Germany in 1939 The Panzer 38(t) performed well in the
invasion of Poland in 1939 and the
Battle of France in 1940. It was also used in the
German invasion of the Soviet Union from 1941 onwards in German and Hungarian units but, like other Axis tanks, was outclassed by Soviet tanks such as the T-34. •
Slovak National Uprising: 13 tanks of this type were used by the
Slovak insurgent army.
Iran Iran purchased 50 TNH tanks armed with a Skoda 37mm gun. A further order of 200 was interrupted by the German occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Iranian TNHs were assigned to the 1st and 2nd Divisions and the Imperial Guards but were overwhelmed by the 1000 tanks used by the Soviet Army in the
Anglo-Soviet invasion in August 1941.
Peru A Peruvian mission went to Europe in 1935 and looked at tanks from several major manufacturers before settling on the Czech LTP. Peru bought 24 of them. They were delivered in 1938–1939 and designated
38 (then
39). This small armoured force of two tank companies was complemented by truck-mounted infantry and artillery pulled by tractors (the Czech ČKD). Peruvian doctrine was influenced by the French military mission operating in Peru at the time, and emphasized the use of tanks to support infantry attacks rather than in independent mobile columns (as in the German
Blitzkrieg). The Peruvian tank battalion played an important role in the 1941
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, spearheading
the attack across the
Zarumilla River and at
Arenillas.
Hungary With a local designation T-38 was used by the Royal Hungarian army. 108 were handed over between 1941 and 1942. 92 deployed with the 1.st Field Armoured Division.
Romania The T-38 was the local designation for the wartime deliveries of Panzer 38(t)s from Germany in 1943. T-38 served with the forces operating in Kuban within 2nd Tank Regiment and later the 54th Company attached to the HQ and the cavalry corps in Kuban and Crimea. T-38 tanks were still in action with the 10th Infantry Division and Cavalry Divisions in 1944.
Slovakia In the Slovak Army, this tank received the designation
LT-38. Because of the first series of the LT-38 was not yet finished in
March 1939, when Czechoslovakia dissolved, and as the first series was seized by Nazi Germany, the army of the
Slovak State, which was a German ally in the Polish and Soviet campaigns, initially had only
LT-35 tanks. In 1940 the Slovak Army ordered 10 tanks, which were used in Operation Barbarossa. All of them were used at the
Eastern Front in the
Fast division in the Battalion of Assault Vehicles. Two tanks were destroyed; the other 8 tanks later returned to Slovakia. After that, the Slovak Army ordered another 27 tanks, and when the Germans started withdrawing Panzer 38(t) tanks, the Slovak Army received another 37 tanks from Germany. Thirteen tanks of this type were used by Slovak insurgents during the
Slovak National Uprising in 1944. One complete LT-38 tank in Slovak camouflage and one LT-38 torso are displayed in the
Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in
Banská Bystrica. Tank 313, the torso of which can be seen in the museum, was the third tank of the first order and saw combat on the Eastern front. Later it was used for training because of its high mileage. During the Slovak National Uprising it was used by insurgents, but because its engine failed, it was abandoned.
Sweden All Strv m/41 SI were sent to
P 3 in
Strängnäs, who were the only regiment who painted the road-wheels in the same camouflage pattern as the hull against regulations prescribing field-grey to be used. Most of the m/41 SII went to
P 4 in
Skövde, with a small number allocated to
P 2 in
Hässleholm and the material reserve of P 3. All tanks had been retired from active service in the mid-1950s and later rebuilt into Pansarbandvagn 301 armoured personnel carriers (APCs). == Technical data ==