战史 二战之前的捷克斯洛伐克装甲力量

  　　CzechoslovakiawasestablishedfromtheashesoftheAustro-HungarianEmpireasaresultofinternalpoliticalupheavalthatfinallyledtoitsdissolutionin1918.Duringthetwodecadesofitspre-WW2existence,itwasoneofthemostdevelopedcountriesintheregion,inheritingthemajorityoftheformerempire'sindustrialpotential.Evenbeforeitexistedasaseparateentity,Czech-madeŠkodaartillerywasworld-famoussoitwasonlylogicalforCzechcompaniestousethearms-makingexpertisetodesignandbuildtanks.　　TheBeginnings　　TheCzechoslovakarmywasfromearlyonconceivedasamobileforcetocompensateforthelackingnumbersofitslargerneighbors.Themostimportantelementofitsphilosophy–mobility–camefromtheLegionexperience.CzechoslovakLegionsinRussiathrivedonmobilewarfarewithinfantryunitssupportedbythefirepowerofarmoredtrainsandatonepointpracticallycontrolledtheentireTrans-SiberianRailwaybeforebeingevacuatedfromVladivostokandmakingtheirwaybacktotheirhomeland.OldLegionofficerswereoftenappointedtopositionsofcommand.　　Veryearlyon(1918-1920),theCzechoslovakmilitary,unlikeitsnorthernneighbor,hadlittleinthewayofarmor,relyingonacoupleofobsoletearmoredtrainsandsomeveryoldarmoredcarsfromItaly.AlltheheavyequipmentusedbytheLegionsinRussiastayedbehindwhenthetroopswereevacuated.　　ThefirsttanksoftheCzechoslovakarmy,aswasoftenthecasebackthen,wereFrenchRenaultFTvehiclesfromsurplussales.Attemptstopurchasesuchvehiclesdatebackto1919withthefirst5tanksbeingpurchasedanddeliveredin1922and1923and2morein1924.The20swerequitechaoticforCzechoslovakarmydevelopmentwithmilitaryexpertsunabletoagreeuponthecorrecttacticaluseoftanks,sotheseRenaultFTsformanyyearsremainedtheonlytrackedarmoredvehiclesoftheCzechoslovakmilitary.Thathoweverdoesnotmeantherewerenoattemptstochangethesituationandtodevelopthefirstindigenoustankformassproduction.　　Inthe20s,trackedarmordevelopmenttooktwobasicdirections.Onewasthe"usual"way–Czechoslovakdesigners(thePragaDesignBureau)lookedatwaystoimprovetheRenault.Theresultweretwoproposalsfromthe20s,knownasPragaMT("malýtank"orsmalltank)andPragaYNH.ThePragaMTwasoriginallyanartillerytractor-converted-tank.Itwasaproject-onlyvehiclethatwastobearmedwiththesameguntheFThad(37mmPuteaux).ThedesignhoweverturnedouttobeevenworsethantheoriginalRenaultFT(itshullwasverylong)anddevelopmentwasquicklystopped.ThesecondPragaprojectthatresembledtheFTcameaslateas1930andalthoughitwasdefinitelyanimprovement(forexampleitwastobearmedwiththeVickers44/60mmgunthatČKDhadtheproductionlicensefor),itcametoolateandthedemandsforarmoredvehicleshadmovedforward.Thisfailure,however,didnotdeterPragadesignersfromcontinuingtheirresearch.　　Unliketheexampleabove,theseconddirectiontakenturnedouttobeadeadend–itinvolvedwheel-cum-tracksuspensiondesignsfromJosephVollmer(adesignerofFirstWorldWarGermantanks)whosoldPragatherighttousesomeofhispatents.Theresultwasthe"Kolohousenka"seriesoflightarmoredvehicleswithconvertiblesuspension–theywereratherlightbutthesuspensionwasverycomplicated.Kolohousenkalightarmoredvehicleswerealsounreliable,verytop-heavyandhadpoorroughterrainperformance.SeveralprototypeswerebuiltandPragaattemptedtosellsomeabroad(toRussiaforexample)butwithoutsuccess.Oneprototypewasassignedtoamilitaryschoolasatrainingvehicleanditstayedthereuntil1935.Thearmydidnotabandonthewheel-cum-trackdesigncompletelyuntil1934whenthesimplificationrequirementsmadeitdefactoimpossibleforsuchdesignstofitinwitharmycriteria.　　