Stridsvagn L-60

Strv L-60

Stridsvagn m/40K at the Hässlehoms Museum, Sweden
Type Light tank
Place of origin Sweden
Service history
Used by Sweden
Kingdom of Hungary
Ireland
Dominican Republic
Wars World War II
Dominican Civil War
Production history
Designer Otto Merker
Designed 1934
Manufacturer AB Landsverk
Variants L-60A
L-60B
L-60C
L-60D
Toldi
Specifications (Irish Landsverk L60 Light Tank)
Weight 8.5 t (8.4 long tons; 9.4 short tons) (laden)
Length 4.8 m (15.7 ft)
Width 2.075 m (6 ft 9.7 in)
Height 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)
Crew 3

Armor 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in)
Main
armament
Madsen 20mm Cannon
Secondary
armament
7.92 mm Madsen machine gun
Engine Bussing-Nag V8 cylinder 7.9 litres
150-160 bhp at 2500-2700 rpm
Suspension Torsion-bar suspension
Operational
range
270 km (170 mi)
Speed 45 km/h (28 mph)

Stridsvagn L-60 (Strv L-60), also known as Landsverk L-60, was a Swedish tank developed in 1934. It was developed by AB Landsverk as a light tank which included several design features later adopted by Germany, Hungary, and Russia in their tank designs.

The L-60 was progressively improved and four variants were created: L-60A, L-60B, L-60C (37mm gun), L-60D (new turret and 37mm gun and twin machine guns). The L-60 eventually evolved into the Stridsvagn m/38 and subsequent Stridsvagn m/39 and Stridsvagn m/40 and was adopted by the Swedish army as such.

Variants

Foreign service

Hungarian Service

The L-60 was built under license by the Hungarian Weiss Company for the Hungarian army. It was adopted by the Hungarian army as the Toldi.

Irish Service

The first Irish Landsverk L60 was delivered in 1935 and joined Ireland's only other tank a Vickers Mk. D in the 2nd Armoured Squadron. The second Landsverk L60 arrived in 1936. The Landsverk's were still in use up until the late 1960s. One L60 is preserved in running order and the other is in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin.

Dominican service

Twenty were sold to the Dominican Republic army in 1956, having been refurbished and designated L/60L. In the Dominican Civil War in April 1965, these tanks saw use against invading American forces during “Operation Power Pack”. Three of the Dominican L/60Ls were destroyed: one by a US Army M40 recoilless rifle team of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the other two respectively by a M50 Ontos and a M48 Patton of a US Marine Corps armor detachment of the 6th MEU. This 29 April 1965 battle was one of the very few tank-vs-tank battles to ever happen in the Western Hemisphere. After “Power Pack” ended, the United States assisted the Dominican Republic in rebuilding its army and twelve of the original twenty L/60Ls were again refurbished and restored to service. These dozen continued in frontline use until 2002. Today one is preserved in excellent, drivable condition as a historical icon by the Dominican Republic army.

Stridsvagn m/40 at Beredskapsmuseet outside Helsingborg

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Landsverk Stridsvagn L-60". Landsverk. Retrieved 2012-05-18.

References

External links

External images
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