Polish TKS tankette

So basically had Delorean built a small tracked vehicle he'd have had a winner?

Actually I think it might be a Honey now.

 

Hmmm, a stainless steel tankette .... I'd buy one!

But my own favourite small armoured vehicle is the SdKfz 222. With its four wheel drive, independent coil spring suspension, and rear-mounted V-8, it had features that many sports cars lacked! Add in the 20mm and 7.92mm turret mounted guns and you have a real beauty.

 

Whilst on this lovely little subject, I thought an anecdote from the Italians might be appropros to the discussion of tankettes and their general hilarity...

"The pitiful condition of the Italian Army in this campaign (Greece), can be best illlustrated by a true story told to me by a friend's father, a veteran of the Carabineri, (elite Italian infantry).

'The Carabineri were advancing through one of the inumerable mountain passes of northern Greece when they were pinned down by fire from Greek Evzones (skirted mountain troops). The Italian captain called for armour support and, a few minutes later, a light tankette rumbled up the road. The Evzone's fire slackened as their bullets bounced off the tankette's armour. The sponson traversed, their gun targetted on the Greek position and fired. The shell missed the Greeks and the recoil knocked loose many of the rivets which held the tank's armour in place. (Italian tanks were riveted, not single piece cast). A second shot's recoil shook the whole tank, and most of the armour plate fell off, leaving the crew sitting on a chassis, unprotected!

The Carabineri company, without even being ordered to do so, laid down it's arms and surrendered to the Greeks on the spot.'


A wonderful story that highlight's the tankette's usefulness in the realm of supermarket shopping.

BTW...that picture looks like a German tracked motorcycle, issued to their airborne forces. You see an example of one in "Saving Private Ryan"s climactic fight for the French town. Two Americans come scooting back on a captured example after recon, leaping off this example of German over-engineering. I forget the name of the thing, but it is in fact a motorcycle with tracks, not a tankette...

 

It's Vickers 6 ton Mark E! . More about this tank and serve in WP (Polish Army) you can read here- Vickers Mark E /6-ton tank in Polish service

Polish Armour of 1918-1939 This page is very good source of informations about polish armored vehicles if you dont understand polish language.