News
VHU is going to present LT-38 tank instead of the IS-2
From technical grounds the originally planned heavy WW2-era IS-2 tank is not going to appear at Mošnov airfield in weekend of September 22-23. The Czechoslovak LT-38 light tank, which was at NATO Day in 2004 already, is going to present itself instead.
“The change of VHU’s participation is unfortunate and we hope that the visitors, who were looking forward to the Soviet armour, won’t be disappointed. Nevertheless we believe that the Czechslovak LT-38 tank, which substitutes it, will more than adequate substitution, more so that it is a tank of Czechoslovak origin,” Zbyněk Pavlačík, the chairman of the organizing Jagello 2000 Association, commented the change of VHU’s participation of NATO Days in Ostrava.
The LT-38 tank was created by OKD based on a competition of the Czechoslovak Army in 1938. The Army had ordered 150 tanks, however it was unable to commission them before the occupation and the tanks were taken into use by the German Wehrmacht. It employed the tanks as PzKpfw 38 (t) Ausf. and with the German Army they fought in Polish front, against France and 700 of these tanks took part even in attack on the Soviet Union. Besides Germany, these were used by the Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Only after the war had ended, the LT-38 finally served in the Czechoslovak Army.
Original news: VHU will introduce another colossus - a Soviet IS-2 tank (11 Jul, 2012)
The LT-38 is said to be the best light tank of pre-WW2 era. It had harmonious firepower, armour and manoeuvrability, it was easy to maintain and highly dependable. It was armed with 37mm calibre Škoda A7 cannon and two 7,92mm calibre Mark 37 heavy machineguns. The cannon round could breach 38mm thick armour from distance of 500 metres with head-on impact.
“So the LT-38 tank was the best tank of Czechoslovak construction and its qualities were revealed by the fact, that various modifications of the tank were being manufactured and used during the whole war,” Lt. Col. Ing. Jan Fedosejev of Military Historical Institute Prague said.
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