Panservogn m/42

The Panservogn m/42 was a Norwegian tank developed during World War II that was designed to serve as both a light infantry support vehicle and a tank-on-tank combat vehicle. The design of the m/42 was influenced by the experiences gained from the Panservogn m/39 and the Panserkampvogn m/39. The m/42 featured a more powerful 76mm cannon, which was a significant upgrade from the previous models.

### Design and Features

The m/42 was designed to be larger, wider, and taller than the Panservogn m/39. Despite its increased size, the m/42 retained a 4-man crew layout, with only 2 crew members in the turret, compared to the 3-man crew commonly found in Norwegian tanks. This design was considered unconventional, as it was abandoned by most major powers, but it was adopted in Scandinavian tanks as a way to conserve production time and cost.

The m/42 was generally larger and more heavily armored than the Panservogn m/39, but this came at the cost of reduced speed. Despite this, the m/42 was still considered "light" by many standards, and it could easily catch up to and overtake most German tanks of the time.

### Turret Design Issue

A major issue that the m/42 encountered was the lack of a standardized turret design. This led to the production of various variants of the tank, even from different companies. These variants included the Forsvarsverkene Type 1 and 2, the Otto og Mattis Variant, and the Kongsberg Variant.

* Forsvarsverkene Type 1 and 2: Type 1 was the original turret design intended for the tank. It featured a cast turret with an offset cupola for the commander, as well as a fan for the crew's safety and 2 vision slits on both sides for increased visibility. Type 2 was never built, but it was designed to have more space and better crew ergonomics.
* Otto og Mattis Variant: Otto og Mattis attempted to see if the Prototype Modell 1942 turret would work well with a "3" man crew. However, the design was dropped after the mock-up stage due to poor ergonomics for the crew.
* Kongsberg Variant: The most successful variant was developed by Kongsberg Våpen og Stridsvogn Fabrikk and it featured a strong design with good ergonomics. This variant was installed on the majority of the 50 tanks produced.

### Combat Usage

Despite the limited production of only 50 active units, many of the m/42 tanks saw combat and performed well. Due to its design, it was primarily used as a tank-on-tank combat vehicle, rather than an infantry support vehicle. The m/42 proved to be a formidable opponent for the lighter German vehicles, and its 76mm gun could knock out a panzer III with a single well-placed shot. This earned the m/42 the nickname "Trolljegeren" (Troll Hunter) among Norwegian soldiers.

### Surviving Examples

Despite the limited production of only 50 active units, a handful of Panservogn m/42 tanks have survived to this day. Some of these surviving tanks can be found in various museums around the world, including the Norwegian Armored Heritage Museum.

One of the most well-known surviving examples is the Panservogn m/42 on display at the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum in Oslo, Norway. This particular tank was captured by the Germans during the war and later recovered by the Norwegian Armed Forces. It underwent a full restoration in the 1980s and has been on display at the museum since.

Another example can be found at the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung in Koblenz, Germany. This tank was also captured by the Germans during the war and later used for testing and evaluation by the Wehrmacht.

In addition to these examples, a few more Panservogn m/42 tanks can be found in private collections and other museums around the world. These tanks serve as important reminders of Norway's contributions to the war effort and the innovative design and engineering of the Panservogn m/42.