How did the Pz. II improve on the earlier Pz. I tank?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Kuwait: U.S. 1st Armored Division M1A1 Abrams tanks — tank M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks of the U.S. 1st Armored Division moving across the desert in northern Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, February 1991.

The Pz. II improved upon the Pz. I by offering increased size, firepower, and protection, despite remaining a light tank. While the Pz. I was armed only with two 7.92-mm machine guns and protected by 15 mm of armour, the Pz. II featured a 20-mm gun alongside a machine gun and increased its maximum armour thickness to 30 mm.1

The Pz. II also expanded its crew capacity from two to three members, allowing for more effective operation. Although it was heavier at 10 tons compared to the 5.4-ton Pz. I, it maintained a comparable top road speed of 40 km (25 miles) per hour. These enhancements made the Pz. II the mainstay of German panzer divisions during the first two years of the war while the more powerful Pz. III and Pz. IV models were still in development.1