The Leichter Kampfwagen II ("light combat vehicle"), commonly known as the LK II, was a light tank designed and produced in limited numbers in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the last year of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A development of the

LK I The Leichter Kampfwagen ( en, light combat car) or "LK I" was a German light tank prototype of the First World War. Designed to be a cheap light tank as opposed to the expensive heavies coming into service at the time, the tank only reached the ...

, it incorporated a fixed rear superstructure and had two distinct configurations; one variant being armed with the

MG 08/15 The ''Maschinengewehr'' 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun. It was produced in a number of variants during the war. The MG 08 served during W ...

, and the other being armed with a 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt gun. Its armor was 8 to 14 mm thick, which led to a total weight of 8.75 tons. Power was provided by a

Daimler-Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufactur ...

Model 1910 4-cylinder 55-60 hp gasoline engine, giving a maximum speed of 14 to 18 km/h with range of 65–70 km. The LK II was designed by German engineer and automobile designer

Joseph Vollmer Joseph Vollmer (1871–1955) was a German automobile designer and engineer and a pioneering tank designer. As chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section, he designed the World War I German tanks A7V, K-Wagen, LK I and LK ...

, who also designed the

A7V The A7V was a heavy tank introduced by Germany in 1918 during World War I. One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, ten to be finished as fighting vehicles with armoured bodies, and the remainder as ''Überlandwagen'' cargo carriers. T ...

, the

K-Wagen The ''Großkampfwagen'' or "K-Wagen" (short for ''G.K.-Wagen'') was a German super-heavy tank, two prototypes of which were almost completed by the end of World War I. History In June 1917, before the first A7V tanks had been completed, the Ger ...

and the

. Vollmer was appointed to the position of chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section Only two prototypes were produced by June 1918, and were followed by orders for 580 tanks, which were never completed.

Stridsvagn m/21-29

Sweden

After the war, the Swedish government bought parts for 10 examples in secrecy for 200,000 Swedish kronor. The parts were shipped under the pretence of being boiler plates and agricultural equipment and then assembled in Sweden as the ''Stridsvagn m/21'' (Strv m/21 for short), which was essentially an improved version of the LK II prototype. The Strv m/21 was powered by a

sleeve valve The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in the United States in the Willys-Knight car and light truck. ...

engine located in the front, the driver and crew being in the rear. The suspension and running gear was protected by armored skirts. Ten of these tanks were built, their armament a single

Schwarzlose machine gun The Maschinengewehr (Schwarzlose) M. 7, also known as the Schwarzlose MG, is a medium machine-gun, used as a standard issue firearm in the Austro-Hungarian Army throughout World War I. It was utilized by the Dutch, Greek and Hungarian armies dur ...

. In 1929, five were rebuilt to create the Strv m/21-29 variant which was armed with a 37mm gun or two machine guns and was powered by a

Scania-Vabis Scania AB is a major Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for heavy vehicles as well as marine and general indu ...

engine. The Strv m/21-29 was an upgraded version of the fm/21. The modifications included a more powerful engine, a new alternator, and external lighting. One of these improved vehicles was driven by

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...

during a visit to Sweden in 1929. The Germans later bought a main share of the Landsverk Company and made Otto Merker the main designer and in 1931, it produced the '' Strv m/31'' (L-10), which was the first tank produced in Sweden. The Strv m/21-29 remained in service until 1938. A surviving example can be seen at the

Deutsches Panzermuseum The German Tank Museum (german: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster (DPM))''Deutsches Pa ...

at Munster, Germany, and both strv m/21 and strv m/21-29 was displayed at the Axvall Tank Museum in Sweden. One Strv m/21-29 is in the early stages of being restored to full working order in Sweden. As of 2018, the tank has been restored to running condition, and is now on display at the :sv:Försvarsfordonsmuseet Arsenalen in

Strängnäs Strängnäs is a locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of the thirteen dioceses ...

.http://blog.arsenalen.se/

References

{{Weapons made in Sweden 1914–1945, style=wide World War I light tanks World War I tanks of Germany Light tanks of Germany Tanks of Sweden World War II tanks of Sweden Tanks of Hungary Light tanks of the interwar period Trial and research tanks of Germany History of the tank hu:Landsverk M–21