The TKS light tank, a small tank developed by Poland in 1930 for World War II, was equipped with a machine gun designed to counter Soviet tanks (??? ）。 In World War II, the Polish tank corps engaged in a fierce battle with the German tank units and were crushed and annihilated.
Vehicle design:
The TKS tank was designed in 1931 by Poland based on the chassis of the British Carden Loyd tank, with the addition of a more powerful engine, the Ford A/ Polski FIAT-122 petrol engine (which turned out to be gasoline-burning), equipped with a 20 mm machine gun, and an armor thickness of 8 mm (rifle bullets could not be defended). A total of more than 500 vehicles are productive
Vehicle performance:
Although the tank is small, the members are equipped with 2 people (in fact, it is about the same size as the "happy box for the elderly" on the main road now), weigh about 2.6 tons, are 2.58 meters long, 1.78 meters wide, and 1.32 meters high (this height is actually more similar to the bumper car), the maximum speed is 45 kilometers per hour, and there is no suspension design. Estonia had bought 6 TKS in 1934, and the Poles had given away a luxurious motorcycle for free (it seemed that Estonian officers might have taken bribes), which was later captured by the Red Army, and the Soviets looked down on the bean battlefield.
Battle against Germany:
During the German invasion of Poland, polish armored forces at that time were equipped with 575 TKS as the main force of the battle. But their machine guns were completely unable to penetrate the armor of German tanks and could only be used as reconnaissance vehicles. However, due to the lack of armored units, the TKS had to be used as the main combat vehicle often, and the results of the battle were predictable. The only results that can be found at present are czechoslovak P35T tanks that were once in a war in September 1939.
The Germans were also not interested in these Polish tanks, mainly as airport tractors and militia units and police to fight against the guerrilla forces in the occupied areas (this thing could not even prevent the Molotov cocktail).
Subsequent History:
The Germans tried to convert the weapon into a 37 mm anti-tank gun, but only as an experimental vehicle and was not put into formal use.
After the war, some TKS were used as tractors by Norwegian farmers, and some were in private collections.
In the 21st century, two TKSs were officially restored by Polish officials using newly built parts (any tractor factory can build them) and exhibited at the Polish Museum. There are also some TKS in Russian museums.
Author's comment: TKS is not clear in nature, as a tank designed for World War II at the end of World War I, but only maintains the firepower of the First World War. In Europe, where information exchange was developed at the time, it was impossible to guess why the Poles thought that these tanks could defend the Soviets and Germans, and that so many were produced.