Pz.35(t)

Pz.35(t)

Pz.38(t) A

Pz.35(t)

Pz.38(t) A

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

Show in game

Description

The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t), also known as LT vz.35, was a Czechoslovakian light tank designed in 1935 by engineers at Škoda. The LT vz.35 was the most numerous tank in the Czechoslovakian army; during its serial production until 1939, 434 units were manufactured. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, these tanks were taken into service by the Wehrmacht, where they received the designation Pz.35(t) (Tschecherei: "Czech"). They formed the core of the German 1st Light Division and, after its reorganisation, the 6th Tank Division. The tanks were actively used by the Wehrmacht during the invasion of Poland, France, and the USSR in 1939-41. In smaller numbers, they were also used by the armies of Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, to which they were exported from Germany.

Introduced in Update 1.51 "Cold Steel", the Pz.35(t) represents an average but versatile vehicle, which copes well with a wide range of tasks on the battlefield. On the other hand, it does not excel in anything: in mobility, the Pz.35(t) is inferior to many other light tanks, and its armour and survivability are generally mediocre. However, the decent 37 mm gun and good frontal armour allow the vehicle to successfully perform the role of a "second line" machine.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull25 / 16 / 16

Turret25 / 16 / 16

Crew4 people

Visibility75 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	25 mm (18°) Front plate 16 mm (80°) Front glacis 25 mm (31°) Lower glacis	16 mm	16 mm	12 mm
Turret	25 mm (10°)Turret front 25 mm Gun mantlet	16 mm	16 mm	8 mm
Cupola	25 mm (cylindrical)			25 mm (4°)

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick while and torsion bars are 8 mm thick.
• The belly is 8 mm thick.
• Mudguards and fuel cans are 4 mm thick.

The Pz.35(t) has a key advantage over most low battle rated tanks which is found also on French tanks - it has 25 mm front armour on the hull and turret which makes it immune to 12.7 mm machine guns that are commonplace at its tier, however, the sides can be penetrated with such weapons. It has four crew with decent spacing between them, but a far cry from the Panzer III/IV, so while it can save you sometimes, don't rely on it, especially if a Soviet APBC or British 2-pdr shell is coming your way.

Mobility

Reverse gearbox

Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed

Speedforward / back

AB38 / 38 km/h

RB and SB34 / 34 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

6 back

Weight10.5 t

Engine power

AB229 hp

RB and SB120 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB21.8 hp/t

RB and SB11.4 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	38	38	10.5	186	229	17.71	21.81
Realistic	34	34		106	120	10.1	11.43

With a top speed of 33 km/h and a power-to-weight ratio of 11.43 hp/ton in Realistic and Simulator battles, the Pz.35(t) has reasonably good mobility for a reserve tank. With a top speed almost 20 km/h faster than yours, Stuart and BT tanks are notable enemies as they will flank you quickly.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

ABfree

RBfree

SBfree

Total cost of modifications3 870

179

Talisman cost190

Crew trainingfree

Experts1 000

Aces10

Research Aces80 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 10 / 10 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 330 Cost: 15 40 Suspension Brake System Research: 300 Cost: 13 35 Filters Transmission Engine Research: 720 Cost: 35 85	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Research: 330 Cost: 15 40 37mm_kwk_38_t_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 330 Cost: 15 40 Adjustment of Fire Research: 300 Cost: 13 35 37mm_kwk_36_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 300 Cost: 13 35 Elevation Mechanism Research: 540 Cost: 25 60 Artillery Support Research: 720 Cost: 35 85

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm KwK34(t) cannon

Shoulder stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving

Ammunition72 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

4.3 → 3.3 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 25°

37 mm KwK34(t)					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	72	-10°/+25°	±180°	Vertical	13.3	18.5	22.4	24.8	26.4	4.29	3.80	3.50	3.30
Realistic					8.3	9.8	11.9	13.2	14.0

The Pz.35(t) is armed with the 37 mm KwK 34(t), which has an APC shell with 55 mm pen and a Tier I unlockable APC shell with 53 mm pen, which is essentially worse in every aspect. It also possesses an 85 mm penetration APCR shell for more heavily armoured targets such as B1 bis.

