- Yes
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History
History
The origins of the TKS with the 20mm NKM wz. 38FK can be traced back to the early development of Polish tankettes in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Poland had purchased and studied the British Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankette, which became the basis for the domestic TK series. While the original TK-3 and later TKS were designed primarily as reconnaissance vehicles armed with machine guns, rapid developments in armored warfare soon exposed the limitations of their light armament.
The improved TKS entered production in 1934 as a modernization of the earlier TK-3. Compared to its predecessor, the TKS featured a redesigned hull with improved armor shaping, a more reliable Polski Fiat 122B engine, reinforced suspension, and better visibility for the commander. Despite these improvements, the vehicle still retained only a single machine gun, usually the 7.92 mm Hotchkiss wz.25. As armored vehicles across Europe became increasingly protected, the Polish Army recognized that the machine gun-armed TKS would struggle against enemy tanks.
Attempts to improve the firepower of the TK/TKS series began during the mid-1930s. Several foreign weapons were evaluated for installation inside the cramped tankette hull. Early experiments included the mounting of the 13.2 mm Hotchkiss heavy machine gun and later the Swiss 20 mm Solothurn S18-100 automatic cannon. While these tests proved that heavier weapons could successfully be fitted into the vehicle, neither solution fully satisfied the Polish military. The Solothurn in particular was considered expensive, bulky, and insufficiently suited for mass domestic production.
In response, work began on a domestic automatic cannon that could be mounted inside the TKS while still maintaining acceptable crew ergonomics and ammunition capacity. The project was led by engineer Bolesław Jurek at Fabryka Karabinów in Warsaw, resulting in the development of the 20 mm nkm wz.38 FK-A. The weapon was compact, magazine-fed, and capable of penetrating the armor of early German tanks at combat ranges. Compared to previous experimental armaments, the FK-A offered a far more practical solution for the Polish Army.
Integrating the cannon into the TKS required a number of structural modifications. The hull front had to be redesigned with a new armored gun mantlet and modified internal mounting system. Changes were also made to the commander’s hatch and observation equipment to improve operation of the larger weapon. Ammunition storage was reorganized to accommodate 20 mm box magazines stored throughout the fighting compartment. Due to the extremely limited internal space, the commander was forced to serve simultaneously as gunner and loader, which placed a heavy burden on the single crewman operating the weapon.
Testing of the modified TKS proved highly successful. The 20 mm cannon dramatically increased the combat value of the small tankette, giving it the ability to destroy lightly armored vehicles and threaten even medium tanks from the sides or rear. Following successful trials, the Polish Army approved the conversion of a portion of existing TKS vehicles to the new standard. Initial plans envisioned the conversion of around 100–150 tankettes, though production and rearmament proceeded slowly due to industrial limitations and the late introduction of the FK-A cannon.
By the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, only around 20–24 TKS tankettes had been completed with the 20 mm cannon. Although few in number, these vehicles became some of the most capable armored fighting vehicles available to the Polish Army during the campaign. Their small silhouette, high mobility, and surprisingly powerful armament allowed them to effectively ambush German armour easily.
The most famous combat actions involving the TKS 20 mm variant were carried out by Cadet Roman Orlik during the September Campaign. Commanding a cannon-armed TKS, Orlik successfully destroyed multiple German armored vehicles during engagements near Pociecha and Sieraków, including several Panzer 35(t) tanks and Viktor von Ratibor’s PzKpfw IV B. These actions demonstrated the effectiveness of the upgraded TKS despite its tiny size and outdated tankette concept.
The alleged wreck of Viktor von Ratibor’s PzKpfw IV B tank
Characterisics
Summarised Characterisics
Details
- Crew (2)
- Driver, commander/gunner
- 20 mm FK wz. 38
- Ammo:
- wz. 38 PZS (API-T)
- wz. 38 PWS (APHE-T)
- Paula (APHE)
- Paulina massiv (AP-T)
- Elevation: -15/+20°
- Fire rate: 320 rds/min
- Combat weight: 2,6 t
- Engine: Polski FIAT-122BC
- Max speed: 47 km/h
Armament
Details
- 20 mm FK wz. 38 model A
- Elevation: -15° to +20°
- Fire rate: 320 rds/m
- Traverse: 48° (manual)
- Total ammunition capacity: 80 rounds (16 magazine clips)
- Ammo feeding: Single feed (5-round magazine clips)
Location of ammunition
9 magazines in four racks on the right side on the section of the fender located inside the tank, 1 magazine at the rear right side on the sloped superstructure plate, 1 magazine at the rear left side on the sloped superstructure plate, and 5 magazines in three racks between the engine and gearbox and the gunner’s seat.
Ammunition
Name Type Muzzle velocity Mass Fuze Explosive mass Explosive type wz. 38 PZS (🇵🇱) API-T 835 m/s 150.5 g None None None wz. 38 PWS (🇵🇱) APHE-T 843 m/s ~148 g Base (0.05 s delay) 1.6 g PETN The ammunition below was trialed and tested on the 20 mm FK wz. 38 model A, these were loaded into the 20 x 140B cartridges.
Name Type Muzzle velocity Mass Fuze Explosive mass Explosive type Paula (🇨🇭+🇵🇱) APHE 848 m/s 143 g Base 1.6 g PETN Paulina massiv (🇨🇭+🇵🇱) AP-T 820 m/s 155 g None None None
Mobility
Details
- Engine: Polski FIAT-122BC
- Transmission: multi-disc dry main clutch, mechanical gearbox
- Gears: 4 forward, 1 reverse
- Top Speed: 46 km/h (29.8 mph)
- Weight: 26000 kg
- Supension: Bogie
Diagram of the TKS suspension
Armour
Details
Each segment of the armour is labelled over here, thickenss is in MM’s of course.
frontal angle of the tank
rear angle of the tank
Other
Details
- Crew (2) : Driver, Commander/Gunner
- Commander sight: Gundlach’s reversible periscope
- TKS tanks had a mount for the wz.25 MG machine gun.
- Gunners sight: “Scope for 20 mm nkm wz. 38 FK model A” developed by PZO, based on the wz. 37 C.A37 tank scope, would have a 1.9x-3.5x zoom.
- Length: 2.58 m
- Width: 1.78 m
- Height: 1.32 m
Pictures/Videos
Sources
Polskie tankietki TK/TKS z działkami 20 mm
Armament of Polish armoured vehicles 1918-1939 - vol.2
Polskie tankietki TK (TK-3) i TKS
TKS – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia
321 TK 3 TK S 1939 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
