TK-3
In service 1931 - 1939
Poland's first mass-produced armoured vehicle, a turretless tankette developed from the British Carden-Loyd Mk VI and intended for reconnaissance rather than combat.
Built byPanstwowe Zaklady Inzynierii (PZInz)
Photograph pending. No clearly licensed photograph of this vehicle was found.
Development history
Poland bought Carden-Loyd tankettes in 1929 and immediately set about improving them. The TK-3 gained a fully enclosed armoured superstructure, better suspension and a Polish-built Ford engine, making it more survivable and more comfortable than the open British original. Around three hundred were built from 1931 and they equipped the reconnaissance companies of Polish cavalry brigades and infantry divisions. In September 1939 they were hopelessly outmatched: a machine gun could not hurt a German tank and the thin plate stopped little more than rifle fire. Crews nevertheless used them aggressively for scouting and for ambushes against soft transport, and a handful of 20 mm-armed conversions did destroy German armour.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
TK-3
1931Base production version with 7.92 mm Hotchkiss machine gun.
TKF
1933Re-engined with the Polski Fiat 122B and improved cooling; about 18 built.
Notable actions
- Invasion of Poland (1939)