German armored vehicle Sd.Kfz. 222 vs Polish light tank TKS (September 1939) COBI 2656 - Limited Edition WW II 1:28

You know that:

• When Germany attacked the Polish military transshipment point in Gdańsk called Westerplatte on the morning of September 1, 1939, it was surprised by the fierce resistance of the Polish defenders.
• It is true that Poland did not have enough technology to counter the huge German superiority, but one of the vehicles has unforgettablely entered history. It is a light tank TKS (tanker).
• The Carden-Loyd Mk. VI. was originally developed in Great Britain and Poland produced it under license from 1929 in the factories of PZI Warsaw under the designation TK-3.
• It was definitely not a perfect machine. However, the very light armor and weak FIAT engine corresponded to the time of its creation. A much more successful type was the later TSK model equipped with thicker armor and a more powerful engine.
• Interestingly, the first pieces were equipped with the Solothurn S 18-100 anti-tank rifle. The tests did not bring satisfactory results and so at the end of 1938 some of the vehicles were re-armed with the Hotchkiss wz.25 machine gun and some with the cannon of their own design wz. 35.
• Re-armament took place quickly, but Polish industry was not able to produce enough ammunition for the new weapons. Despite everything, Roman Edmund Orlik, a Polish tank ace, was able to successfully destroy the heavier German Pz. Kpfw. 35 tanks with his tank, which was actually the Czechoslovak LT-35 tank from Škoda Plzeň, which was occupied by Germany.
• One of the many opponents was the widespread German armored vehicle Sd.Kfz. 222 manufactured by Auto Union, today known as AUDI.
• Series production began in 1938 and over the next 4 years 989 units were produced. The Sd.Kfz. 222 was the most numerous armored wheeled vehicle of the Wehrmacht.
• It is interesting that the vehicles were not equipped with a radio station because the German command expected the creation of small combat groups of several vehicles, which would always be accompanied by an assigned radio car.
• Armored cars proved very successful in the first months of the war. Deployment in Africa and on the Eastern Front due to limited mobility in difficult terrain was no longer so successful and was gradually replaced by the type 250.
• The Sd.Kfz. 222 vehicle also had some technical interesting features. For example, independent wheel suspension is still used in luxury cars today. Some units were equipped with dual steering. One for driving forward and the other for driving backward.
• At the time of its creation, the purchase price of the armored car was 23,420 Reichsmarks, which is approximately 97 042 € today.

Technical parameters of TKS:

• dimensions: length 2.6 m, width 1.8 m, height 1.3 m
• weight 2,650 kg
• armor 3-10 mmpower unit inline 4-cylinder FORD A 3.2 with 30 kW output
• number of gears 4 forward + 1 reverse
• maximum speed 40 km/h
• range 180 km
• crew 2
• armament 1x 7.9 mm Hotchkiss wz. 25 machine gun

Technical parameters Sd.Kfz 222:

• dimensions 4.8 m, width 1.95, height 2.0 m
• weight 4800 kg
• armor 8-14.5 mm
• power unit 8-cylinder petrol 3.8 Horch with 66 kW output
• number of gears 5 forward + 1 reverse
• maximum speed 80 km/h
• range 350 km
• armament 1x KwK 30 cannon 20 mm caliber + 1x MG 34 machine gun 7.92 mm caliber
• crew 3

From the memoirs of Czechoslovak pilot Josef Balejka:

"When it suddenly broke out on September 1, 1939, the Poles expected the Allies to help. But neither Britain nor France came to the rescue. The Poles were on their own, and our Czechoslovak Legion with them."