- Yes
- No
- Great Britain
- Sweden
- Both Great Britain and Sweden
- No (I don’t want it)
- Tech tree
- Premium
- Event
- Battle pass
- No (I don’t want it)
The Landsverk L-60 in the service of the Irish Defence Forces
Today I would like to suggest the addition of the first variant of the Landsverk L-60 family of tanks, serving with the Irish Army. It would be similar to the Strv m/38 already in game, but armed differently.
The L-60
Spoiler
The Landsverk L-60 was developed as a light tank by AB Landsverk in 1933-34. For 1934, the L-60 was revolutionary and capable, being the first tank to use a torsion bar suspension system instead of Christie or leaf spring. It weighed 7.9 tonnes. It had a maximum armour thickness of 15mm. The version used by Ireland was armed with a 20mm Madsen cannon and a .303 Madsen machine gun in the same turret as the Leyland armoured car already in service with the Irish Army. The engine developed 160BHP, giving the tank a top speed of 45km/h.
Irish Service
Spoiler
In the early 1930s, the Irish Army only had a singular tank, a very outdated Vickers Medium Mk II variant, the Vickers Mk D. The only other armoured vehicles were a number of armoured cars. In 1934, the army became interested in a new tank then being developed, the Landsverk L-60. In August of 1934, one of the tanks was demonstrated to an Irish delegation. The demonstration was mostly a success, and the Irish delegation were happy with it, however, a major incident occurred upon starting the tank when a fire broke out and destroyed the tank. Landsverk paid for the replacement. Ireland ordered 2 tanks due to a very small budget. The tanks were painted grey and were extremely popular with Irish crews. They never saw combat, and were stood down from active duty in 1953 due to wear and a lack of parts. They were officially declared obsolete in 1968. Both tanks survive to this day, L-601 being in the National Museum of Ireland in Collins Barracks, and L-602 being in running order at the Curragh Camp Museum.
Specifications
Crew: 3 (Commander, Gunner, Driver
Weight: 7.9 tonnes
Armament: 20mm Madsen + .303 Madsen
Ammunition: 20mm AP, 20mm HE
Top speed (forward, backward): 45km/h, -5km/h (estimate based on Strv m/38 with which it shares the hull)
Horsepower: 160BHP
Armour: 13mm all around, 15mm turret front
Gallery
Spoiler
Sources
