Landsverk L-60

Strv L-60
Stridsvagn m/40K at the Hässlehoms Museum, Sweden
Type Light tank
Place of origin Sweden
Service history
In service 1935 – 2002
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-60
L-60 Ö
L-60 S
Toldi
Specifications (Original Landsverk L-60 specifications)
Weight 8.5 t (8.4 long tons; 9.4 short tons) (laden)
Length 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
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)

Landsverk L-60, was a Swedish tank developed in 1934. It was developed by AB Landsverk as a light tank which included several advanced design features such as torsion bar suspension, periscopes rather than view slits and all-welded construction.[1]

The L-60 was progressively improved with several turrets, engines and guns offered by Landsverk. The L-60 entered the international market in 1935 and was eventually adopted by the Swedish army in 4 main variants: Stridsvagn m/38, Stridsvagn m/39, Stridsvagn m/40L and Stridsvagn m/40K.

Variants

  • L-60 - First variant produced and delivered to:[2]
  • L-60 Ö (for Österrike "Austria") - Variant for the Austrian Army and delivered to:
    •  Austria - 1 prototype ordered in 1936. Similar to the regular L-60 with a 20 mm madsen in the turret but with a raised idler-wheel. Not accepted for service.
    •  Hungary - L-60 Ö repurposed and deliviered to Hungary together with a Landsverk L-62. The idler-wheel was modified back to the state of a regular L-60. Lead to hungary purchasing a license to produce the L-60. The Hungarian variant was named Toldi.
  • Toldi : Variant for the Hungarian Army. (main article: Toldi)
  • L-60 S: Variant for the Swedish Army.[2]
    • L-60 S/I (Strv m/38) - 15 ordered in 1937 and delivered in 1939.
    • L-60 S/II (Strv m/39) - 20 ordered in 1939 and delivered in 1940.
    • L-60 S/III (Strv m/40L) - 100 ordered in 1940 and delivered in 1941.
    • L-60 S/IV - Not a direct variant of the L-60. It went under the name Landsverk Terro and was a smaller Landsverk Lago.
    • L-60 S/V (Strv m/40K) - 80 ordered in 1942 and delivered in 1944 by Karlstads Mekaniska Verkstad (Karlstad Mechanical Engineering), a subcontractor that assembled the tanks.

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 L-60 was delivered in 1935 and joined Ireland's only other tank a Vickers Mk. D in the 2nd Armoured Squadron. The second Landsverk L-60 arrived in 1936. The L-60s were still in use up until the late 1960s. One L-60 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 Americas. 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[3]. Today one is preserved in excellent, drivable condition as a historical icon by the Dominican Republic army.

Stridsvagn m/40 at Beredskapsmuseet outside Helsingborg

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ointres.se/strv_m_38-39.htm
  2. 1 2 "Landsverk Stridsvagn L-60". Landsverk. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  3. ↑ Sebastien Roblin (22 June 2016). "In 1965, U.S. and Dominican Tanks Fought Brief, Violent Skirmishes". War is boring.

Sources

  • Tanks of the World 1915-1945 by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis 1972/2002 p 159.
  • Landsverk - Site about AB Landsverk between 1850 and 1992 (in Swedish)

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