German light tank Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. F. COBI 2597 - World War II 1:28

You know that:

• The Panzerkampfwagen II was developed in 1934 as a training and reconnaissance tank to fill a gap in Germany's armament arsenal until the arrival of the more modern and powerful Pz III and Pz IV.
• Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Guderian, responsible for arming German tank units, and General Lutz were aware that the industry was inexperienced in producing heavier armoured vehicles, and the PZ II served well in gathering experience in their production and deployment.
• Krupp, MAN and Henschel participated in the competition to supply light tanks. In subsequent army tests, the MAN prototype was the most successful, and was subsequently fitted with an armoured cab and turret supplied by Daimler-Benz.
• After further tests, the MAN light tank was approved for series production.
• Between 1935 and 1943, a total of 1,856 units were produced in various versions.
• The interior of the tank was rather cramped, which made it difficult for the crew to load both the gun and the machine gun.
• A special feature was the rear engine and front gearbox. The engine power was transmitted by a shaft that ran along the right inner wall of the crew compartment.
• The communication between the crew was provided by a tube exiting at the driver's and tank commander's position.
• The main advantage of the tank was not firepower or armour, but speed. This was also adapted to the gun, which did not have a stabilizer and so it was necessary to stop before each shot.

Technical parameters:

• dimensions: length 4.81 m, width 2.22 m, height 1.99 m
• weight 9 500 kg
• armouring 5-35 mm
• propulsion unit petrol engine Maybach HL 62 TR with 103 kW
• maximum road speed 55 km/h
• maximum off-road speed 12-15 km/h
• number of speeds 6 forward + 1 reverse
• range 190 km on the road or 126 km off-road
• fuel tank capacity 170 l
• wading distance 0.92 m
• crew 3
• main weapon KwK 30 cannon 20mm calibre
• secondary weapon MG 34 machine gun 7,92 mm calibre

From the memoirs of tank commander Hans von Luck:

"My first war experience on the Eastern Front turned out really ingloriously. When we lined up in attack groups on the eve of June 22, 1941, the commander called out our names and designated the place where we were to wait in combat readiness for the order to attack. The driver of our tank was so nervous that while driving to the designated position, he drove into the wet bank of the stream in the right lane. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. Our machine glided with slow elegance down from the edge of the bank, only to settle definitively with a great splash, turret down in the mud of a stream that perhaps had no name."