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AH-IV

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AH-IV
The original AH-IV prototype. It was different compared to the production vehicles of Romania, Sweden, etc., which had bigger turrets among other modifications.
TypeTankette/light tank
Place of originCzechoslovakia
Service history
In service1934—85?
Used byRomania
Iran
Sweden
Ethiopia
WarsWorld War II,Eritrean War of Independence,Ethiopian Civil War,Ogaden War,1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War
Production history
DesignerČKD
Designed1935—37
ManufacturerČKD,Malaxa
Produced1936—39, 1949—50
No.built155 + 4 prototypes (Czechoslovakia)
46 (Sweden, Strv m/37)
1 (Romania, R-1)
VariantsR-1,RH,Strv m/37,AH-IV-Hb,
TACAM R-1
Specifications (Original AH-IV prototype[1])
Mass3 tonnes (3.0 long tons; 3.3 short tons)
Length3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Width1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Height1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Crew2
Armor5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in)
Main
armament
1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in)ZB vz. 35heavy machine gun
Secondary
armament
1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in)ZB vz. 26machine gun
EnginePraga AH
46 horsepower (34 kW)
Suspensionleaf spring
Operational
range
150 km (93 mi)
Maximum speed40 km/h (25 mph)

TheAH-IVwas aCzechoslovak-designed exportarmored fighting vehicle,classed as either atanketteorlight tank,[2][3]usedby RomaniaduringWorld War II,but having also been acquired byneutralSweden and Iran. Modified AH-IV versions were built under license by Romania (R-1) and Sweden (Strv m/37). The Romanian vehicles saw action on theEastern FrontfromOperation Barbarossato theVienna offensive.Twenty vehicles were sold after the war to Ethiopia, who used them until the 1980s.

Description[edit]

Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk(ČKD) was determined not to repeat the problems of its earlierTančík vz. 33tankette and gave the gunner a turret for better observation and all-around fields of fire for its new AH-IV tankette. It was assembled from a framework of steel "angle iron" beams, to which armor plates between 12 and 6 mm (0.47 and 0.24 in) thick were bolted. The driver sat on the right side using an observation port protected bybulletproof glassand an armored shutter. To his right was a small vision slit. Also to his right, in all models except the SwedishStrv m/37,was aZbrojovka BrnoZBvz.26orZB vz. 30light machine gun that was usually locked in place and fired using aBowden cable.The gunner sat on the left and manned a small turret fitted with a ZBvz.35 orZBvz.37machine gun in a ball mount. Most of the machine gun's barrel protruded from the mount and was protected by an armored trough. He had a large vision port to the right of the machine gun mount in the turret and a small vision slit on the left side of the superstructure. 3700 rounds were carried for the two machine guns. No radio was fitted.[4]

The 3.468 L (211.6 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder Praga engine produced 55 hp (41 kW) at 2,500 rpm. It sat in the rear of the fighting compartment and drove the transmission via a drive shaft that ran forward between the driver and commander to the gearbox. Cooling was designed to draw air in through the commander's and driver's hatches. This had the advantage of rapidly dispersing gun combustion gases when firing, but several disadvantages. The constant draft generated by the engine greatly affected the crew during cold weather, an engine fire would force the crew to evacuate and the engine noise and heat increased crew fatigue. It had a top speed on the road of 45 km/h (28 mph) and a range between 150 and 170 km (93 and 106 mi). The semi-automatic Praga-Wilson transmission had five forward gears and one reverse gear to drive the forward-mounted drive sprocket. The suspension was a smaller version of that used in thePanzer 38(t)- a Czech design built after German occupation. It consisted of four large road wheels per side, each pair mounted on a wheel carrier and sprung byleaf springs.There were two wheel carriers per side. The idler wheel was at the rear and one return roller was fitted. It had a ground pressure of only 0.5 kg/cm2.It could cross a ditch 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) wide, climb an obstacle 0.5 to 0.6 m (20 to 24 in) high and ford a stream 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in) deep.[4]

Variants[edit]

Iran: RH (AH-IV-P)[edit]

