AH-IV: Difference between revisions

AH-IV
AH-IV
	The original AH-IV prototype. It was different compared to the production vehicles of Romania, Sweden, etc., which had bigger turrets among other modifications.
Type	Tankette/light tank
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service	1934—85?
Used by	Romania; Iran; Sweden; Ethiopia
Wars	World War II, Eritrean War of Independence, Ethiopian Civil War, Ogaden War, 1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War
Production history
Designer	ČKD
Designed	1935—37
Manufacturer	ČKD, Malaxa
Produced	1936—39, 1949—50
No. built	155 + 4 prototypes (Czechoslovakia); 46 (Sweden, Strv m/37); 1 (Romania, R-1)
Variants	R-1, Strv m/37, AH-IV-Hb,; TACAM R-1
Specifications (Original AH-IV prototype)
Mass	3 tonnes (3.0 long tons; 3.3 short tons)
Length	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Width	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Crew	2
Armor	5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in)
Main; armament	1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) ZB vz. 35 heavy machine gun
Secondary; armament	1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) ZB vz. 26 machine gun
Engine	Praga AH; 46 horsepower (34 kW)
Suspension	leaf spring
Operational; range	150 km (93 mi)
Maximum speed	40 km/h (25 mph)

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Revision as of 21:27, 21 September 2021

The AH-IV was a Czechoslovak-designed export armored fighting vehicle, classed as either a tankette or light tank,^[2]^[3] used by Romania during World War II, but having also been acquired by neutral Sweden and Iran. Modified AH-IV versions were built under license by Romania (R-1) and Sweden (Strv m/37). The Romanian vehicles saw action on the Eastern Front from Operation Barbarossa to the Vienna offensive. Twenty vehicles were sold after the war to Ethiopia, who used them until the 1980s.

Description

Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk 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 (0.47 and 0.24 in) thick were bolted. 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/37, 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 left 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.^[4]

The 3.468 L (211.6 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder Praga engine produced 55 hp (41 kW) at 2,500 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 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 km/h (28 mph) and a range between 150 and 170 km (93 and 106 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 m (4 ft 11 in) wide, climb an obstacle .5 to .6 m (20 to 24 in) high and ford a stream .8 m (2 ft 7 in) deep.^[4]

Variants

Iran: RH (AH-IV-P)

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 II prevented any follow-through. Their tankettes were the smallest of the series at only 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons) 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 .5 metres (1.6 ft) high, had a range of 150 kilometres (93 mi) and a ground pressure of only 0.45 kg/cm². It used the ZB vz. 26 and 35 machine guns.^[5]

Romania: R-1 (AH-IV-R)

The Romanians signed a contract for 36 AH-IV-R, as they were designated by ČKD, 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.^[6]^[3]^[7]

Sweden: Strv m/37 (AH-IV-Sv)

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 Oskarshamn with a more powerful 4.39 litres (268 cu in), water-cooled, six-cylinder, 85 horsepower (63 kW) Volvo FC-CKD gasoline engine and armor, up to 15 millimetres (0.59 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 tonnes (4.61 long tons; 5.16 short tons) and a length of 3.4 metres (11 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 (0.31 in) Ksp m/36 strv machine guns 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 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (120 mi). It could ford a stream up to .9 metres (3.0 ft) in depth. The last components were shipped in November 1938.^[8]^[9]

Ethiopia: AH-IV-Hb

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 cu in), air-cooled Tatra 114 diesel engine that produced 65 horsepower (48 kW) at 2200 rpm. This gave the AH-IV-Hb a top speed of 42 kilometres per hour (26 mph) and a range of 200 kilometres (120 mi). It weighed 3.93 tonnes (3.87 long tons; 4.33 short tons) and had a length of 3.2 metres (10 ft), a width of 1.82 metres (6.0 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 metre (3.3 ft) in depth, but could only overcome an obstacle .5 metres (1.6 ft) high. It used the ZB vz. 26 and vz. 37 machine guns, for which it carried 2800 rounds.^[10]

Operational history

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.^[11]

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 Barbarossa, but all were out of commission by 1 October.^[12] 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.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15] 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.^[16] 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.^[17] 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.^[18]

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 Gotland.^[19] The tankettes remained in service on Gotland up to 1953.^[9]

Ethiopia

All twenty arrived in Djibouti 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.^[20]