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Pzgr. 34(t)	APC	55	51	39	28	20	15
PzGr. 40	APCR	81	73	45	24	13	7
Pzgr.(t) umg.	APC	53	50	37	26	19	13

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Pzgr. 34(t)	APC	675	0.85	1.2	9	22.1	48°	63°	71°
PzGr. 40	APCR	980	0.37	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
Pzgr.(t) umg.	APC	675	0.82	1.2	9	22.1	48°	63°	71°

Note: The PzGr. 34(t) round has no tracer.

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.35(t)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
72	37 (+35)	1 (+71)	No

Notes:

• Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
• To go into battle with the right flank empty of ammo, pack 37 (+35) shells (rack 1 emptied).

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG37(t) machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 800 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate769 shots/min

7.92 mm MG37(t)
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,800 (200)	768	N/A	N/A

The small calibre of the MG37(t) machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Usage in battles

The tank is average in most aspects, aside from frontal immunity to .50 cals. Since your common enemies (eg. BT-5s) are faster than you, it is advisable to use this tank as a mid-range support vehicle. At the start of the match, avoid getting surrounded by enemies by not rushing to the frontline straight away, because its hull and turret traverse are all quite bad, making it vulnerable to surprise flanks. Find hilly terrain and utilise your 10 degrees gun depression to poke out, get a shot, then get back into cover before the enemies notice you.

At the middle stages of the match, only go to the frontline when you really need to, because, again, the traverse speed is low and the manoeuvrability isn't great. However the player can now use the tank's small profile to ambush enemies near a friendly point. With their decent penetration up close and the 22 g TNT, the APC rounds can quickly finish off anyone trying to de-cap the point.

Note that the default shell Pzgr. 34(t) has no tracer component, and the player can use this to their advantage. If the player misses the shot, the enemy will not see the trajectory of the shell thus will take longer to locate the shooter.

Enemies worth noting:

• BT-5, BT-7, M2, M3 Stuarts: If those tanks survive the first few minutes of point-capping, then they can silently appear pretty much anywhere on the map, including your side. To avoid being flanked / circled, do not put yourself at the frontline, as previously suggested. If you see / hear one of them sneaking up around you, turn your hull and turret together to double the traverse speed so it's quicker to get the guns on them.

• B1 bis: If it is not possible to avoid fighting this tank, then the best solution is to try and flank it. Hitting the side armour and knocking out its crew is the best way. In a face to face combat, load the APCR and aim for the near-vertical driver's compartment. The B1's driver and commander (also the gunner for the turret) are lined up so a penetration is likely to kill both of them, disabling its mobility and turret for 10 seconds or so. Also don't forget to avoid the hull-mounted 75 mm gun.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Gun depression of -10° is great for combating across any terrain
• Stock and unlockable ammo with explosive filler have decent penetration and good post-penetration damage
• Mobility and acceleration are decent for the tier
• Frontally immune to 12.7 mm machine guns, useful against foes like M13 MGMC
• Reverse speed of -34 km/h is excellent at pulling the tank out of danger
• Has a shoulder stabiliser, useful for close-quarters combat and shoot-n-scoot

Cons:

• Many other tanks are faster than it, like BT-5, A13, M3
• Gun is inadequate against higher tier tanks like T-70, T-28
• Poor survivability and armour against anything stronger than machine guns
• Low agility: sluggish hull traverse and slow turret rotation

History

Czechoslovak LT vz. 35 ready for transfer to Panzertruppe in March 1939. The fate of this particular tank is unknown.

The Czechoslovakian LT vz. 35 was their main tank prior to the German occupation. with a total of 398 units built between 1936 and 1939, it was the main tank used by the German 6th Panzer division during the Battle of France and Operation Barbarossa before being phased out in favour of more modern German designs.