Iranwas the first customer for theAH-IVand ordered fifty plus a prototype in 1935 for delivery the following year. Deliveries began in August 1936 with the last batch arriving in Iran in May 1937, although the armament was shipped separately and wasn't installed until November 1937. The Iranians were well pleased with their vehicles and planned to order between 100 and 300 additionalAH-IVs, but the outbreak ofWorld War IIprevented any follow-through. Their tankettes were the smallest of the series at only 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons) and differed only slightly in size from the RomanianR-1tankettes that followed it on the production lines. It could only climb an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high, had a range of 150 kilometres (93 mi) and a ground pressure of only 0.45 kg/cm2.It used theZB vz. 26and35machine guns.[5]

Romania: R-1 (AH-IV-R)[edit]

Main article:R-1 tank
See also:TACAM R-1
Romanian R-1

The Romanianssigned a contract for36 AH-IV-R,as they were designated byČKD,on 14 August 1936, including one prototype to be delivered in two months and the entire order in seven months. These deadlines were unable to be met as the Romanians demanded many changes, which all had to be made on the production line because ČKD had initiated production of the entire order before the prototype was accepted. The first ten tankettes off the production line were sent to Romania in October 1937 to participate in the autumn maneuvers when they made a favorable impression before being returned to the factory. The production run was completed the next month, but the Romanians refused to accept them as they didn't conform to the specifications. The required modifications took until April 1938 to perform, but another evaluation was required under summer conditions and they weren't formally accepted until August 1938.Nicolae Malaxabought a license to produce theR-1as theAH-IV-Rwas known in Romanian service, in September 1938, but irregularities and disputes over payment delayed the transfer of the production drawings until October 1939. His factory built one prototype, mostly fromR-1spare parts, but never began production.[6][3][7]

Sweden: Strv m/37 (AH-IV-Sv)[edit]

Stridsvagn m/37 on display at Swedish Army Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sweden ordered forty-eight tankettes in 1937 as theStridsvagn m/37(Strv m/37)after a successful demonstration during winter conditions in theKrkonoše Mountains.They were to be assembled inOskarshamnwith a more powerful 4.39 litres (268 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder, 85 horsepower (63 kW)VolvoFC-CKDgasolineengine and armor, up to 15 millimetres (0.59 in) thick, from Avesta, although ČKD supplied most of the other components after building one prototype. The vehicle was heavily modified with the driver's machine gun deleted and proved to be the heaviest and largest version of theAH-IVat 4.68 tonnes (4.61 long tons; 5.16 short tons) and a length of 3.4 metres (11 ft), a width of 1.85 metres (6.1 ft) and 1.96 metres (6.4 ft) high. Its turret mounted two Swedish 8 mm (0.31 in)Ksp m/36 strvmachine gunsand had a small observation cupola on its top. It carried a radio and 3,960 rounds for its machine guns. It had a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (120 mi). It could ford a stream up to 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) in depth. The last components were shipped in November 1938.[8][9]

Ethiopia: AH-IV-Hb[edit]

Ethiopiaordered twentyAH-IV-Hbtankettes on 24 June 1948. In form these reverted to the driver's machine gun and single machine gun in the turret but were of welded construction rather than riveted. They used a 4.94 litres (301 cu in), air-cooledTatra114diesel enginethat produced 65 horsepower (48 kW) at 2200 rpm. This gave theAH-IV-Hba top speed of 42 kilometres per hour (26 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (120 mi). It weighed 3.93 tonnes (3.87 long tons; 4.33 short tons) and had a length of 3.2 metres (10 ft), a width of 1.82 metres (6.0 ft) and was 1.73 metres (5.7 ft) high. It had a ground pressure of only 0.48 kg/cm2,could ford a stream up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) in depth, but could only overcome an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high. It used theZB vz. 26andvz. 37machine guns, for which it carried 2,800 rounds.[10]

Operational history[edit]

Iran[edit]

TheAH-IVs were split between the1stand2nd Infantry Divisionsin service. Nothing more is known of their service.[11]Withdrawn in 1948-1949.[12]

Romania[edit]

