Which was the smallest tank in WWII ?
Please excuse my couriosity 
!
This was a British “pocket tank”.
Mk VIB “Tetrarh”
Depends what you call a tank.
This was consided a tank then but by todays standards it would be a mobile machine gun nest.
They have a Panzer 1 here in Norway. Cracks me up everytime I see it. Alot changed by the end of the war.
Right Gen Pz1 was even less - 5 tonns and two mens of crew
Pirates of Europe continent;)
But it was not a tank with a gun - this was rather an armored mashin-gun transport.
This thing would have been lucky to stop my Grandmas Ford LTD!
Actually the Bundeswehr today uses a small tracked, lightly armoured vehicle, called not a tank, but a “Waffenträger” (Weapons carrier) named “Wiesel” (Weasel). It is quite light, can be carried in larger helicopters (e.g. CH-53G ), has a two man crew and is intended to give airborne troops a bit of fire power. Armament is either a 20 mm cannon or an AT missile (not sure if HOT).
from http://www.panzer-modell.de/referenz/in_detail/wiesel_mk20/wiesel_mk20.htm
Jan
I might be missing something, but I can’t see a machine gun on it.
This means that it’s an infantry support weapon with, so far as cannon go, very light low firepower and no ability to defend itself against many infantry attacks. So it has to rely on infantry for its defence, who are relying upon it while it’s attracting a lot of fire. Not a recipe for success for either arm.
Despite disparaging comments about the mobile twin machine gun nest posted earlier, if you’re infantry facing it with no armour piercing weapons it’ll clean you up very nicely.
Still, if we’re going to pursue great armoured ideas, the Bren gun carrier with a crew of two to even five (no idea what the other three did after the driver and gunner - who is not the bloke on top with no protection - look behind the driver to bloke furthest right with gun in front) has to get a mention.
An example of its limitations are best summed-up in the following account: On 23rd November 1942, General Clowes at Milne Bay, New Guinea ordered a small number of Bren Gun Carriers to Cape Endaiadere as direct support to American troops operating in this area. It was made clear to the Americans that the Carriers were too lightly armoured and the crews too exposed for them to be used as tanks. In addition, they lacked any overhead protection from sniper fire, shell splinters and were extremely vulnerable to flank attacks. Thus they were forced to work with infantry support.
The aftermath of an attack at Cape Endaiadere on 5th December, resulted in vehicle crews being roughly handled and resulted in the abandonment of five vehicles. The supporting American infantry found they could not advance any further and the attack was called off. Sadly, it proved yet again, the futility of attempting to use inappropriate vehicles as tanks’.
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-armour/allied/bren_carrier.htm
The Bren carrier, at least in Europe, was, after initial wrong deployment as a “tank”, quickly relegated to transport duties in terrain not accesible to wheeled vehicles. Also, with it’s 6 mm armour plate, it was reasonably fragment proof and was e.g. used to transport men and equipment over areas under enemy mortar fire. It was also used in reconnaisance roles.
These things are actually quite fast. I once had the opportunity to ride in one and had to hold on for my life (now a picture for all our “Walt” spotters, outing myself. It was taken a few years ago at the 50 year VE day celebrations in Bussum, Netherlands. Our living history group set up a display and we were able to bribe the Bren carrier driver with a crate of German beer to take us for a spin. I’m the bloke desperately holding on to the Bren gun, which was BTW a live firing one, fitted with a Hollywood style (like in movie work not visible from the outside) blank adapted barrel), while trying not to fall overboard, these things are BUMPY:
If I had Euro 8000-9000 spare, I would buy the two unrestored Bren carriers a guy I know has in his garage and restore one of them in a recce version (with a working No. 19 wireless set included. 
Jan
RisingSun*,
The crew of a Wiesel weapons carrier consists of two men, a driver and a commander / gunner. They both carry their personal weapons, a H&K G36. The commander at least can use his G36 for close in defense. These vehicles are quite small, about the size of a Bren carrier. I see them quite often at the airport I work on, being shipped to Afghanistan.
Jan
This funky little thing is the M2a4 light American tank
I think the smallest tank would be the Japenese heavy tank. Its about half the size of a typical german tank and packs a big punch with a 57mm gun.
the french had a little tank, so small that the 2 man crew had hatchs which were rounded upwards to make room for their heads. it only had amachine gun. was used to haul artillery by the germans after 1940.
Threw the grenades back out?
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-armour/allied/bren_carrier.htm[/QUOTE]
TECHNICAL DATA
Weight…16000 lb.
Length…12 ft. 11 in.
Width…7 ft. 3.75 in.
Height…5 ft. 8.5 in.
Ground Clearance…10 in.
Armament:
1 37 mm Gun, M6; ammunition
A.P.C., M51B1, M51B2; A.P.,
M74; H.E., M63
1 cal .30 machine gun
Maximum speed…35 mph
Turning radius…20 ft
Maximum grade…50 %
http://www.robertsarmory.com/m22.htm
More:
The British Army Paras also used an indigenous airborne tank, MK VII Tetrarch tank which could be carried by a Hamilcar glider, in their drop across the Rhine in 1945…
Maybe polish TKS ?? only two men crew, and one machine gun
Type 94 Tankette “TK” - Japan
http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/tk.htm
Type 94 Tankette “TK”
Introduced Year : 1934
Weight : 3.2 ton
Dimensions: 3.08 x 1.62 x 1.62(h) m
Armor (max) : 12 mm
Speed (max) : 40 km/hr
Engine : Gasoline Engine 35 PS/2500 rpm
Armaments : Type 97 7.7 mm or Type 91 6.5 mm x 1
Crew : 2
Production Qty : 843TK was designed as an ammunition tractor but it was used as tankette in China. Light-weight TK was very convenient in China because the roads in China were very poor and the Chinese infantry had no anti-tank weapons.
The idler wheels of the modified model were replaced to large one and grounded in order to improve the stability of the chassis.
TK was mainly deployed in the Independent Tankette Companies.
When originally built the M2 was designated, and met the standards for a medium tank. A contemporary of the German MkII, the French R35, or the early Soviet BT5 types. Note the sponson mounted MMG for attacking infantry & other soft targets.
Here´s the Renault UE of 2,8ton, but I think it misses the definition of a tank…
…the microscopic Japanese “Kanda” (on which any info will be appreciated)
Some Polish TKD´s and the Japanese Type 95 So-Ki
The VA 601 (a Vickers “ulitily tractor”, I suspect) which might not be armoured (can anybody tell me?), but I like the picture…
The C-L One Man Tankette, not part of WWII though and an off topic picture from 1899…
Would that be the R35?
