Turan I and II Medium Tanks |
| Written by Marcia Malory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The first tanks that Hungary ever used were Carro Veloce 33 tankettes that were purchased from Italy in the 1930s.
Therefore, Hungary obtained the rights to Czechoslovakia's Skoda L-21 medium tank and then modified it to create the Turan I medium tank. The Turan I had a leaf spring suspension and used a Hungarian 8-cylinder 260 horsepower engine. Its main gun was a Skoda 1.58 inch (40mm) gun. Secondary armament consisted of two 0.315 inch (8mm) machine guns. One of these was coaxial, while the other was located in the hull. There was a five-man crew. The Turan I had a three-man turret with a radio. This replaced the two-man turret on the L-21. The Turan II had a modified turret with a more powerful 2.95 inch (75mm) gun. |