Main article:R-1 tank § Operational history

TheR-1s were assigned to the cavalry brigades, two platoons of two or three tankettes apiece. All eighteen belonging to theCavalry Corpswere grouped into the ad hoc "Korne Mechanized Detachment" during the opening stages ofOperation Barbarossa,but all were out of commission by 1 October.[13]Twenty-nine of the original thirty-five were allocated to the six cavalry divisions (redesignated from brigades on 25 March 1942) that successfully participated in the German 1942 summer offensive, codenamedCase Blue.[14]The fourR-1s belonging to the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Mechanized Squadron had to be set on fire as no fuel was available for them when the division was encircled outside ofStalingradin November 1942 as part of the SovietOperation Uranuscounter-offensive.[15]The 5th and 8th Cavalry Divisions had lost at least fiveR-1s during the same time trying to solidify the crumbling Axis defenses after the Soviet breakthroughs. Both divisions supported the Germans as they attempted to relieve the Stalingrad Pocket inOperation Winter Storm,but were shattered when the Soviets counter-attacked the unsuccessful relief effort in late December 1942.[16]Two other cavalry divisions remained in theKuban bridgeheadafter the German withdrawal from the Caucasus, but their two remaining serviceableR-1s were withdrawn back to Romania during the spring of 1943 as obsolete.[17]On 30 August 1943 only thirteenR-1s were available, all assigned to the Cavalry Training Center, although this increased by one on inventories dated 25 March and 19 July 1944.[18]Nothing is known of any action involvingR-1s during 1944, but eleven reinforced the 2nd Armored Regiment in Czechoslovakia when it reached the front on 26 March 1945. By 24 April the regiment only had one R-1 available, but none were reported as available after that date.[19]

Sweden[edit]

The Strv m/37s initially served with the 1st Armored Battalion until the armored brigades began to be formed in 1943–44. Thereafter they served with the infantry regimentsI 2, I 9, I 10andP 1G Armored CompanyonGotland.[20]The tankettes remained in service on Gotland up to 1953.[9]

Ethiopia[edit]

All twenty arrived inDjiboution 9 May 1950 after which they were taken by rail toAddis Ababa.They were used until the 1980s when they participated in the fighting againstSomalia.[21]

See also[edit]

  • R-1 tank,article covering the Romanian variant in detail

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Pejčoch & Pejs 2004,p. 292.
  2. ^Kliment & Doyle 1979,p. 98.
  3. ^abAxworthy, p. 35
  4. ^abKliment and Francev, pp. 109-115
  5. ^Kliment and Francev, pp. 109-112, 281
  6. ^Kliment and Francev, pp. 113-114
  7. ^I.Pejčoch - Obrněná Technika
  8. ^Kliment and Francev, p. 115, 282
  9. ^ab"Strv m/37".Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2010.Retrieved17 May2009.
  10. ^Kliment and Francev, pp. 133-4, 282
  11. ^Kliment and Francev, p. 112
  12. ^WWII weapons in the Ayatollah’s Iran (2016)https://archive.today/20230822201746/https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress /2016/10/16/wwii-weapons-in-the-ayatollahs-iran/
  13. ^Axworthy, pp. 65-7
  14. ^Axworthy, p. 81
  15. ^Axworthy, pp. 92-3
  16. ^Axworthy, pp. 109-11
  17. ^Axworthy, p. 124.
  18. ^Axworthy, p. 153
  19. ^Axworthy, pp. 212-3
  20. ^Tarnstrom, Ronald (1996).The Sword of Scandinavia.Armed Forces Handbooks. Lindsborg, KS: Trogen Books. p. 322.ISBN0-922037-13-2.
  21. ^Kliment and Francev, p. 134

References[edit]

  • Axworthy, Mark; Scafes, Cornel & Craciunoiu, Cristian (1995).Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945.London: Arms and Armour.ISBN1-85409-267-7.
  • Kliment, Charles K. & Francev, Vladimír (1997).Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1948.Atlgen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing.ISBN0-7643-0141-1.
  • Kliment, Charles K. &Doyle, Hilary L.(1979).Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1945.Watford, UK: Bellona Publications.ISBN0852426283.
  • Pejčoch, Ivo[in Czech]& Pejs, Oldřich (2004).Obrněná technika 5: Střední Evropa 1919–1945 (I. část)[Armored Vehicles 5: Central Europe 1919–1945 (Part 1)] (in Czech). Prague: Vašut.ISBN9788072363179.
  • Pejčoch, Ivo & Pejs, Oldřich (2005).Obrněná technika 6: Střední Evropa 1919–1945 (II. část)[Armored Vehicles 6: Central Europe 1919–1945 (Part 2)] (in Czech). Prague: Vašut.ISBN8072364294.

External links[edit]

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