The Panzerkampfwagen II

by Phil Gardocki

Unlike the Panzer I, the Panzer II was intended to see combat.

 

The Panzer II was originally conceived of as a scout tank.  But due to production problems with the Panzer III and Panzer IV, the Panzer II was pressed into service as the main battle tank for operations in both Poland and France.

 



Panzer II, from the Vojni Museum in Beograd.

After the French Campaign, with an increase of the production of Panzer III's and IV's, and the integration of the Czechoslovakia's T-35 and T-38 tanks, the Panzer II was religated to its orginal role as a scout tank.

 

The Panzer II's rapid firing 2 cm gun was adequate for engaging unarmored targets and other light tanks, but was next to useless against the medium tanks it faced in France and Russia. Its light armor was also found wanting against the increasingly more numerous and heavier antitank guns becoming available. However, this tank continued production to some extent until 1943. The last version, Ausf 'L', named the Lynx, had substantial armor and engine improvements, but only a minor gun upgrade.

The chassis proved to be very flexible and was used for a number of vehicles, including the Flammpanzer II, the Wespe, the Maultier Halftrack, and the Tank Destroyers, Jadgpanzer II, and Marder II.



Panzer II	Specification	Panzer II L "Lynx"	Specification
Gun	2 cm L55	Gun	2 cm L55
Weight	7 tonnes	Weight	13 tonnes
Max Hull Armor	1-3 cm	Max Hull Armor	8 cm
Fuel	Gasoline	Fuel	Gasoline
Horsepower	140hp, 105kw	Horsepower	180hp, 135kw
Top Speed	40 kph	Top Speed	60 kph
Crew	3	Crew	3