AH-IV
Encyclopedia
The AH-IV was a Czechoslovak
-designed tankette
used by Romania
, Sweden
and Iran
during World War II
. The Romanian vehicles saw action on the Eastern Front
from Operation Barbarossa
to the Vienna Offensive
. Twenty vehicles were sold to Ethiopia after the war who used them until the Eighties.
was determined not to repeat the problems of its earlier Tančík vz. 33
tankette and gave the gunner a turret for better observation and all-around fields of fire for its new AH-IV tankette. It was assembled from a framework of steel "angle iron" beams, to which armor plates between 12 and 6 mm (0.47244094488189 and 0.236220472440945 in) thick were riveted. The driver sat on the right side using an observation port protected by bulletproof glass
and an armored shutter. To his right was a small vision slit. Also to his right, in all models except the Swedish Strv m/39, was a light Zbrojovka Brno
ZB vz. 26 or vz. 30 machine gun that was usually locked in place and fired using a Bowden cable
. The gunner sat on the right and manned a small turret fitted with a ZB vz. 35 or ZB vz. 37
heavy machine gun in a ball mount. Most of the machine gun's barrel protruded from the mount and was protected by an armored trough. He had a large vision port to the right of the machine gun mount in the turret and a small vision slit on the left side of the superstructure. 3700 rounds were carried for the two machine guns. No radio was fitted.
The 3.468 litres (211.5 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder Praga engine produced 55 hp at 2500 rpm. It sat in the rear of the fighting compartment and drove the transmission via a drive shaft that ran forward between the driver and commander to the gearbox. Cooling air was designed to draw air in through the commander's and driver's hatches. This had the advantage of rapidly dispersing gun combustion gases when firing, but several disadvantages. The constant draft generated by the engine greatly affected the crew during cold weather, an engine fire would force the crew to evacuate and the engine noise and heat increased crew fatigue. It had a top speed on the road of 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph) and a range between 150 and 170 km (93.2 and 105.6 mi). The semi-automatic Praga-Wilson transmission had five forward gears and one reverse gear to drive the forward-mounted drive sprocket. The suspension was a smaller version of that used in the Panzerkampfwagen 38(t). It consisted of four large road wheels per side, each pair mounted on a wheel carrier and sprung by leaf springs. There were two wheel carriers per side. The idler wheel was at the rear and one return roller was fitted. It had a ground pressure of only 0.5 kg/cm2. It could cross a ditch 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide, climb an obstacle 0.5 to 0.6 m (1.6 to 2 ft) high and ford a stream 0.8 metres (2.6 ft) deep.
prevented any follow-through. Their tankettes were the smallest of the series at only 3.5 tonne and differed only slightly in size from the Romanian R-1 tankettes that followed it on the production lines. It could only climb an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high, had a range of 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) and a ground pressure of only 0.45 kg/cm2. It used the ZB vz. 26 and 35 machine guns.
, on 14 August 1936, including one prototype to be delivered in two months and the entire order in seven months. These deadlines were unable to be met as the Romanians demanded many changes, which all had to be made on the production line because ČKD had initiated production of the entire order before the prototype was accepted. The first ten tankettes off the production line were sent to Romania in October 1937 to participate in the autumn maneuvers when they made a favorable impression before being returned to the factory. The production run was completed the next month, but the Romanians refused to accept them as they didn't conform to the specifications. The required modifications took until April 1938 to perform, but another evaluation was required under summer conditions and they weren't formally accepted until August 1938. Nicolae Malaxa
bought a license to produce the R-1 as the AH-IV-R was known in Romanian service, in September 1938, but irregularities and disputes over payment delayed the transfer of the production drawings until October 1939. His factory built one prototype, mostly from R-1 spare parts, but never began production.
