1:48 German Panzer II A/B/C - French Campaign
Item #32570

DESCRIPTION

In the mid 1930s, the German military pushed the production of
tanks. The Panzer I designed as a training tank, did not have the
adequate performance, so a light tank was needed to full the gap
until the Panzer III could be introduced. Therefore, the German
Ordnance Department issued a request for a new training tank that
could be used for combat. In the end, MAN was chosen in 1934 to
produce the Panzer II, a compact 4.8m long, 2.2m wide design with
a three man crew. The 8.9 ton tank featured a 2cm Kwk 30 L/55
cannon and 7.92mm machine gun in the turret, 15mm armor
protection for turret and hull front, leaf spring suspension, and
a 140hp Maybach HL 62 TRM engine matched with a ZF SSG46
transmission, which gave it a 40km/h top speed. The Ausf. A was
produced from 1937, followed by the Ausf. B and C, which were
difficult to distinguish from each other visually. About 1,100
Panzer tanks were produced by April 1940, and due to delays with
the Panzer III, they were immediately issued as the Panzer
divisions' main tank for the invasion of Poland in September
1939. Based on lessons learned on the battlefields of Poland and,
in May 1940, France, improvements such as extra armor and a
turret cupola were added, and the Panzer II went on to serve in
North Africa and Russia in front line and liaison and
reconnaissance duties until the end of 1943. Afterwards, they
were used to police occupied territories and the chassis was also
adapted for use as the basis for various self-propelled gun
designs.