Inside Pz II Luchs | A WW2 Time Capsule
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- A remarkably rare vehicle, with just 100 built and just two still in existence, the Panzer II Ausf.L "Luchs" is a reconnaissance variant of the Panzer II and this is one of the most intact and original vehicles we have in our collection. Join Chris Copson as he looks inside this Second World War rarity.
Watch David Willey's Tank Chat on the Luchs here:
► • Tank Chats #114 | Luch...
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00:00 | Intro
00:30 | History & Development
04:22 | A Look Inside
10:13 | Production
#tankmuseum #luchs #ChrisCopson
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Fascinating that the museum's tank interiors range from "pristine" to "full of asbestos so we welded it shut"
Asbestos is dangerous only when abated into the air. Improper handling and construction causes it to ablate into the air.
Don't forget "The radium used in the glow in the dark dials made the inside so radioactive it's dangerous!"
Or the "it was burnt out so we can't look at it anymore"
@@fl_3682The radium would have long dissipated. The biggest problem with radium was, apparently , the habit of putting your brush in your mouth to wet it before dipping it into the radium paint to paint a compass or other instrument dial. Throat cancer was reportedly a major issue for the young women who painted those dials.
@@michaelguerin56There was also close contact. I knew a USN pilot who had the habit of sleeping with his watch on & rested his face on his wrist. He later got skin cancer at the spot on his cheek where the watch rested.
We hope you enjoyed seeing inside the Pz II 'Luchs' - let us know what you thought in the comments below!
Interesting that the speedometer is in mph? Is that a later fitment?
Like always, quality 👍
Just one little thing for your info, MAN is an acronym that is pronounced as individual letters.
Hello,
I am a WWII weapon collector since 40 years.
In my collection I have an MG34 with all accessories. Also the Lafette.
I would like to see the MG34, how to built into the mount.
How is it loaded once installed?
How to change the barrel once installed?
Unfortunately you will not find any information about this.
Greetings from Germany!
@Pilot12370 Nice, is it a fully functional MG-34 ready to rock & and roll? 😊
Ever considered using endoscopes on your tanks, for the public to use?
I applaud your keeping this in its original condition. It was the right thing to do!
Agreed ... but I wonder what the condition of the French one is. Might it be possible to put one in running condition and leave one pristine? They could even swap them back and forth every year or five years.
This is one of those AFV's that should be left as it is, on this I believe the Tank Museum has got the balance right and while seeing the Luchs running would be a dream for most that is not a viable project if you lose the fact that you have a nearly intact and original example which is minus a few items yet still has the stencilling in the turret present and legible after 80 years.
@@grizwoldphantasia5005 That is one cool name/callsign.
+1
Keep that kitten as it is. Great video and a great job on conserving that fascinating piece of history.
If there was ever a tank you could truly call cute, it's the Luchs. I love this little guy. How great would it be to have one in running condition? But yeah, I get it, this is certainly an example of when preservation should win out.
Luchs, Hetzer, TKS and Type 94 tankette. Little cute beetles
after the Panther, best looking tank ever…
Sad h35 Hotchkiss noises
@@aldo5428 I'm still particularly partial to the Tiger. I think it's that boxy profile, it's just what comes to mind when I think "TANK."
I might be a bit biased, though. One of my favourite toys when I was a kid was a larger scale Matchbox (I think?) Tiger. It was 3" or 4" long? It was the coolest!
@@iDEATH my favourites were the Airfix 00 scale kits of the Panther, Tiger, STuG III and Sd Kfz 234 armoured car, oh happy days…
In my opinion, the cutest tank to roll off the production line!
I didn't even know this one was in such pristine condition. Such a treat!
A respectable decision to not make the Luchs a running example, for there being only two of them
He's just a little guy!
Still think the cutest one is FT17. But this isn't far behind.
Wait until you see the Wiesel.
@@Lykyk Ah, my second favourite AFV and something I'd like to have for myself!
@@tomppeli. The Panzer I Ausf. F is pretty cute too
Some years ago I'd have been so happy with this video because I wanted to build a scaled replica with cardboard and wood, now I'm happy because I remember those times
As the saying goes "it's only original once". With such a rare vehicle, retaining originality is almost a no-brainer. Good to see such an interesting vehicle getting approprriate consideration.
The tank museum staff are great at answering any curiosity and question that comes up while watching these videos
I agree with leaving the tank be, but I do think using conditioners to keep leather or rubber from deteriorating over time is within the spirit of keeping the artifact original. It would still be the original item and would in fact be closer to original than a degraded piece would be.
