Leichttraktor

Leichttraktor Vs.Kfz.31 (Versuchs Kampffahrzeug 31)
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	Weimar Republic
Service history
In service	1930–1945
Used by	Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II(Training only)
Production history
Designed	1929–1933
Manufacturer	Krupp,Rheinmetall
Produced	1930
No.built	4
Specifications
Mass	Krupp: 8.7tonnes(9.6short tons;8.6long tons) Rheinmetall: 8.96tonnes(9.88short tons;8.82long tons) (Rheinmetall)
Length	Krupp: 4.35 m (14 ft 3 in) Rheinmetall: 4.21 m (13 ft 10 in)
Width	Krupp: 2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) Rheinmetall: 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in)
Height	Krupp: 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) Rheinmetall:2.27 m (7 ft 5 in)
Crew	4 (commander, driver, radio operator, and loader)
Armor	top frontal 14 mm, bottom frontal 19 mm, sides 8 + 6 mm, back 14 mm, bottom 5 mm, bonnet 6 mm, front slanting wall of turret 5 mm, turret sides 14 mm, turret rear 14 mm, turret top 5 mm, cupola 14 mm. Turret appears to be 14 mm all around. (Krupp)
Main armament	3.7 cm KwK L/45
Secondary armament	7.92×57mm MauserDreyse machine gun, cloth belt drum magazine (100 rounds) supply.
Engine	Daimler-BenzM36 six-cylinder liquid-cooled gasoline engine. 100 hp (75 kW)
Suspension	Krupp:Coil spring(Krupp) Rheinmetall:Leaf spring
Operational range	137 km (85 mi) on-road
Maximum speed	30 km/h (19 mph)

TheLeichttraktor(Vs.Kfz.31) was a German experimentaltankdesigned during theInterwar Period.

History

The Leichttraktor was a German experimental tank. After the end ofWorld War I,Germany was restricted in military development by theTreaty of Versailles.However, it was developed in a secret program under the cover name "Traktor". Its engine was mounted inside the front portion of the hull and the turret was mounted above the fighting compartment in the rear of the tank. BothRheinmetallandKruppproduced prototypes, and in 1928, Rheinmetall's design was chosen and was awarded an order for 289 tanks. However, some time later, the order was cancelled.Krupp models hadcoil springsuspensions, while Rheinmetall hadleaf springsuspensions.

The Germans tested the tank in theSoviet Unionunder theTreaty of Rapallo– agreed between the USSR and Germany in 1922 under high secrecy and security. The testing facility used from 1926 to 1933 was namedPanzertruppenschule Kama,located nearKazanin the Soviet Union. The location was a joint testing ground and tank training ground for theRed ArmyandReichswehr.It was codenamed "Kama" from the words Kazan and Malbrandt because the testing grounds were nearKazanandOberstleutnantMalbrandt was assigned to select the location for testing.

Leichter Traktor( "Light tractor" ) was a cover name for all three medium tank designs produced there.In the early years ofWorld War IIit was used as a training tank. Although these designs were not used in actual warfare, they gave a good intuition on how to build tanks when Germany had previously only made one official tank, theA7V,and this design led to the creation of thePanzer I.

References

Bibliography

• Peter Chamberlain & Hilary Doyle (1999). Sterling (ed.).Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two.Arms & Armour.ISBN1854095188.
• Higgins, David R. (2015).Panzer II vs 7TP: Poland 1939.Oxford: Osprey.ISBN9781472808820.

Further reading

• Tanks of the World, 1915-1945,Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
• German Tanks and Armoured Vehicles 1914 - 1945,B. T. White, 1966