It'sworthnotingthattheentire30sweremarkedbycompetitionbetweenPragaandŠkoda,bothrenownedcompaniesandbothwiththeirsuccesses.Pragabuiltthefirsttrulymass-producedCzechoslovaklighttank,theLTVz.34andthebestlighttankintheworldoftheearlywarperiod,theLTVz.38(knowninGermanserviceasPanzer38(t))whileŠkodabuiltthemainstayoftheCzechoslovakarmoredmight,theŠ-IIa,alsoknownasLTVz.35(or–inGermanservice–Panzer35(t)).Itisnotreallypossibletosaywhichcompany"won"intheend–duringthewar,bothcompaniesworkedfortheGermansandafterthewartheyactuallycooperatedoncertaintankprogramsuntilthe50s–after1948,however,theCzechoslovakeconomymovedtoSoviet-stylecentralplanningandthe"competition"effectivelyended.　　TheThirties　　Czechoslovakiaenteredthe30switheverincreasingweaponsproduction(intheearlyyearsofthedecade,Czechoslovakiawasactuallythebiggestarmsexporterintheworldforayearortwo).Unfortunately,thenext"trend"inarmorturnedouttobeaboutassuccessfulasthelastone–thistimeitwasthetankette.　　Tankettesareverysmallarmoredvehicles,usuallyfor2soldiers.PerhapsthebestknownaretheBritish(Carden-Loyd)andFrenchtankettesbuttheCzechoslovakmilitary,seeingthepopularityofthesevehiclesabroad,couldnotstaybehindandsotheinfamousTančíkVz.33(1933patterntankette)wasborn.ItwasbasedonaCardenLoyddesignanditwaspossiblytheworstarmoredvehicletoeverseeserviceintheCzechoslovakarmy.Ithadpracticallynoarmor,itwasslow,hadpoorall-terraincapabilitiesandmostofallitwasunreliable.Itsonlygoodqualitywasthatitwascheap(whichwasthemainargumentintheirfavor).ThesoldiershatedthesevehicleswithapassionandtheirfearswereconfirmedwhenthesetankettesweredeployedagainstNaziterroristsintheCzechoslovakborderlandsin1938withverypoorresults.Despitealltheseissues,morethan70werebuilt.TheywereusedmainlyfortrainingandaftertheGermanoccupationofCzechoslovakiatheywereallmostlikelyscrapped.　　TheriseofNazismandthepressureinEuropein1933ledtoacompleteoverhaulplanfortheCzechoslovakmilitary.Earlierthetankswereonlyconsidered–asinmanyothercountries–tobeinfantrysupportweapons,butthe1934armydevelopmentplanbroughtbigchangesbysplittingfutureCzechoslovakarmordevelopmentintothreecategories:　　CategoryI–tankettes　　CategoryII–lighttanks(latertobesplitintoIIa–cavalrylighttanks,IIb–infantrylighttanksandIIc–mediumtanks)　　CategoryIII–infantryassaultvehicles(breakthroughtanks)　　CategoryImostlyendedwiththeP-I(factorydesignationoftheTančíkVz.33)althoughtherewereothercompetingprototypesbyŠkoda(theMUseries).　　CategoryIIwasfarmoreinteresting.Thefirstmass-producedtankofthiscategorywasthePragaP-II,developedbetween1931and1932.Itwasaclassicconceptlighttank,ithad(foritstime)sufficientarmor(15mm)andtheexcellent37mmŠkodaA3gun.ItdidwinthearmycontractoveritscompetitorfromŠkoda(Š-II,alsoknownasS.U.)Soldierslikedthisvehiclealot–itwasveryreliablebutitalsohaditsflaws:in1935theprotectionwasalreadyinsufficientanditwasratherslow(32km/hmaximumspeed).Thedecisionwasmade,therefore,toreplaceitwithsomethingmoremodern.TheremainingLTVz.34tanksservedinvariousroles(usuallyastrainingvehicles)until1939whentheyfellintoGermanhands,althoughbythattimetheywerecompletelyobsolete.　　