…), it was built to be a dedicated scouting machine. ![]()
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