The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) was originally a Czech medium tank of pre-World War II design. After Czechoslovakia was taken over by Germany, it was adopted by the German Army, seeing service in the invasions of Poland and Russia. Production ended in 1942, when its armament was deemed inadequate. In all, over 1400 were manufactured. The chassis continued to be produced for Hetzer and Marder III tank destroyers, turretless assault guns, anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns.
The (t) stands for tschechisch, the German word for Czech; the Czechoslovak military designation was LT vz 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 Panzer 38(t) was a conventional pre-World War II tank design, with riveted armour and rear engine. The riveted armour was mostly not sloped, and varied in thickness from 10 mm to 25 mm in most versions. Later models (Ausf. E on) increased this to 50 mm by bolting on an additional 25 mm armour to the front. Side armours received additional 15mm armour from Ausf. E onward.
| Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin |  Czechoslovakia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1939–1944 (Nazi Germany) |
| Used by |  Nazi Germany Romania Bulgaria Hungary Slovakia Sweden Switzerland Peru |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | ČKD |
| Manufacturer | ČKD |
| Produced | 1939—42 |
| Number built | 1,414 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 9.725–9.85 tonnes (9.571–9.69 long tons; 10.720–10.86 short tons) |
| Length | 4.61 metres (15.1 ft) |
| Width | 2.135 metres (7.00 ft) |
| Height | 2.252 metres (7.39 ft) (overall) |
| Crew | 4 |
| | |
| Armor | 8–30 mm Ausf. A–D 8–50 mm Ausf. E and newer |
| Main armament | 1x 3.7 cm KwK 38(t) L/47.8 |
| Secondary armament | 2x 7.92 mm ZB53 (MG 37(t)) machine gun |
| Engine | Praga Typ TNHPS/II water-cooled, 6-cylinder gasoline 125 PS (123.3 hp, 91.9 kW) |
| Power/weight | 13.15 PS/tonne |
| Transmission | 5 + 1 Praga-Wilson Typ CV |
| Suspension | leaf spring |
| Ground clearance | 40 centimetres (16 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 220 litres (58 US gal) |
| Operational range | 250 kilometres (160 mi) (road) 100 kilometres (62 mi) (cross-country) |
| Speed | 42 km/h, 26.1 mph (road) 15 km/h (off-road) |
The two-man turret was centrally located, and housed the tank's main armament, a 37 mm Skoda A7 gun with 90 rounds stored onboard. It was equipped with a 7.92 mm machine gun to the right of the main ordnance. This turret machine gun was in a separate ball mount rather than a fixed coaxial mount. This meant the machine gun could be trained on targets independently. Alternatively, the commander/gunner could couple the machine gun internally to the main gun and use it as a coaxial machine gun. The driver was in the front right of the hull, with the bow machine-gunner seated to the left, manning a 7.92 mm machine gun. As with many 1930s tanks, the bow gunner was also the radio operator. The radio was mounted on the left of the bow gunner.
Minor adjustments, such as adjustable seats for the driver and firmer footing for the commander/gunner and loader was provided in German service. A total of 2,550 rounds were carried for the bow and turret machine guns. The driver could also fire the hull machine gun with a trigger fitted on the left tiller bar.
In German service, a loader position was added to the turret by reducing ammunition capacity by 18 rounds. All future Panzer 38(t) tanks were rebuilt according to this specification, whereas those already in service were modified accordingly. The commander had to aim and fire the main gun.
The engine was mounted in the rear of the hull and drove the tank through a transmission with five forward gears and one reverse gear to forward drive sprockets. The track ran under four rubber-tired road wheels and back over a rear idler and two track return rollers. The wheels were mounted on a leaf-spring double-bogie mounted on two axles. Despite the large wheel size, the tank did not use a Christie suspension.
