| R-1 | |
|---|---|
 Vehicle No. 31 ready for delivery to Romania with Carol II's badge on the turret | |
| Type | Light tank or tankette |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia/Romania |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–45 |
| Used by | Romania Soviet Union (captured) |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | ČKD |
| Designed | 1936–37 |
| Manufacturer | ČKD, Malaxa |
| Produced | 1936–39 |
| No. built | 36[note 1] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.9 t (8,600 lb)[1][2][a] |
| Length | 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)[2][3] |
| Width | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1][b] |
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1][3][c] |
| Crew | 2 |
| Armor | 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in)[d] |
Main armament | 7.92 mm (0.312 in) ZB vz. 35 heavy machine gun |
Secondary armament | 7.92 mm (0.312 in) ZB vz. 26/30 light machine gun |
| Engine | Praga RHP, 6-cylinder, water-cooled 55 hp (41 kW)[1]–60 hp (45 kW)[2] |
| Power/weight | 13.1–15.4 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Leaf spring |
| Ground clearance | 0.32 m (13 in)[2] |
| Fuel capacity | 85 L (22 US gal)[2] |
Operational range | 170 km (110 mi)[1][2][e] |
| Maximum speed | 45 km/h (28 mph) on road[f] 20 km/h (12 mph) off-road |
The R-1 was a Romanian-used tank that saw action during World War II within the mechanized Romanian cavalry. It was a modified version of the AH-IV, a Czechoslovak-designed export vehicle, which was used exclusively by Romanian forces during the war. A number of 36 were used, 35 of which were built in Czechoslovakia, while one modified example was built in Romania under license. The R-1 is classified as either a light tank or tankette.
In 1935, Romania sought to modernize its armored forces by acquiring tanks of different types. Multiple countries were contacted for this goal, among them being Romania's Little Entente allies of France and Czechoslovakia, as well as Poland (also an ally). The R-1 ended up being one of the vehicles acquired from Czechoslovakia. The vehicles were delivered to Romania in 1938 and were assigned to cavalry brigades. Romania had planned to locally produce 382 vehicles itself at the Malaxa Works, but for a number of reasons, this had never happened, with only one example (called R-1-a, being different from the original R-1) produced there.
When introduced in the 1930s, the R-1 was superior to other similar-class vehicles of its time, such as the German Panzer I. However, it became obsolete by the start of World War II. Romania had joined the war as an Axis power at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Like many other Axis light tanks, the R-1 proved to have a poor performance because of its weak armor and armament, as well as the lack of a radio, which had limited its effectiveness for the reconnaissance role. Soviet tanks, especially the new T-34 and KV-1, were invulnerable to the R-1's machine guns, while the R-1, on the other hand, was an easy prey for their 76 mm guns, being destructible even by Soviet 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles. Opinions on the vehicle's performance vary, as, despite these drawbacks, some historians actually describe the R-1's performance as successful.
By early 1943, the vehicles were withdrawn from the frontline as obsolete. A proposal existed to turn them into tank destroyers by mounting 45 mm 20-K guns on them (see TACAM R-1), which was to make them more effective against enemy armor. However, even that proposal was regarded as being obsolete and was therefore cancelled. After King Michael's Coup on 23 August 1944, which had overthrown the pro-Axis Ion Antonescu and had put Romania on the Allied side, the R-1 saw service once again at the Soviets' will.
Despite some R-1s having survived the war, none are known to still exist. However, a 1:1 scale working replica has been built in the Czech Republic, being used at commemorative events.
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