Strv L-60 | |
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Stridsvagn m/40K at the Hässlehoms Museum, Sweden | |
Type | Light tank |
Place of origin | Sweden |
Service history | |
In service | 1935 – 2002 |
Used by |
Sweden Kingdom of Hungary Ireland Dominican Republic |
Wars |
World War II Dominican Civil War |
Production history | |
Designer | Otto Merker |
Designed | 1934 |
Manufacturer | AB Landsverk |
Variants |
L-60 L-60 Ö L-60 S Toldi |
Specifications (Original Landsverk L-60 specifications) | |
Mass | 8.5 t (8.4 long tons; 9.4 short tons) (laden) |
Length | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
Width | 2.075 m (6 ft 9.7 in) |
Height | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) |
Crew | 3 |
| |
Armor | 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) |
Main armament | Madsen 20mm Cannon |
Secondary armament | 7.92 mm Madsen machine gun |
Engine |
Bussing-Nag V8 cylinder 7.9 litres 150-160 bhp at 2500-2700 rpm |
Suspension | Torsion-bar suspension |
Operational range | 270 km (170 mi) |
Maximum speed | 45 km/h (28 mph) |
Landsverk L-60, was a Swedish tank developed in 1934. It was developed by AB Landsverk as a light tank which included several advanced design features such as torsion bar suspension, periscopes rather than view slits and all-welded construction.[1]
The L-60 was progressively improved with several turrets, engines and guns offered by Landsverk. The L-60 entered the international market in 1935 and was eventually adopted by the Swedish army in 4 main variants: Stridsvagn m/38, Stridsvagn m/39, Stridsvagn m/40L and Stridsvagn m/40K.
Variants[]
- L-60 - First variant produced and delivered to:[2]
- L-60 Ö (for Österrike "Austria") - Variant for the Austrian Army and delivered to:
Austria - 1 prototype ordered in 1936. Similar to the regular L-60 with a 20 mm madsen in the turret but with a raised idler-wheel. Not accepted for service.
Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946) - L-60 Ö repurposed and deliviered to Hungary together with a Landsverk L-62. The idler-wheel was modified back to the state of a regular L-60. Lead to hungary purchasing a license to produce the L-60. The Hungarian variant was named Toldi.
- Toldi : Variant for the Hungarian Army. (main article: Toldi)
- k.hk. A20 (Toldi I) - 80 made. Had a 20 mm semi-automatic anti-tank rifle.
- k.hk. B20 (Toldi II) - 110 made. Had a 20 mm semi-automatic anti-tank rifle.
- k.hk. B40 (Toldi IIa) - 80 Toldi II rearmed with 40 mm guns.
- k.hk. C40 (Toldi III) - 12 made. Improved Toldi IIa.
- L-60 S: Variant for the Swedish Army.[2]
- L-60 S/I (Strv m/38) - 15 ordered in 1937 and delivered in 1939.
- L-60 S/II (Strv m/39) - 20 ordered in 1939 and delivered in 1940.
- L-60 S/III (Strv m/40L) - 100 ordered in 1940 and delivered in 1941.
- L-60 S/IV - Not a direct variant of the L-60. It went under the name Landsverk Terro and was a smaller Landsverk Lago.
- L-60 S/V (Strv m/40K) - 80 ordered in 1942 and delivered in 1944 by Karlstads Mekaniska Verkstad (Karlstad Mechanical Engineering), a subcontractor that assembled the tanks.
Foreign service[]
Hungarian Service[]
The L-60 was built under license by the Hungarian Weiss Company for the Hungarian army. It was adopted by the Hungarian army as the Toldi.
Irish Service[]
The first Irish Landsverk L-60 was delivered in 1935 and joined Ireland's only other tank a Vickers Mk. D in the 2nd Armoured Squadron. The second Landsverk L-60 arrived in 1936. The L-60s were still in use up until the late 1960s. One L-60 is preserved in running order and the other is in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin.
Dominican service[]
Twenty were sold to the Dominican Republic army in 1956, having been refurbished and designated L/60L. In the Dominican Civil War in April 1965, these tanks saw use against invading American forces during “Operation Power Pack”. Three of the Dominican L/60Ls were destroyed: one by a US Army M40 recoilless rifle team of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the other two respectively by a M50 Ontos and a M48 Patton of a US Marine Corps armor detachment of the 6th MEU. This 29 April 1965 battle was one of the very few tank-vs-tank battles to ever happen in Americas. After “Power Pack” ended, the United States assisted the Dominican Republic in rebuilding its army and twelve of the original twenty L/60Ls were again refurbished and restored to service. These dozen continued in frontline use until 2002.[3] Today one is preserved in excellent, drivable condition as a historical icon by the Dominican Republic army.
Stridsvagn m/40 at Beredskapsmuseet outside Helsingborg
References[]
- ↑ http://www.ointres.se/strv_m_38-39.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Landsverk Stridsvagn L-60". Landsverk. http://www2.landskrona.se/kultur/landsverk/militart/stridsvagnar/l60-s.html. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ↑ Sebastien Roblin (22 June 2016). "In 1965, U.S. and Dominican Tanks Fought Brief, Violent Skirmishes". https://warisboring.com/in-1965-u-s-and-dominican-tanks-fought-brief-violent-skirmishes/.
Sources[]
- Tanks of the World 1915-1945 by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis 1972/2002 p 159.
External links[]
- Landsverk - Site about AB Landsverk between 1850 and 1992 (Swedish)
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The original article can be found at Landsverk L-60 and the edit history here.