Notes

^ Pejčoch & Pejs 2004, p. 292.
^ Kliment & Doyle 1979, p. 98.
^ ^a ^b Axworthy, p. 35
^ ^a ^b Kliment and Francev, pp. 109-115
^ Kliment and Francev, pp. 109-112, 281
^ Kliment and Francev, pp. 113-114
^ I.Pejčoch - Obrněná Technika
^ Kliment and Francev, p. 115, 282
^ ^a ^b "Strv m/37". Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
^ Kliment and Francev, pp. 133-4, 282
^ Kliment and Francev, p. 112
^ Axworthy, pp. 65-7
^ Axworthy, p. 81
^ Axworthy, pp. 92-3
^ Axworthy, pp. 109-11
^ Axworthy, p. 124.
^ Axworthy, p. 153
^ Axworthy, pp. 212-3
^ Tarnstrom, Ronald (1996). The Sword of Scandinavia. Armed Forces Handbooks. Lindsborg, KS: Trogen Books. p. 322. ISBN 0-922037-13-2.
^ Kliment and Francev, p. 134

References

Axworthy, Mark; Scafes, Cornel & Craciunoiu, Cristian (1995). Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-267-7.
Kliment, Charles K. & Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1948. Atlgen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0141-1.
Kliment, Charles K.; Doyle, Hilary L. (1979). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1945. Watford, UK: Bellona Publications. ISBN 0852426283.
Pejčoch, Ivo; Pejs, Oldřich (2004). Obrněná technika 5: Střední Evropa 1919–1945 (I. část) [Armored Vehicles 5: Central Europe 1919–1945 (Part 1)] (in Czech). Prague: Vašut. ISBN 9788072363179. {{cite book}}: Check |author-link1= value (help)
Pejčoch, Ivo; Pejs, Oldřich (2005). Obrněná technika 6: Střední Evropa 1919–1945 (II. část) [Armored Vehicles 6: Central Europe 1919–1945 (Part 2)] (in Czech). Prague: Vašut. ISBN 8072364294.

External links

[FOOTNOTEPejčochPejs2004292-1] Pejčoch & Pejs 2004, p. 292.

[FOOTNOTEKlimentDoyle197998-2] Kliment & Doyle 1979, p. 98.

[Axworthy35-3] Axworthy, p. 35

[k115-4] Kliment and Francev, pp. 109-115

[5] Kliment and Francev, pp. 109-112, 281

[6] Kliment and Francev, pp. 113-114

[7] I.Pejčoch - Obrněná Technika

[8] Kliment and Francev, p. 115, 282

[a-9] "Strv m/37". Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2009.

[10] Kliment and Francev, pp. 133-4, 282

[11] Kliment and Francev, p. 112

[12] Axworthy, pp. 65-7

[13] Axworthy, p. 81

[14] Axworthy, pp. 92-3

[15] Axworthy, pp. 109-11

[16] Axworthy, p. 124.

[17] Axworthy, p. 153

[18] Axworthy, pp. 212-3

[19] Tarnstrom, Ronald (1996). The Sword of Scandinavia. Armed Forces Handbooks. Lindsborg, KS: Trogen Books. p. 322. ISBN 0-922037-13-2.

[20] Kliment and Francev, p. 134

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@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 == Variants ==
-===Iran===
+===Iran: RH (AH-IV-P)===
 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-IV''s, but the outbreak of [[World War II]] prevented any follow-through. Their tankettes were the smallest of the series at only {{convert|3.5|t|ton}} 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 {{convert|.5|m|ft}} high, had a range of {{convert|150|km|mi}} and a ground pressure of only 0.45&nbsp;kg/cm<sup>2</sup>. It used the ''ZB vz. 26'' and ''35'' machine guns.<ref>Kliment and Francev, pp. 109-112, 281</ref>
-===Romania===
+===Romania: R-1 (AH-IV-R)===
 {{main|R-1 tank}}
 {{see also|TACAM R-1}}
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 The Romanians signed a contract for ''36 AH-IV-R'', as they were designated by [[ČKD]], 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.<ref>Kliment and Francev, pp. 113-114</ref><ref name="Axworthy35"/><ref>I.Pejčoch - Obrněná Technika</ref>
-===Sweden===
+===Sweden: Strv m/37 (AH-IV-Sv)===
 [[File:Stridsvagn m1937 Armémuseum.jpg|thumb|right|Stridsvagn m/37 on display at Swedish Army Museum in Stockholm, 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 [[Oskarshamn]] with a more powerful {{convert|4.39|l|cuin}}, water-cooled, six-cylinder, {{convert|85|hp|kW}} [[Volvo]] ''FC-CKD'' [[gasoline]] engine and armor, up to {{convert|15|mm|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 {{convert|4.68|t|ton}} and a length of {{convert|3.4|m|ft}}, a width of {{convert|1.85|m|ft}} and {{convert|1.96|m|ft}} high. Its turret mounted two Swedish {{convert|8|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[M1919 Browning machine gun|''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 {{convert|60|km/h|mph}} and a range of {{convert|200|km|mi}}. It could ford a stream up to {{convert|.9|m|ft}} in depth. The last components were shipped in November 1938.<ref>Kliment and Francev, p. 115, 282</ref><ref name=a>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenalen.se/en/fordon3en.aspx?f=2 |title=Strv m/37 |access-date=2009-05-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812065524/http://www.arsenalen.se/en/fordon3en.aspx?f=2 |archive-date=2010-08-12 }}</ref>
-===Ethiopia===
+===Ethiopia: AH-IV-Hb===
 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 {{convert|4.94|l|cuin}}, air-cooled [[Tatra (company)|Tatra]] ''114'' [[diesel engine]] that produced {{convert|65|hp|kW}} at 2200&nbsp;rpm. This gave the ''AH-IV-Hb'' a top speed of {{convert|42|km/h|mph}} and a range of {{convert|200|km|mi}}. It weighed {{convert|3.93|t|ton}} and had a length of {{convert|3.2|m|ft}}, a width of {{convert|1.82|m|ft}} and was {{convert|1.73|m|ft}} high. It had a ground pressure of only 0.48&nbsp;kg/cm<sup>2</sup>, could ford a stream up to {{convert|1|m|ft}} in depth, but could only overcome an obstacle {{convert|.5|m|ft}} high. It used the ''ZB vz. 26'' and ''vz. 37'' machine guns, for which it carried 2800 rounds.<ref>Kliment and Francev, pp. 133-4, 282</ref>