ThereplacementfortheLTVz.34belongedtotheIIacategory.Justlikebefore,twocompetingdesignsweremade–theŠkodaŠ-IIaandthePragaP-IIa.BothwereonparbutatthispointŠkodahadalotofpoliticalpoweranditwasthispowerthathelpedthecompanytipthescalesinitsfavor.Inanycase,itwasagoodchoice.Foritstime(1935),thevehiclewassimplyexcellent.Ithadagoodblendofarmor,firepowerandreliabilityanditwasacceptedintoCzechoslovakarmyserviceastheLTVz.35.Itwasnotallthatfast(34km/h),butthecrewslikeditseaseofoperationandmaintenance.Itwasalsowidelyexported,existedinmanyversionsandwasusedbymultiplearmies–capturedCzechoslovakstocksbecamethePanzer35(t),theRomaniansuseditastheR-2andtheBulgariansusedasomewhatmodifiedversioncalled"LektankŠkoda".Intheendover400weremadeintotal.　　ContrarytotheIIacategory,theIIbcategoryneverreallywentanywhereasbothŠkodaandPragaproducedvehiclesofinsufficientquality(P-IIbandŠ-IIb).　　ŠkodamayhavewonthepreviousroundbutitwasPragathatintheendintroducedthetechnicalmarvelthatwastheTNHchassis.DesignedbyPragaengineerandinventorAlexejSurin,theTNHseriesofvehicleswerethebestlighttanksofthelateinter-warperiod.PossiblythebestknownvariantistheLTVz.38,whichwasselectedasthenextCzechoslovaklighttank,butbeforeitcouldbeproperlyfielded,allproductionfellintoGermanhands.Superiortoanyotherlighttankinserviceatthattime,itwasthisvehicletheGermansusedtostrengthentheirarmoreddivisionsfortheirattacksonPolandandFrance.　　NumerousvariantsoftheTNHtanksexistedandtheserieswassldowidelyexportedtoSweden(Strvm/41),Iran(TNH),Lithuania,Slovakia,Peruandothercountries.Whilethesevehiclesbecameobsoletein1941,despiteimprovedvariantsstillbeingproduced,thesuspensionlivedonandwasusedinnumerousCzech-Germanprojects.ThemostfamousofthesewastheJagdpanzer38(t)(incorrectlyknownasthe"Hetzer").AfterthewartheTNHlighttankconceptwasrevivedyetagainintheTNH57/900andTNHbasedvehicleswereuseduntilthe60s.　　Onemoretopicthatshouldbementionedisthenumberofmediumand"heavy"tankprojects.Czechoslovakiaproducedtwomajormediumtanks–theŠkodaŠ-IIcandthePragaV-8-H.BothwereofroughlyequalpowerandbothwereequippedwithŠkoda47mmguns.Fortheirtime(1936-1937),theywerequiteadvancedandsufficientlyarmored.Praga'smodelwastrialedandselectedtobethefuturemediumtankoftheCzechoslovakarmyunderthedesignationSTVz.39("mediumtank1939pattern").Thisplan,however,failedduetotheoccupationofCzechoslovakiaandintheendthevehiclewasnevermass-produced.Škoda'svehicleontheotherhandreachedmass-productionstatusabroad–itwassoldtoHungarywhereitservedunderthedesignation"Turán".OriginalTurántanksweremodifiedŠkodavehiclesbuttheHungarianssoonfurtherdevelopedthedesignindependentlyofŠkoda(whichcontinueditsownresearchintomediumtanksduringthewar).　　Unlikethesuccessfullightandmediumtanks,the"heavy"tankswereacompletedisaster.Twoprojectsreachedprototypestage(Š-IIIbyŠkodaandT-IIIbyTatra,acompanywithlotsofarmoredcarexperiencebutnotankdesignexperiencewhatsoever)andbothwereterrible–tooheavy,veryunreliable,underpowered,under-armoredandextremelyfuel-hungry.TheseprototypesweretestedbytheCzechoslovakmilitary,whichhatedthemandlateronbytheGermans,whoconsideredthemuseless.Theywereprobablyscrappedduringthewar.　　Wartimeandpost-warCzechoslovakarmordevelopmentwillbedescribedinthesecondpartofthisserie