File:Panzer_II_Saumur.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Type
- Light tank
- Place of origin
- Nazi Germany
- In service
- 1936–1945
- Wars
- World War II
- Designed
- 1934–1936
- Unit cost
- 52,640 ℛ ︁ ℳ ︁ (Ausf. B)
- Produced
- 1935 – January 1944
- Number span no built
- 1,856 (excluding conversions)
- Mass
- 8.9 t (8.8 long tons)
- Length
- 4.81 m (15 ft 9 in)
- Width
- 2.22 m (7 ft 3 in)
- Height
- 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
- Crew
- 3 (commander/gunner, driver, loader)
- Armor
- 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in)
- Main armament
- 1 × 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 Ausf. a–F , 1 × 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 Ausf. J–L
- Secondary armament
- 1 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34
- Engine
- Maybach HL62 TRM 6-cylinder petrol , 140 PS (138 hp, 103 kW)
- Power weight
- 15.7 PS (11.6 kW) / tonne
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- PzKpfw II 01.jpg
- Height
- 2.0
- Width
- 2.2
- Length
- 4.8
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Panzerkampfwagen II
- service entry
- 1936-01-01
- service retirement
- 1945-01-01
- total produced
- 1856
- Commons gallery
- Panzerkampfwagen II
Sources (7)
via Wikidata · CC0
~21 min read
Article
The Panzer II is the common name used for a family of German tanks used in and before World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II (abbreviated Pz.Kpfw. II).
Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while larger, more advanced tanks were developed, it nonetheless went on to play an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. The Panzer II was the most numerous tank in the German Panzer divisions at the beginning of the war. It was used both in North Africa against the Western Allies and on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union.