Page 31 - Tamiya Model Magazine - Issue 292 (February 2020)

he Panzerkampfwagen
38(t) – originally
known as the CKD LT
Tvz. 38 – was designed
during the 1930s and it
saw extensive service
during World War II.
Developed in Czechoslovakia
by CKD, the tank was
N Czechoslovakia. With the
adopted by Nazi Germany
following the annexation of
German Army and other
Axis forces, the Pz.38(t)
was deployed during the
invasions of Poland, France
and the USSR. Production
ended in 1942, when its
main armament was
deemed inadequate. In all,
over 1,400 Pz.38(t)s were
manufactured. Adapted
variations of the chassis
continued to be produced for
the Marder III (1942–1944)
with some of its components
used in the later Jagdpanzer
38 'Hetzer' tank destroyers
and its derivative vehicles.
The (t) stands for
'tschechisch', the German
word for Czech; the
Czechoslovak military
designation was LT vz.
38 (Lehký tank vzor 38,
Light Tank model 38).
Manufacturer's designations
included TNH series,
TNHPS, LTP and LTH. The
special vehicle designation
for the tank in Germany
was Sd.Kfz.140. The Pz.38(t)
was used by Nazi Germany,
Romania, Bulgaria,
Hungary, Slovak Republic,
Sweden, Switzerland, Peru
and Iran.
The Panzer 38(t) was
a conventional inter-war
tank design, with riveted
armour. The armour varied
in thickness from 10mm
to 25mm in most versions.
Later models (Ausf.E on)
increased this to 50mm by
bolting on an additional
25mm armour plate to the
front portion of the hull. The
sides received an additional
15mm increase of armour
from Ausf. E production
runs onward.
The two-man turret
was centrally located
and housed the tank's
main armament, a 37mm
Skoda A7 gun with ninety
rounds of ammunition.
In addition, a 7.92mm
machine gun was located in
a ball-mount to the right of
the main gun. This machine
gun could be trained on
targets independently of
the main gun, or coupled
to the main gun for use
as a conventional coaxial
machine gun. The driver
was in the front right of the
hull, with the radio operator U

TMMI 292 February 2020 31
TMMI 292 February 2020