Lietuvos kariuomenės tankai ir jų vaidmuo valstybės gynybos planuose XX a. 4-ajame dešimtmetyje

Abstract

In the 4th decade of the 20th century, the Lithuanian Army, in order to strengthen its tank forces, twice implemented the purchase of 32 new Vickers-Carden Loyd light tanks. The most favourable factor for their choice was their price. The new tanks represented the then model of the European armies with a relatively large unit of light, fast, maneuverable but relatively easy armoured and armed combat crawler machines sold by good pricequality ratio, and their technical characteristics were well suited to the tasks they were supposed to perform. In addition, when choosing these tanks for the second time, they had already been tested in the army, and seemed to be the least risky option. The older Renault FT 17 which was part of the Lithuanian Army and the newly acquired tanks of the Vickers-Carden Loyd model belonged to the category of light tanks. In the 4th decade of 20th century, many of these tanks were haunted by technical problems, both big and small, caused by the wear and tear of a structure, imperfections, defects or improper maintenance and operation of the combat machines. Such poor technical condition of the tanks, and various permanent failures seriously affected the ability of combat machines to function effectively not only during exercises but also during a possible military conflict. What is true, is that the staff of the military forces, understanding the importance and value of the war machines, made great efforts, which in many cases were successful, to solve the problems above by appropriate repair and maintenance work.[...]