SdKfz.123 Light Reconnaissance Tank
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The Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. L "Luchs" (German for lynx) is a German light tank from the Second World War, developed between 1940 and 1942 by Daimler-Benz and MAN. The Luchs was the only Panzer II design with the Schachtellaufwerk overlapping/interleaved road wheels and "slack track" configuration to enter series production, with 100 being built from September 1943 to January 1944 in addition to the conversion of the four Ausf. M tanks. Originally given the experimental designation VK 13.03, it was adopted under the alternate name Panzerspähwagen II and given the popular name Luchs.
In the summer of 1938, German manufacturing firms Daimler-Benz and MAN began developing a new reconnaissance tank under the VK 9.01 index. This tank was positioned as a development of Panzer II, but in fact it was a brand new machine. The chassis with the overlapping wheel arrangement of the support links consisted of five links on both sides. The tank was powered by a 150 hp Maybach HL 45 engine that allowed the 10.5-ton tank to reach a top speed of 50 km/h. In 1939, a prototype was produced, and after testing it was adopted under the name Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. G.