v t e Tanks of the interwar period
Tankettes	AH-IV Carden Loyd L3/33 L3/35 R-1 T-27 T-32 (Š-I-D) Tančík vz. 33 TKS Type 92 Type 94 Type 97 Te-Ke
Light	7TP 38M Toldi I Char D1 Disston Tractor Tank Fiat 3000 H35 L-60 Light tanks Mk I–V Light tank Mk VI Light tank Mk VII LT vz. 34 LT vz. 35 LT vz. 38 M1 combat car M2 light tank Panzer I Panzer II R35 T-18 T-26 T-37 T-38 Type 95 Ha-Go Vickers 6-ton Vickers-Carden-Loyd light amphibious tank Vickers T-15
Medium	Char D2 T-24 T-28 Type 89 I-Go Type 97 Chi-Ha Vickers medium Mk I Vickers medium Mk II
Cavalry, cruiser, fast	AMC 34 AMC 35 AMR 33 AMR 35 BT tank Cruiser Mk I Cruiser Mk II Cruiser Mk III SOMUA S35
Infantry	FCM 36 Hotchkiss H35 Matilda I T-26
Heavy, super-heavy	Char 2C Char B1 T-35
Prototypes, experimentals	10TP FCM F1 Grosstraktor Kolohousenka Landsverk L-120 Leichttraktor Medium Mark III Medium Mark D Medium tank A7 Morris-Martel Neubaufahrzeug PZInż 130 Škoda MU-4 SMK Straussler V-4 Stridsvagn m/31 ST vz. 39 T1 light tank T2 medium T7 combat car T-19 T-42 T-100 Type 87 Chi-I Type 91 heavy Type 95 heavy Type 97 Chi-Ni Type 98 Chi-Ho Verdeja Vickers A1E1 Independent
Interwar period tanks List of interwar armoured fighting vehicles Background: History of the tank, Tank classification, interwar period

v t e Romanian armored fighting vehicles of World War II
Tanks	Renault FT R-1 R-2 R-2c CDL R35 T-3 T-4 T-38
Tank destroyers	TACAM T-60 TACAM R-2 VDC R35
Assault guns	TAs
Half-tracks	Famo Sd.Kfz. 10 Sd.Kfz. 11 SPW ușor SPW mijlociu
Armored cars	Sd.Kfz. 221/22/23 AB-41 OA vz. 27 OA vz. 30
Armored carriers	Malaxa UE T-20 Komsomolets
Prototypes	T-1 AB md. 41 Mareșal Romanian Goliath
Proposed designs	R-2a R-3 1942 medium tank T-34-120/150 T-26/37 TACAM R-1 TACAM T-38 Mareșal SPAAG Mareșal self-propelled howitzer Mareșal command vehicle

v t e Swedish armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
Light tanks	Strv m/21-29 Strv m/30-31 Strv m/37 Strv m/38-39-40
Medium tanks	Strv m/41 Strv m/42
Armoured cars	Pbil m/39-40 Pbil m/41
Assault guns	Sav m/43
IFVs	Tgb m/42 KP