with a more powerful 4.39 litres (267.7 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder, 85 hp Volvo
FC-CKD gasoline
engine and armor, up to 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) thick, from Avesta, although ČKD supplied most of the other components after building one prototype. The vehicle was heavily modified with the driver's machine gun deleted and proved to be the heaviest and largest version of the AH-IV at 4.68 tonne and a length of 3.4 metres (11.2 ft), a width of 1.85 metres (6.1 ft) and 1.96 metres (6.4 ft) high. Its turret mounted two Swedish 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) Ksp m/36 strv
machine gun
s and sported a small observation cupola on its top. It carried a radio and 3960 rounds for its machine guns. It had a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (124.3 mi). It could ford a stream up to 0.9 metres (3 ft) in depth. The last components were shipped in November 1938.
that produced 65 hp at 2200 rpm. This gave the AH-IV-Hb a top speed of 42 kilometres per hour (26.1 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (124.3 mi). It weighed 3.93 tonne and had a length of 3.2 metres (10.5 ft), a width of 1.82 metres (6 ft) and was 1.73 metres (5.7 ft) high. It had a ground pressure of only 0.48 kg/cm2, could ford a stream up to 1 metres (3.3 ft) in depth, but could only overcome an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high. It used the ZB vz. 26 and vz. 37 machine guns, for which it carried 2800 rounds.
, but all were out of commission by 1 October. Twenty-nine of the original thirty-five were allocated to the six cavalry divisions (redesignated from brigades on 25 March 1942) that successfully participated in the German 1942 summer offensive, codenamed Case Blue. The four R-1s belonging to the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Mechanized Squadron had to be set on fire as no fuel was available for them when the division was encircled outside of Stalingrad
in November 1942 as part of the Soviet Operation Uranus
counter-offensive. The 5th and 8th Cavalry Divisions had lost at least five R-1s during the same time trying to solidify the crumbling Axis defenses after the Soviet breakthroughs. Both divisions supported the Germans as they attempted to relieve the Stalingrad Pocket in Operation Winter Storm, but were shattered when the Soviets counter-attacked the unsuccessful relief effort in late December 1942. Two other cavalry divisions remained in the Kuban Bridgehead after the German withdrawal from the Caucasus, but their two remaining serviceable R-1s were withdrawn back to Romania during the spring of 1943 as obsolete. On 30 August 1943 only thirteen R-1s were available, all assigned to the Cavalry Training Center, although this increased by one on inventories dated 25 March and 19 July 1944. Nothing is known of any action involving R-1s during 1944, but eleven reinforced the 2nd Armored Regiment in Czechoslovakia when it reached the front on 26 March 1945. By 24 April the regiment only had one R-1 available, but none were reported as available after that date.
. The tankettes remained in service on Gotland up to 1953.
on 9 May 1950 after which they were railed to Addis Ababa
. They were used until the 1980s when they participated in the fighting against Somalia.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
-designed tankette
Tankette
A tankette is a tracked combat vehicle resembling a small tank roughly the size of a car, mainly intended for light infantry support or reconnaissance. Colloquially it may also simply mean a "small tank"....
used by Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Romanian vehicles saw action on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
from Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
to the Vienna Offensive
Vienna Offensive
The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna, Austria. The offensive lasted from 2–13 April 1945...
. Twenty vehicles were sold to Ethiopia after the war who used them until the Eighties.
Description
Českomoravská Kolben-DaněkCKD
A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product...
was determined not to repeat the problems of its earlier Tančík vz. 33
Tančík vz. 33
The Tančík vz. 33 was a Czechoslovak-designed tankette used mainly by Slovakia during World War II. Seventy-four were built. The Germans seized forty when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939; there is no record of their use. The Slovaks captured thirty at the same time when they declared...
tankette and gave the gunner a turret for better observation and all-around fields of fire for its new AH-IV tankette. It was assembled from a framework of steel "angle iron" beams, to which armor plates between 12 and 6 mm (0.47244094488189 and 0.236220472440945 in) thick were riveted. The driver sat on the right side using an observation port protected by bulletproof glass
Bulletproof glass
Bulletproof glass is a type of strong but optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to being penetrated when struck by bullets, but is not completely impenetrable. It is usually made from a combination of two or more types of glass, one hard and one soft...
and an armored shutter. To his right was a small vision slit. Also to his right, in all models except the Swedish Strv m/39, was a light Zbrojovka Brno
Zbrojovka Brno
Zbrojovka Brno was a firearm and vehicle manufacturer in Brno, Czech Republic. They also made other products and tools- History :The firm was established in 1918.The Czech-Slovak investment group J&T bought an areal of Zbrojovka Brno in 2007.-Firearms:...
