PzKpfw II (Panzerkampfwagen II) is a German light tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes of the car were created in 1934, and serial production continued in the period 1935-1944, ending with the release of about 1850 cars. Tank version A was equipped with one Maybach HL 57 TR engine with a capacity of 130 horsepower. It was armed with 1 20-mm KwK 30 cannon and 1 7.92-mm MG 34 machine gun located in the turret. The PzKpfw II was created as a result of a competition announced by the German Armaments Bureau for a light tank weighing up to 10 tons, armed with a 20 mm gun. The competition was won by MAN in cooperation with Daimler-Benz. Serial production began in 1935, during which many variants of the PzKpfw II tank were created. Chronologically, version A was the first, but it was produced in relatively small quantities. Soon after, the B version was created, which already had a new, more powerful engine and a modified chassis. Already in 1937, version C was created with a significantly changed chassis and reinforced frontal armor of the hull. At the end of 1940, the F version was created, which had stronger armor and a better gearbox than the C version. In 1942, the production of the L version ("Luchs") began, which had a completely new chassis, a new engine with a capacity of 180 hp. and a significantly increased maximum speed — from 40 km/h to 60 km/h. Many other vehicles were also built on the PzKpfw II chassis, such as the Wespe self-propelled howitzer or the Marder II tank destroyer. PzKpfw II tanks were used on almost all fronts of the Second World War, and from 1942 they began to be assigned to secondary tasks.
