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Light tank From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Toldi was a Hungarian light tank of World War II, developed on the basis of the Swedish Landsverk L-60. It was named after the 14th century Hungarian knight Miklós Toldi. The Toldi was made in several different variants including some armed with a 20 mm gun, some armed with a 40 mm gun, some fitted with schürzen plates, and even a prototype tank destroyer variant armed with a 75 mm gun. At least one was even fitted with heavy anti-tank rocket launchers.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2010) |
| Toldi light tank | |
|---|---|
 38M Toldi I command tank with radio antenna | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Hungary |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1939-1945 |
| Used by |  Hungary |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MÁVAG AB Landsverk |
| Designed | 1936–1938 |
| Manufacturer | MÁVAG Ganz Works |
| Produced | 1939–1942 |
| No. built | 202 |
| Variants | 38M Toldi I 42M Toldi II 42M Toldi IIA 43M Toldi III 43M Toldi Páncélvadász |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Toldi I: 8.5 t Toldi IIA: 9.3 t |
| Length | 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Width | 2.14 m (7 ft 0 in) |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Armor | Toldi I: 7-13 mm Toldi II: 7-23 mm Toldi III: 7-35 mm |
Main armament | 20 mm Solothurn S-18/100 gun[a] (Toldi I/II) 37/42M 40 mm L/42,5 or L/45 gun (Toldi IIA/III) |
Secondary armament | 1x 8 mm (0.31 in) Gebauer machine gun |
| Engine | Büssing-NAG L8V 7.9 litres 155-160 bhp |
| Power/weight | 19 hp/t |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
Operational range | 200 km (120 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) on road |
Steering system | clutch braking |
The Hungarian general staff wanted a modern light tank as soon as possible, after the domestically developed V-4 turned out to be too expensive by 1936 and work on it progressed slower than expected.[1]
Meanwhile, the Swedish AB Landsverk finished its recent development, the Landsverk L-60 in October, and was looking for a customer to cover the costs. After a series of trials in 1937 with the V-4 and the Panzer I, the MÁVAG heavy industries decided to purchase the license of the L-60, with a prototype for further development.[2][unreliable source?]
The turret of the vehicle was then modified, making space for the radio and other devices, with a cupola being placed on top (since the L-60 was still unfinished and lacked in many necessary features).[2] The original main armament, the 20 mm Madsen was also replaced initially by a 25 mm Bofors autocannon, and then by the 20 mm Solothurn anti-tank rifle, as it was already in service in the Hungarian army.[3] The hull would then be changed on the front, upper sides, and rear, to riveted plates instead of welded for faster and easier production, with the original Scania-Vabis 1664 engine being replaced by the German Büssing L8V.[4]
At first, 80 vehicles were ordered from MÁVAG, then an order for 110 more vehicles were placed in 1940.[4] In total, 202 units were produced.
The Toldi tanks first saw action with the Hungarian Army in the 1941 Invasion of Yugoslavia.[4] These tanks were then mostly used against the USSR between 1941 and 1944. Because of their light armour, armament and good communications equipment, they were mostly used for reconnaissance. The design was effective against Soviet light tanks widespread during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, such as the obsolete T-26 and BT-5. However it was totally inadequate against the Soviet T-34 medium tanks encountered during the later stages of the war on the Eastern Front. From 1940 to the end of 1942, Toldi tanks served in 22-vehicle-strong companies and there were also 7 tanks in the HQ sections.
After 1942, it was clear that the light tanks in service around the world at that time were no longer suitable for offensive operations. However, Toldi tanks were suitable for reconnaissance and flanking tasks. Furthermore, in order to save fuel and spare medium tanks, they were ideal for the basic training tank crews.
In light of this, from 1943 in the "Szabolcs" order of battle, the Toldi companies were disbanded and 5-5 Toldis were placed in the medium tank companies. In addition to training tasks, they performed the scouting and flanking missions for the unit. They were suitable for this thanks to better mobility, outstanding optics and good radios compared to T-60 and T-70 tanks. In addition, 9 Toldi were converted into medical evacuation vehicles. Thus, each medium tank company had 11-17 Turans (due to the lack of vehicles, not every company was replenished as required) and 5 Toldis.In addition, each battalion and regiment HQ had 5 Toldis and 1 Medevac variant. Usually 50-50% were B20s and B40s in these units. The exception to this was the 1st Cavalry Division, which had no Toldis in its Turán companies. Two dozen A20 Toldis were used as command vehicles of the Nimród SPAA squadrons and Zrínyi assault gun companies. The rest were used for training purposes after 1943. [6]
The Toldi entered Hungarian service in 1940. They were used extensively in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and on the Eastern Front. From 1942, the Toldis were reassigned to reconnaissance, command and ambulance roles.[4]
The Toldis fought throughout the war, but due to the siege of Budapest, the supply of spare parts ceased in late 1944, so the tanks began to suffer losses due to wear and tear too (by this time, all the Toldis and Nimróds had already accumulated more than 5,000 kms!). Although it was ineffective against the T-34 and IS tanks, the Toldi B40 had a chance against almost 40% of the Soviet armoured vehicles in 1944 (T-70, SU-76, BA-64, etc.) and it was able to evade heavier tanks due to its excellent maneuverability and small size.[6]
Several Toldi tanks were captured by the USSR late in the war, two of them were transported to Kubinka for testing and are still preserved there.[2]
A few Toldis were captured by the Romanians after Romania switched sides following the 1944 coup d'état. Their fate is unknown.[9]
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Two Toldi tanks (one Toldi I and one Toldi IIA) are preserved on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow, Russia. It can be seen that on the surviving 38M Toldi I the gun mantlet, guns, lights and rails have been modified or removed, and the right fender is damaged.
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