No kidding, exactly my thought when he spoke of "fragile condition"! I have seen leather chairs more than a century old still in daily use!
Love the decision to leave this Luchs untouched. Would be amazing to see it running but not at the cost of losing its parts integrity and historical value. What an awesome video to wake up to! Thank you for this @thetankmuseum
Right I’d love to see it running
Its Unique. Its a Museum piece. Its best left alone as stated.
I love how both Chris and David Willey not only talk about the actual tank features but the history and what the purpose of the tank was. David Fletcher was fun but I prefer these really deep talks more. Keep up the great work
If I had the only one of one or one of two of something in the world, I would be incredibly loath to do anything with it other than admire it.
huh?
@@guaporeturns9472 So, there are, as Chris stated in the video, only two of these particular tanks extant (that means existing fully) in the world. One of them is what you are looking at. The only tank in the world rarer than this is the German A7V that belongs to the Australian War Memorial and is on display in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The Tank Museum decided after much internal discussion, as described by Chris in the video, not to restore the tank to running order, but to keep it as original as possible for future scholars/youtubers/game researchers/Lindybeige to study and appreciate in its most original condition.
There is only one Mona Lisa in the world, do the French put it on parade, or do they secure it to the wall behind bulletproof glass?
@@aaronleverton4221 I would definitely parade the Mona Lisa , and I would restore and operate the rarest tanks on earth…they were made to drive … so drive em. Mona Lisa was made to look at , so look at it.
@@guaporeturns9472 Mona Lisa is looked at every day And what damage would parading the Mona Lisa do to the Mona Lisa while your are parading it?
So, the Benz-Patent-Motorwagen was made for driving in 1885 therefore it should be driven today?
It's not my first go-to option, but given the variables, it's hard not to diagnose you as in need of a bridge.
@@aaronleverton4221 Bridge? No , I just believe what I believe and you aren’t going to change my mind but please keep commenting if it make you feel good.
Very well done. I especially appreciated the red highlights while describing parts inside the turret.
The red highlights are brilliant. Thank you!
Love the decision not to touch it, it really is a precious time capsule. love the video!
I like the way that the individual parts are emphasized in red. That seems new.
wow, I didn't even know they existed, I thought the Pz 2 Luchs-version was just a concept. even more remarkable that a tank this rare and this old is in such a good condition
Q-Why does Drivers speedometer read MPH and not KL PH????Excellent recon Lt PZ!!
It was hand painted on it during calibration and evaluation by the British Army, after it was captured.
@@GrouchyBear411 great -thanks
I feel like next to the “Hetzer” and Puma this is one vehicle that’s been popularized by video games. Always my go to early game vehicle for strategy games. It’s probably more popular now than it was with the actual crews lol.
Oh yes. This quickie s-box appears out of nowhere and wipes out a third of Tiger-131's HP in one burst... "and just like that he is gone".
Strategy games?
@@DrLoverLover Yes, like Call to Arms and Company of Heroes 2
@@jmi5969the most ludicrously OP rank in WoT
I find it quite intriguing that the speed indicator reads "MPH" (which means "Miles per Hour" and is not a typical German thing, bearing in mind that metric systems are used in Germany). So is it really in pristine original condition or was it refitted at some point to be used by the Allied troops on their advance towards Germany ?
The Allies did rarely use captured German vehicles on the Western front, but I figure this one was shipped home for testing.
I actualy would not be surprised if this is really meters per hour instead of the standard kilometers per hour. But I dont know, its just a guess since some very mundane things have been absolutely butchered while trying to engineer out the absolute max complexity as it was normal for german manufacturing during that time. For meters per hour would allow a much more accurate messurement of speed, than kilometers... That goes hand in hand with some other unneccessary things on weapons like mortars, where germans experimented with a scope to make mortars just as accurate as sniper rifles...
Not only that. The engine speed also has RPM, while in germany U/min is commonly used. This is certainly not original.
I had a field day running around in one of these in a video game. It was fast, reasonably powerful, and your survival depended on not getting hit. A great ambush "shoot and scoot" vehicle. Excellent at destroying light equipment.
Glad to see a real one at last.
Luchs to this day is the name for the Bundswehr scout tank/ armoured vehicle.
" You could in theory penetrate the rear or vulnerable parts of a Sherman..... Good luck with that" My sentiments exactly 😂
To be honest, the only thing you should be shooting up is enemy armoured cars and soft-skins - anything bigger you should be running away from. It was a fairly sensible weapon choice for a recce tank in 1942, but there's a reason they were looking to move up to a 50mm gun on the VK1602, and that was bigger light tanks like the Stuart appearing as the allied recce forces.
your sentiments🤣
MAN is one of those companies where you don’t say the acronym like a word but every letter individually. M-A-N.
