Zvezda German Pz.Kpfw. 38 (t) Light Tank
1/100 Scale Model Kit also suitable for use with the Art of Tactic WWII
This kit includes one plastic model German tank from World War II.
Model supplied unpainted. Assembly required. This “snap fit” model can be
assembled without glue.
Includes unit flag and unit card for use with the Art of Tactic
WWII game.
Historical Notes
When Germany took over Czechoslovakia in 1939, the design plans for this fine
Czech light tank fell under their control. The Germans put the tank into
service, calling it the Panzerkampfwagen 38 (tschechish), or Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) for
short. It would serve during the invasions of Poland, France, and Russia before
production ended in 1942. All told, some 1400 of this light tank
were built.
The Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) was a fairly typical pre-World War II tank: it had 10 to
25mm of flat, riveted armor plate and a two-man turret mounting a 37mm tank gun
and a pair of 7.92mm machine guns (the Germans would convert the turret to a
three-man version by removing some of the ammunition supply). It was remarkable
for its excellent mobility, compared to other tanks of the period, and its
mechanical reliability, and for these reasons Germany adopted it into their
tank corps.
Like other pre-war tank designs, the Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) could not compete with
the more advanced tank designs that came into production as the war drag on.
It’s armor could not withstand Soviet anti-tank guns, while it’s small
main gun could not penetrate the armor of most Soviet tanks. Despite the tank
being discontinued, its excellent chassis would continue to see use in a number
of tank destroyer designs.