Variants of the Panzerkampfwagen II

The Panzerkampfwagen II dates back to the "2cm MG Panzerwagen" of 1935. As German industry had no expience in tank production, the Panzer I and II were designed not only to provide manufacturing practice to German industry, but to provide training tanks for the Panzer Divisons envisioned by the Wehrmacht. The Panzer II was weakly armed by the standards of 1939, yet remained in production as a gun tank until December of 1942. Some were still in use at the time of the battle of Kursk (and were hopelessly outclassed by any Soviet vehicle).

Because the vehicle was produced in large numbers, several variants were produced. As the war progressed, the possibility of using the Panzer II as a reconnaissance vehicle was explored.

Panzer II Ausf. L (Luchs)