ZB vz. 26 or vz. 30 machine gun that was usually locked in place and fired using a Bowden cable
Bowden cable
A Bowden cable is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable relative to a hollow outer cable housing...
. The gunner sat on the right and manned a small turret fitted with a ZB vz. 35 or ZB vz. 37
ZB-53
The ZB-53 was a machine gun used by the Czechoslovak army designated TK vz. 37 and later used by German forces during World War II as the MG 37....
heavy machine gun in a ball mount. Most of the machine gun's barrel protruded from the mount and was protected by an armored trough. He had a large vision port to the right of the machine gun mount in the turret and a small vision slit on the left side of the superstructure. 3700 rounds were carried for the two machine guns. No radio was fitted.
The 3.468 litres (211.5 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder Praga engine produced 55 hp at 2500 rpm. It sat in the rear of the fighting compartment and drove the transmission via a drive shaft that ran forward between the driver and commander to the gearbox. Cooling air was designed to draw air in through the commander's and driver's hatches. This had the advantage of rapidly dispersing gun combustion gases when firing, but several disadvantages. The constant draft generated by the engine greatly affected the crew during cold weather, an engine fire would force the crew to evacuate and the engine noise and heat increased crew fatigue. It had a top speed on the road of 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph) and a range between 150 and 170 km (93.2 and 105.6 mi). The semi-automatic Praga-Wilson transmission had five forward gears and one reverse gear to drive the forward-mounted drive sprocket. The suspension was a smaller version of that used in the Panzerkampfwagen 38(t). It consisted of four large road wheels per side, each pair mounted on a wheel carrier and sprung by leaf springs. There were two wheel carriers per side. The idler wheel was at the rear and one return roller was fitted. It had a ground pressure of only 0.5 kg/cm2. It could cross a ditch 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide, climb an obstacle 0.5 to 0.6 m (1.6 to 2 ft) high and ford a stream 0.8 metres (2.6 ft) deep.
Iran
Iran was the first customer for the AH-IV and ordered fifty plus a prototype in 1935 for delivery the following year. Deliveries began in August 1936 with the last batch arriving in Iran in May 1937, although the armament was shipped separately and wasn't installed until November 1937. The Iranians were well pleased with their vehicles and planned to order between 100 and 300 additional AH-IVs, but the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prevented any follow-through. Their tankettes were the smallest of the series at only 3.5 tonne and differed only slightly in size from the Romanian R-1 tankettes that followed it on the production lines. It could only climb an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high, had a range of 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) and a ground pressure of only 0.45 kg/cm2. It used the ZB vz. 26 and 35 machine guns.
Romania
The Romanians signed a contract for 36 AH-IV-R, as they were designated by ČKDCKD
A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product...
, on 14 August 1936, including one prototype to be delivered in two months and the entire order in seven months. These deadlines were unable to be met as the Romanians demanded many changes, which all had to be made on the production line because ČKD had initiated production of the entire order before the prototype was accepted. The first ten tankettes off the production line were sent to Romania in October 1937 to participate in the autumn maneuvers when they made a favorable impression before being returned to the factory. The production run was completed the next month, but the Romanians refused to accept them as they didn't conform to the specifications. The required modifications took until April 1938 to perform, but another evaluation was required under summer conditions and they weren't formally accepted until August 1938. Nicolae Malaxa
Nicolae Malaxa
-Biography:Born in a family of Greek origins in Huşi, Malaxa studied engineering in Iaşi and Karlsruhe...
bought a license to produce the R-1 as the AH-IV-R was known in Romanian service, in September 1938, but irregularities and disputes over payment delayed the transfer of the production drawings until October 1939. His factory built one prototype, mostly from R-1 spare parts, but never began production.