Ja, nein, mann.
I sometimes note the same thing with the BAR.
Company of Heroes 2 made me love this tank but playing it in Hell Let Loose is something else.
Most fun tank in any game ever.
I only know what it's like to be on the receiving end of one of these. You guys are a menace. lol
Loved seeing how well persevered it is on the inside
What a brilliant upgrade to the Panzer II. Almost a complete makeover.
Aesthetically speaking the Luchs has always been in the top ten!
Radios get stripped out because they're not part of the vehicle. When I was an armoured crewman we got radios off the quartermaster and installed them in the vehicles before taking them out for training. At the end of the exercised they'd be removed again. Coax MGs were the same, they didn't "belong" to the vehicle.
Why? Were there insufficient radios for the number of vehicles? That would mean that in an emergency, you have less serviceable vehicles than physically exist. If I was minister for defence and found out there was not at least one radio for each tank, plus a few spares, I would hit the roof, and want the responsible man carpeted.
The taxpapers pay an awful lot of money, compromising a country's economic strength, to pay for the military's toys. They deserve to have them complete and fully operational at all times, apart from being ''cocooned"' for long term storage.
@@keithammleter3824 We had plenty of radios. I have no idea why we did what we did.
@@keithammleter3824chances are the same radios used in the vehicles are equally able to be used in some kind of FOB.
Having them easily removable and not permanently assigned to a vehicle makes that a lot easier to do
@@tyler_bt3326 ; Perhaps. But my earlier comment still applies. From my exposure to government and the military, since Minuteman said they had plenty of radios, I suspect it is probably nothing more than some nitwit officers who said ""this is what we do, because it has always been what we do."" and back in the 1914-18 war they did it that way because the equipment was very unreliable and needed to be removed for service and test after every mission.
@@keithammleter3824 I’m just taking a guess, idk for sure
Video of the month! Finally, I can see the inside the hull of a Luchs. Thank you 😊
I am a fan of leaving some museum pieces unrestored. But as an auto mechanic I also understand a requirement to occasionally turn over and even maybe start the engine and run till it warms up to keep it "Original". Sitting is one of the worst things to happen to an engine,
True
7:08 I really like that folding rear hatch that serves as a seat for observating. I never heard about this feature before!
Looks like the commander hatches for old French tanks, since they didn't have cupolas.
Depending on the interior state of the ARL-44 in the collection, you should do a video on that next. Keep up the good work though and keep making these videos.
I cant wait to see matilda 2, churchill.mk7 and conquerer :)
Great view not just of the inside of this amazing piece of history, but in the decisions that come up while running a tank museum!
Outstanding presentation!
This one should definitely be left original and untouched.
the luchs has to be my favourite WW2 tank. thanks for covering it in more detail, i always love to hear about it :)
Fascinating little vehicle. But with the entire war collapsing around them, amazing the Germans spent time on a light, fully-tracked recon vehicle.
But they didn't. The reason they only built 100 (and also cancelled the follow on VK1602) is because building Panthers was a much higher priority. Some might argue that Germany would have been better served building these than heavy tanks, but the Pz IIL duplicated the already fairly effective fleet of German armoured cars for recce and the Tigers offered an otherwise unavailable capability.
Wow! As cool as it would be to see it run, I fully agree that for how complete it is it would be an over all loss to make it run. One day I will make it across the pond to come and see your museum!
I am so glad that you have found your footing in this role. You explain what you are presenting so clearly, and you seem to be able to anticipate and address the common questions that people might think to ask. Every time I see a new post from you I literally think, "Oh, this will be good, I will learn something new! Good luck!
Nicely narrated thought the red colouring pointing the different components out was a great idea i absolutely love this tank and the panther building both as 1/35 scale models so seeing the interior of this luchs was amazing 👏
Wonderful...thank you so much for all you guys do.
I love how you present these vehicles. I also like how you highlight the areas you are talking about. Love your channel, great job.
Wonderful to see the interior. From constructing tank models for years, I always lusted for a Luchs! Just seems to be the small and fast vehicle that a modern calvary would want to go find the bad guys... with just enough punch to get out of the experience alive.
That was a real treat to see the inside in it's original condition ❤ The red highlighting of parts during the videos was very helpful.
Awesome! Thanks for posting!!!
