09-2017 POLSKIE CZOŁGI 7TP I TKS

TKS is a Polish light tank (tankette) from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were made in 1933, and serial production continued in the period 1934-1936, ending with the production of 280 copies of this vehicle. The TKS was powered by an engine Polish Fiat 122B with 46 HP. The vehicle was armed with one 7.92 mm Hotchkiss wz.25 machine gun or one of the heaviest wz. 38 FK-A with a caliber of 20 mm. TKS was created as a modernization and development of the TK-3 vehicles. Compared to the original, the front part of the fuselage has been changed, a new engine with a little more power has been added, the armor has been strengthened - especially in the front part of the car, the running gear and electrical system have been modernized. The changes led to a virtually completely new vehicle. However, the existing weaponry, i.e. a single machine gun, was retained, and it was planned to be replaced with a 20 mm caliber weapon. However, the outbreak of war in 1939 thwarted these plans and only about 20-30 TKS were modernized in this way. Due to the large number of TKS produced by Polish standards, they were the basic element of the Polish armored forces during the September campaign in 1939. TKS tankettes were also exported to Estonia, and the copies obtained in 1939 were used by both the German and Soviet armies.Polish light tank from the beginning of World War II. The 7TP tank, along with the tankettes (e.g. TKS), was the basic element of the Polish armored forces in 1939. 7 TP was designed at Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii in Ursus, where it was also produced since 1935. The tank is a development of the British Vickers E, the license of which was acquired by Poland in the early 1930s. The first 24 examples of the 7TP were twin-turret vehicles, the next serial ones (built from 1937) already had one turret, and the main armament was the anti-tank gun. 37mm by Bofors. The 7TP tank was a technically advanced design for its time. It was one of the first in the world to have a diesel engine, a reversible periscope, and in some copies also radio stations (RKBc 2N / C) with a range of up to 25 km. During the September campaign, around 130 tanks of this type of all variants were used. The 7TP proved itself on the battlefields of September 1939 as an opponent towering over the German Pz.Kpfw I and II, and at least equal to the Pz.Kpfw III and IV. Technical data: weight 9.4-9.9t, engine power: 110HP, speed: 37km / h, armament (single turret version): 1 Bofors 37mm cannon, 1 machine gun wz. 30 cal. 7.92mm.