Development

The tank was a result of a competition between Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk and Škoda, the first one presented a variant of the LT vz. 34 coming at 8.5 while the second presented a new 10.5 ton model with more armour. Skoda's design was chosen and production was divided between the two manufacturers.

Early in the development the tank saw plenty of factory issues and reliability problems due to the rushed development and production, making it so that many units had to return to the factory for repairs involving mainly the electrical system.

The tank saw the interest of various countries, with Romania asking for 126 units, Afghanistan asking for 10 that where later sold to Bulgaria instead, and many others given to minor nations such as Hungary by Germany after the occupation.

Operational History

Czechoslovakian forces used the tank to supress protest and risings by the German Party of the Sudetes, and also to defend Slovakia from raids and incursions from Hungarian and Polish troops. After the German occupation they where used by Czech paramilitary groups armed and instructed by the German SS.

After the German Occupation, the tank was widely used by the 6th Panzer-Divisionen (6th Panzer Division) and where used on the Battle of France where they suffered moderate casualties.

During the Invasion of the Soviet Union the tank also participated but problems quickly rose up, the poor reliability and the inability of the tank to operate on very low temperatures quickly became a problem. Many where lost in combat and the tank proved ineffective even against soviet light tanks and specially against the T-34. Due to this poor performance Germany phased out the tank in 1942 and the remaining units where redistributed between Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

Bulgaria employed 26 units, some being the T-11 variant with a more powerful gun that where used in the 1st Tank Brigade until the arrival of Panzer IV tanks.

Slovakia used 52 units seized after their declaration of independence that where used for the suppression of anti-axis uprisings but 30 participated in the Invasion of the Soviet Union, most of which where destroyed or abandoned because of mechanical fails. The tanks where soon replaced by more modern units in 1943 being relegated to suppression of civic movements or training.

Hungary was impressed with the LT vz. 35 after capturing one during a conflict with Slovakia, and it was a great inspiration in the construction of the 40M Turan I developed by Skoda.

Romania was the 2nd largest user of the LT vz. 35 after buying 126 from Czechoslovakia, they where assigned to the 1st Armoured Regiment, participating in Operation Barbarossa an even in the Battle of Stalingrad covering the flanks of the Germany Army. In this last battle the unit lost 77 tanks with two thirds being lost to mechanical failures or abandoned. The tanks also participated in combat after the Romanian addition to the Allies, but the units where divided and some remained with the Axis while some remained went to the Allies.

Archive of the in-game description

The Škoda LT vz.35 light tank was developed between 1935 and 1936. This tank was put into service in 1936, and by 1937 it had become the primary tank of the Czechoslovakian army. Between 1935 and 1940, 424 LT vz.35 tanks were produced. 218 tanks of this model were accepted into service in Wehrmacht and used until 1942. The tank was inferior to the Pz.38(t) in many ways, and its crews were not sorry to see it go. The tank was equipped with a pneumatic servomotor that made it easier to control the transmission and brakes. However, in winter condition on the Eastern Front it would freeze, and the tank would have to be warmed up. While in Wehrmacht service the tank's crew was also increased to four from the original three. The crew included a commander, a gunner, and a loader, who combined the duties of a radio operator and a mechanic/driver. The tank's power train was redesigned and made highly reliable. For example, the tracks could go for 8,000 km (almost 5,000 miles) before wearing out. These tanks were used in combat operations in Poland, France, and the USSR. But while the Pz. 35(t) was effective in Poland and France, in the USSR it was, more often than not, helpless.

Media

Images

• 

  A Pz.35(t) in Eastern Europe

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pz.35(t) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #274 - Pages of History section at 04:16 discusses Czechoslovakian tank-building.

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Pz.38(t) A / Pz.38(t) F - similar Czech-designed light tank, the successor to the Pz.35(t) in the German tech tree.
• T-26 (Family)
• A13 Mk I
• I-Go Ko
• M13/40 (Family)

External links

• [Development] Pz-35t & T-26-4
• [Wikipedia] Panzer 35(t)
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)
• [Military Factory] LT vz. 35 / PzKpfW 35(t)