TKS

(Polish light reconnaissance tank, known as a tankette)

The TKS was designed in the Design Office of the State Engineering Works as a modernization of the TK-3 (derived from the British Carden-Loyd tankette). This modernization primarily involved changing the shape of the front part of the hull, replacing the engine, adding a periscope for the commander, altering the armor, electrical system, and improving the running gear. Production at the Ursus Works lasted from 1934 to 1936, where 280 units were manufactured, equipped with the Hotchkiss wz. 25 heavy machine gun, 7.9 mm caliber. In early 1939, the rearmament 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. Platoon leader cadet Edmund Roman Orlik, commanding such a vehicle, became the first Polish tank ace, destroying, according to various sources, between 10 and 13 enemy tanks during the September campaign. Three restored TKS units, thanks to the efforts of many enthusiasts, delight visitors to Polish museums and dynamic displays during reenactments. Before you is a TKS with a Hotchkiss wz. 25 machine gun.

The drawing was made by Mariusz Felek Foltak.