First To Fight Kits 1/72 Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.D - German Light Tank # 012

Name: First To Fight Kits 1/72 Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.D - German Light Tank # 012
Brand: First To Fight Kits
SKU: FTF012
Price: 8.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

SKU

FTF012

In Stock

Type:

1/72 Military

Special Price £8.99 was £9.99

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Details

The Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. D (Panzer II Ausführung D) was a distinctive and less conventional variant of Germany’s early-war light tank series, developed to improve speed and mobility for fast-moving formations.

Unlike earlier versions of the Panzer II, the Ausf. D featured a completely redesigned suspension system, replacing the standard road wheels with a torsion bar system and four large road wheels, giving it a unique appearance and different handling characteristics.

Powered by a Maybach engine, the Ausf. D was capable of higher speeds than its predecessors, making it suitable in theory for reconnaissance and rapid exploitation roles.

It retained the standard armament of a 20mm KwK 30 autocannon and a coaxial 7.92mm machine gun, which was effective against infantry and lightly armoured targets but increasingly inadequate against more heavily armoured vehicles.

Despite its intended advantages, the new suspension system proved problematic in practice.

It reduced off-road performance and reliability, limiting the tank’s effectiveness in real combat conditions.

As a result, the Ausf. D saw only limited frontline use during the early stages of the Second World War, including the campaign in Poland.

Due to these shortcomings, many Ausf. D chassis were later withdrawn from front-line service and converted into other roles.

One of the most notable conversions was the Flammpanzer II, where the chassis was adapted to carry flamethrower equipment for specialised assault operations.

Today, the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. D is remembered as an experimental step in the evolution of German armoured vehicles—an attempt to prioritise speed and innovation, but one that ultimately fell short of expectations in operational use.

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