This is a tank owned by a French collector.

After checking a few books I have serious doubts about the true pedigree of this vehicle.

Superficially it looks like an Ausf G command vehicle (blanked off MG opening on the hull front).

However, the turret doesn't match any photos or drawings I have of Pz 38(t)s. It also has a blanked off MG opening which I personally have never seen on any photo.

Also front plate of the fighting compartment should have six bolts, not four, MG blanking plate looks too big. Maybe a makeover job over a dammaged plate?

At the rear, the complex structure around the muffler looks suspicious, definitely not German, did the vehicle actually saw postwar use in Czechoslovakia or elsewhere?

The fittings on both side engine doors look like supports for spare roadwheels, a fitting typical of Swedish vehicles based on the 38(t), like the similar looking Stridsvagn m/41.

Also the front tow attachments are not typical of Panzer 38(t)s. Were they added after resoration to tow the vehicle around? Or are they another clue as to the Swedish origin of the hull, as Stridsvagn m/41s have exactly the same fittings!

I'll try to get more info from the owner, but my guess would be a modified Stridsvagn m/41 wreck rebuild as a 38(t) (this would also explain the strange fenders) with a turret that is either a fake or maybe taken from a fortification somewhere...

If you have another theory or comments to add, please post something in the discussion groups.

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