Excellent video. I really liked the colorization of the tank parts, to allow a better understanding of the specialist's explanations
These are neat little tanks that I really like the look of. It is amazing that the interior is still in such amazing condition. Being so clean you can read the script on the stowage is pretty cool.
Copson is absolutely brilliant in these recent videos. @thetankmuseum He's knowledgeable about his business and i hope he keeps on with the content. Appreciate what you do at the Museum!
From the very moment I saw the Luchs in a library book, always my favorite tank / recce vehicle by “vibe” alone . As always Tank Museums presentation is top notch and covers these historic topics with the professionalism they must receive .
Always really liked the Luchs, there is actually a really accurate looking reproduction of one out in the US so at least you can see one running somewhere!
Early tank development is always fasinating. Thank you for making and uploading this video.
Great video.
Wise move to retain the historic integrity, as you said a real time capsule.
Marvellous to see the original interior - good decision! And so well presented, thanks.
The British do these documentaries so much better than anyone else. Clear, concise and incredibly interesting.
If someone from the Southern US had this tank, we'd have seen how it stands up to their modern .50 cal in slow mo, along with the obligatroy over dramatisation, and that would be the end of that.
Excellent review and showing respect. Thank you.
Is there an alternative AP round to the APCR? The tungsten shortages seem to have prevented most German tanks from using them so it would be a little odd if the Luchs got it. Also it is an amazing piece.
Nice!
The Luchs is my favorite tank.
I absolutely love it.
That was a fantastic video. Yes, the decision to keep that gem as original as possible was a good call.
Thank you for putting history ahead of exciting tankfest.
Outstanding video and presentation.
Really enjoyed this segment. Thank you Chris.
My feelgood WOT vehicle! Love it! Thanks guys❤
This guy needs to be the voice of the tank museum. Just saying
Outstanding video and presentation
Excellent presentation,as usual! I find this presenter awesome. Thank you for all the hard work bringing this to the web!
Awesome video, really enjoyed 👍.
Awesome original vehicle..a real museum jewel!!
Love all your vids! Cant wait to see the museum in person
Thanks you kindly for the look inside the vehicle. The time capsule aspect certainly speaks to the imagination.
Excellent and fascinating video. Thank you!
I have seen the Saumur one running for two times anda make a trip to the Tank museum to see that one. One of my favorites tank.
Brilliant video. Thank you.
I got to see this vehicle at the museum during tank fest this year. It was one of my favorites. Wish I lived in the UK, I would be there every weekend.
Excellent as always .
Very good review. Thank you!
I feel like there's a timeline we could easily have slipped into where the tank-fielding powers of WW2 went in hard on tankettes with HMG's and autocannons, deploying them as organic elements to infantry platoons or the like.
Well done by Chris and TTM team!
One of the nicest vehicles to come out of the dark side. I totally agree with the preservation of originality as well, although i would love to see it running.
I very much did enjoy this video, thanks.
Well done video, love reconnaissance vehicles
Excellent Episode Indeed!.
Love seeing the original interior, very few tanks of any type have that left I imagine. Also the Luchs is great in Hell Let Loose, perfect for shredding infantry
This is my fav WW2 tank. I absolutely adore using it in Hell Let Loose.
I built a scale model of one in the early 80's and it has been my favorite tank of all time!
Absolutely superb informative video 😊
It basically looks like a “mini Tiger” same front and angels on plates, even from behind it has an Tiger or Panter tilt to its plates, the tracks are also spot on, it just the gun that gives it away
Great video, thanks!
great video!
GREAT VIDEO!
Thump up, thank you for showing this little tank.
Thanks!
Great episode!
This was very interesting, I saw the one in Saumur a few weeks ago and I would never I imagined it was so rare ! I really hope I'll be able to go to Bovington one time, the collections seems incredible.
Thank you very much for your work and videos.
Don't interact in any ways with the bot who posted the first answer to my comment, its a scam.
Fascinating!!!
Great video!
That seat cushion on the hatch seems like an excellent idea, I read some of the descriptions from Bill Bellamy's book "Troop Leader: A Tank Commander's Story", and he describes his knees and legs getting sore as anything from kneeling on the back of his tank with his elbows on the turret doing reconnaissance with his binoculars for much of his time. Sitting like that with the legs in the tank must have felt more comfortable for German commanders and has the advantage that they could quickly slide forwards into the turret if the need arose.
A little gem I always looks for when I go to Bovington. For a tank it's unusually cute, especially now it's next to the Tiger 2 for comparison.
Amazing!