What is the Smallest Tank in War? A Spotlight on Tankettes
The smallest category of tanks utilized in warfare is undoubtedly tankettes – a vehicle class defined as miniature tanks, weighing less than 5 tons and often having a crew of just 2 soldiers. Designed for scouting and infantry support roles, tankettes sacrificed armor protection and firepower for extreme compact size and mobility.
A Brief History of Tankettes
The concept of the tankette dates back to the 1920s, with the first mass-produced model being the British Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankette introduced in 1929. Weighing under 1 ton and powered by a motorcycle engine, it set the template for tankettes over the following decade.
By the 1930s, tankettes were widely embraced by European nations as well as Japan, with over 50 models developed prior to WWII. Some of the most produced tankettes included:
- TKS (Poland): Over 2000 built in the 1930s. crew of 2, up to 35mm armor, topped 48km/h
- CV-33/CV-35 (Italy): Nearly 1800 produced. 2 man crew, up to 14mm armor, 55km/h max speed
- VA-4 (Czechoslovakia): Around 150 units made. 310hp engine, 4 crew, 37mm gun.
In the lead up to WWII, thousands of tankettes served in the Polish, Italian, Japanese, Soviet, and French armies primarily for reconnaissance and infantry support – their compact size enabling rapid mobility. However, tankettes were severely under-gunned and lacked armor compared to more formidable light, medium and heavy tanks of the era.
Tankette Specifications, Strengths and Weaknesses
| Model | Crew | Weight (tons) | Size (m) | Armor (mm) | Armament | Engine (hp) | Top Speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TKS | 2 | 3.4 | 3.5 x 1.8 x 2.4 | 13-35 | 1 x 20 mm gun | 40 | 48 |
| Carden-Loyd Mk.VI | 2 | 0.8 | 2.4 x 1.5 x 1.3 | 6 | 1 x .303 cal MG | 10 | 48 |
| CV-33 | 2 | 3.2 | 3.2 x 1.3 x 1.3 | 6-14 | 1 x 8mm MG | 32 | 55 |
| Type 94 Te-Ke | 2 | 3 | 3.4 x 1.7 x 2.1 | 6 | 1 x 37mm gun | 56 | 45 |
Comparing the above tankette models against heavier 5+ ton tanks:
Pros:
- Extremely compact and mobile over rough terrain
- Transportable by truck or rail cars; airdroppable
- Low silhouette makes harder to spot and hit
- Cheap and fast to produce compared to larger tanks
Cons:
- Very thin armor offers negligible protection
- Underpowered armaments struggle against enemy armor
- Small crew compartments prone to fragment injuries
- Not designed to engage heavy enemy tanks
So in summary, while tankettes offered outstanding reconnaissance abilities, their minimal armor and weak guns made them vulnerable in direct combat versus enemy tanks – with thousands lost early in WWII. Their fragility saw countries move to heavier and more capable designs.
Tankettes vs Light Tanks in Games
Having played hundreds of hours commanding light tanks in titles like World of Tanks, I liken tankettes to Tier I and II scouts – their chief advantage being speed and stealth. Like the Polish TKS or Italian L3/33 models, progression to heavier units is desired to go toe-to-toe against enemy tanks.
Carefully leveraging detection range, camouflage ratings, and flanking can enable tankettes to spot targets and utilize their mobility to evade attacks. Their fast-firing autocannons can disable modules and crew members when aimed carefully at weakly armored areas. Still, direct slugging matches are ill-advised given minimal armor – "flight" is better than "fight".
If modeled accurately, tankettes would have a niche in low-tier games, but make for challenging and fragile play rewarded through skillful exploitation of their size and speed. Their historical scouting role also suggests interesting mechanics like enhanced view range bonuses.
Potential Roles for Modern Miniature Tanks
While mostly abandoned after WWII due to inadequate protection, there may be scope for modern micro tanks or tankettes:
Rapid Deployment: Modern production methods and materials could create lightweight wheeled or tracked vehicles able to be airdropped enmasse or transported internally in V-22 Ospreys to forward locations within hours. Their small crew requirements would also reduce logistics demands.
Urban Combat: Heavily armored vehicles with the maneuverability to operate in dense city terrain, access subterranean areas, and be less prone to improvised threats relative to heavy tanks.
Swarm Applications: Large formations of expendable micro tanks could leverage situational awareness, sensors, drones, and machine learning to coordinate attacks. Trading survivability for numerical superiority and intelligence.
While these concepts invite skepticism, the underdog tankette accounted for nearly 40% of Germany‘s 7000 total tank losses from 1941-1942 – proving that massed inexpensive vehicles can overwhelm expensive heavies. Modern networked micro tanks may yet surprise critics.
Final Thoughts
The tankette represented an experiment in miniaturization taken to its limits – severely handicapped by meager armament and non-existent armor. But these pint-sized vehicles played an important scouting and infantry role – their road speed and modest dimensions offsetting their fragility in permissive low-intensity theaters.
And while long abandoned by modern militaries, there are murmurs of a tankette renaissance through concepts like Poland‘s light PL-01 stealth tank or mission-specific micro tanks. Reflecting on their 1930‘s heyday, there is still a niche case for small, nimble, inexpensive armored vehicles leveraging situational awareness over brute firepower and armor.
