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WormWoodTheStar — TKS tankette II
Published: 2010-08-18 12:20:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 1869; Favourites: 25; Downloads: 30
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Description
Knowing the flaws of TK-3 tankette, Polish designers begun to study on new, better version of this tiny fighting vehicle. In 1933 they came up with the TKS tankette. The main difference was a better suspension, engine and different front shape. The tankette also used Gundlach periscope, now used in most of the modern tanks. Still, it had light armour and only one 7,92 mm machine gun for self-defence.Knowing that Hitler is planning a massive armoured vehicles production, the Ursus workers begun to replace the machine guns with 20 mm anti-tank cannons. The TKS tankette became the world first vehicle dedicated only to destroy tanks. Panzers I and II were helpless against this weapons, and from close range it could even disable a Panzer III and IV. Germans later learned from Polish experience, building their own tank destroyer - Panzerjager I.
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Comments: 12
Now if you had a cavalry squadron of these TKS's towing anti-tank guns, then you could truly raise (or raze) hell with the Panzerwaffe!
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There were attempts to put the 37 mm anti-tank guns on the tankettes, known as TKS-D, but they were not finished before the war broke out.
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Too damn bad. They would have given the Germans pause in their push.
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That thing wasn't even very good it had one 7.7mm machine gun and well was an infantry support tank in Italy! Also had 2 crew members maximum!
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7,62 mm gun to be more precise. But it was never ment to fight on the same terms as tank, it was more like a mobile machine gun post. Having that in mind, this was actually a pretty neat vehicle, but obviously outdated by the time the war broke out. And due to lack of industrial power in Poland at that time, what was supposed to be a stopgap solution had to become the base of Polish armoured forces (similarly to how Panzer I and II were the basic tanks of the German army before sufficient numbers of Panzer III and IV could be amassed).
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I knew something was different with the chassis design because it looked Italian in a way xD Well Italy lacked the Industrial Power as well because the Carrio P40 then wouldn't have been a prototype and it was inferior to most German tanks it had Hetzer armor from the front since it was sloped!
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Poles as well, or alternatively Żuk (Beetle). But TeKa (the way abbreviation TK is read) was most popular.
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Can you8 imagine the courage it took to go into battle in that tiny thing?
From what I heard they did pretty good with them before finally being overwhelmed.
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If you happen to play World of Tanks, there is an achievement called "Orlik Medal" (destroy three enemy tanks or tank destroyers that are at least two tiers higher than your vehicle). It commemorates Roman Orlik, commander of a TKS tankette with 20 mm anti-tank gun, who was famous for destroying 3 German Panzer 35(t)s during battle of Pociecha, and later destroyed ten more tanks in his vehicle.
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