TKS

(Polish light reconnaissance tank, known as a tankette)

The TKS was designed at the Studies Office of the State Engineering Works as a modernization of the TK-3 (derived from the British Carden-Loyd tankette), mainly involving changes to the shape of the front of the hull, engine replacement, and the addition of a periscope for the commander, changes to the armor, electrical system, and improvements to the running gear. Production at the Ursus Plants lasted from 1934 to 1936, where 280 units were produced, equipped with the wz. 25 Hotchkiss heavy machine gun, 7.9 mm caliber. In early 1939, the re-arming of TKS and TK-3 with the modern, Polish-designed wz. 38FK heavy machine gun of 20 mm caliber began, but by the outbreak of the war, only 23 units had been converted. The commander of such a vehicle, Warrant Officer Edmund Roman Orlik, became the first Polish tank ace, destroying, according to various sources, between 10 and 13 enemy tanks in the September battles. Three restored TKS units, through the efforts of many enthusiasts, delight visitors to Polish museums and dynamic displays during reenactments. Before you is the TKS with the wz. 25 Hotchkiss machine gun.

The author of the drawing is Mariusz Felek Foltak.