TKS

(Polish light reconnaissance tank, known as a tankette)

The TKS was designed at the Design Office of the State Engineering Works as a modernization of the TK-3 (derived from the British Carden-Loyd tankette). This mainly involved changing the shape of the front part of the hull, replacing the engine, adding a periscope for the commander, changing the armor and electrical system, and improving the running gear. Production at the Ursus Works lasted from 1934 to 1936, where 280 units were produced, equipped with the 7.9 mm Hotchkiss wz. 25 heavy machine gun. In early 1939, TKS and TK-3 tankettes began to be rearmed with the modern, Polish-designed 20 mm wz. 38FK heavy machine gun, but by the outbreak of the war, only 23 units had been so modified. Sergeant Cadet Edmund Roman Orlik, commanding such a vehicle, became the first Polish tank ace, destroying, according to various sources, 10 to 13 enemy tanks during the September campaign. Three TKS units, restored thanks to the efforts of many enthusiasts, are now enjoyed by visitors to Polish museums and dynamic displays during reenactments. We present to you the TKS with the wz. 25 Hotchkiss machine gun.

The drawing was made by Mariusz Felek Foltak.