The
Panzerkampfwagen 35(t), commonly shortened to
Panzer 35(t) or abbreviated as
Pz.Kpfw. 35(t), was a
Czechoslovak-designed
light tank used mainly by
Nazi Germany during
World War II. The letter (t) stood for
tschechisch (
German: "Czech"). In Czechoslovak service, it had the formal designation
Lehký tank vzor 35 (Light Tank Model 35), but was commonly referred to as the
LT vz. 35 or
LT-35.
A total of 434 were built; of these, the Germans seized 244 when they
occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939 and the
Slovaks acquired 52 when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Others were exported to
Bulgaria and
Romania. In German service, it saw combat during the early years of World War II, notably the
Invasion of Poland, the
Battle of France and
the invasion of the Soviet Union before being retired or sold off in 1942. It was used for the remainder of the war by other countries and as a training tank in Bulgaria into the 1950s.