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LK II

First World War German light tank

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 6, 2026
Entity authorityQ1087783
Source-derived summary

The Leichter Kampfwagen II ("light combat vehicle"), commonly known as the LK II, was a light tank designed and produced in limited numbers in Germany in the last year of World War I. A development of the LK I, it incorporated a fixed rear superstructure and had two distinct configurations; one variant being armed with the MG 08/15, and the other being armed with a 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt gun. Its armor was 8 to 14 mm thick, which led to a total weight of 8.75 tons. Power was provided by a Daimler-Benz Model 1910 4-cylinder 55-60 hp gasoline engine, giving a maximum speed of 14 to 18 km/h with range of 65–70 km.

The LK II was designed by German engineer and automobile designer Joseph Vollmer, who also designed the A7V, the K-Wagen and the LK I. Vollmer was appointed to the position of chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section

Only two prototypes were produced by June 1918, and were followed by orders for 580 tanks, which were never completed.

Stridsvagn m/21-29

Sweden

After the war, the Swedish government bought parts for 10 examples in secrecy for 200,000 Swedish kronor. The parts were shipped under the pretence of being boiler plates and agricultural equipment and then assembled in Sweden as the Stridsvagn m/21 (Strv m/21 for short), which was essentially an improved version of the LK II prototype. The Strv m/21 was powered by a sleeve valve engine located in the front, the driver and crew being in the rear. The suspension and running gear was protected by armored skirts. Ten of these tanks were built, their armament a single 6.5 mm (0.26 in) Schwarzlose machine gun.

In 1929, five were rebuilt to create the Strv m/21-29 variant which was armed with a 37mm gun or two machine guns and was powered by a Scania-Vabis engine.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “LK II” as first World War German light tank. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around First, World and German.

Editorial reviewA strong contextual entry point for chronology, institutions and public events when official records are distinguished from later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1910, 1918, 1929—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with First, World and German providing the first useful test.
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A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “LK II”, the useful work is to connect “first World War German light tank” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1087783. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1910, 1918 and 1929.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from LK II” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.