Sweden
Sweden ordered forty-eight tankettes in 1937 as the Stridsvagn m/37 (Strv m/37) after a successful demonstration during winter conditions in the Krkonoše Mountains. They were to be assembled in OskarshamnOskarshamn
Oskarshamn is a coastal city and the seat of Oskarshamn Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the Medieval age...
with a more powerful 4.39 litres (267.7 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder, 85 hp Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
FC-CKD gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
engine and armor, up to 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) thick, from Avesta, although ČKD supplied most of the other components after building one prototype. The vehicle was heavily modified with the driver's machine gun deleted and proved to be the heaviest and largest version of the AH-IV at 4.68 tonne and a length of 3.4 metres (11.2 ft), a width of 1.85 metres (6.1 ft) and 1.96 metres (6.4 ft) high. Its turret mounted two Swedish 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) Ksp m/36 strv
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...
machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s and sported a small observation cupola on its top. It carried a radio and 3960 rounds for its machine guns. It had a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (124.3 mi). It could ford a stream up to 0.9 metres (3 ft) in depth. The last components were shipped in November 1938.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia ordered twenty AH-IV-Hb tankettes on 24 June 1948. In form these reverted to the driver's machine gun and single machine gun in the turret, but were of welded construction rather than riveted. They used a 4.94 litres (301.2 cu in), air-cooled Tatra 114 diesel engineDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
that produced 65 hp at 2200 rpm. This gave the AH-IV-Hb a top speed of 42 kilometres per hour (26.1 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (124.3 mi). It weighed 3.93 tonne and had a length of 3.2 metres (10.5 ft), a width of 1.82 metres (6 ft) and was 1.73 metres (5.7 ft) high. It had a ground pressure of only 0.48 kg/cm2, could ford a stream up to 1 metres (3.3 ft) in depth, but could only overcome an obstacle 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) high. It used the ZB vz. 26 and vz. 37 machine guns, for which it carried 2800 rounds.
Iran
The AH-IVs were split between the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions in service. Nothing more is known of their service or when they were withdrawn.Romania
The R-1s were assigned to the cavalry brigades, two platoons of two or three tankettes apiece. All eighteen belonging to the Cavalry Corps were grouped into the ad-hoc "Korne Mechanized Detachment" during the opening stages of Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, but all were out of commission by 1 October. Twenty-nine of the original thirty-five were allocated to the six cavalry divisions (redesignated from brigades on 25 March 1942) that successfully participated in the German 1942 summer offensive, codenamed Case Blue. The four R-1s belonging to the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Mechanized Squadron had to be set on fire as no fuel was available for them when the division was encircled outside of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
in November 1942 as part of the Soviet Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...
counter-offensive. The 5th and 8th Cavalry Divisions had lost at least five R-1s during the same time trying to solidify the crumbling Axis defenses after the Soviet breakthroughs. Both divisions supported the Germans as they attempted to relieve the Stalingrad Pocket in Operation Winter Storm, but were shattered when the Soviets counter-attacked the unsuccessful relief effort in late December 1942. Two other cavalry divisions remained in the Kuban Bridgehead after the German withdrawal from the Caucasus, but their two remaining serviceable R-1s were withdrawn back to Romania during the spring of 1943 as obsolete. On 30 August 1943 only thirteen R-1s were available, all assigned to the Cavalry Training Center, although this increased by one on inventories dated 25 March and 19 July 1944. Nothing is known of any action involving R-1s during 1944, but eleven reinforced the 2nd Armored Regiment in Czechoslovakia when it reached the front on 26 March 1945. By 24 April the regiment only had one R-1 available, but none were reported as available after that date.
Sweden
The Strv m/37s initially served with the 1st Armored Battalion until the armored brigades began to be formed in 1943—44. Thereafter they served with the infantry regiments I 2, I 9, I 10 and P 1G Armored Company on GotlandGotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
. The tankettes remained in service on Gotland up to 1953.
Ethiopia
All twenty arrived in DjiboutiDjibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
on 9 May 1950 after which they were railed to Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. They were used until the 1980s when they participated in the fighting against Somalia.