AB Landsverk
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Landsverk (AB Landsverk) was founded in 1872 as Firman Petterson & Ohlsen. It was a heavy industry, manufacturing railroad cars, harbour cranes and agricultural machinery, located in Landskrona, Sweden.
In late 1920 the company found itself on the verge of bankruptcy. Through a Dutch company the German Gutehoffnungshütte Aktienverein für Bergbau und Hüttenbereich Oberhausen (GHH) invested heavily and gained control of 50% of the shares.
In 1923 the company manufactured a small number of tracked agricultural tractors based on an American design. In 1925 the Germans increases their ownership to 61% and three years later the name was changed to AB Landsverk. In 1929 the German engineer Otto Merker was assigned to Landsverk to develop armoured vehicles, and a few prototypes of a German deign with both wheels and tracks was manufactured in Landskrona. In 1930 the Swedish Army ordered an armoured car for trials, and a few years later three light tanks on wheels and tracks.
In 1933 Lithuania ordered six, and Holland twelve, L-180 armoured cars. In 1934 Landsverk presented the L-60, the first tank ever with torsion-bar suspension. There were some very limited export of armoured cars to other countries like Denmark and Finland, and Hungary manufactured the L-60 as Toldi.
During WW2 Landsverk designed, and partly manufactured, most of the Swedish Army's tanks.
Right after the war, Landsverk was confiscated by the Swedish state and sold to Kockums.
