Pz. II

## Pz.Kpfw. II

In-game icon for the Pz. II.

*For other variants, see Panzer Family.*

The **Pz. II** is a Tier I light tank in the German tech tree.

## Description

The Pz. II is one of only three Tier I tanks to have an autoloader (machine gun), and the only one to have machine guns as its only armament options. From an offensive standpoint, this gives the Pz. II an advantage over lightly armored tanks, as a series of correctly placed shots can disable multiple modules or crew members. However, the Pz. II is not without its faults. Like most light tanks, the Pz. II is lacking in armor, especially on the sides and rear hull. While not as bad as other tanks of its tier, it is best to stay behind cover whenever possible.

### Pros

* One of the fastest Tier I tanks
* Autoloader with four (Tier I gun) or three (Tier II gun) rounds
* Best shell velocity for a Tier I tank, even better than any Tier II tank
* Good magazine reload time
* Sloped frontal armor, does not totally cover front but makes it harder for a moving tank to attack head-on
* Best view range for both Tier I and Tier II

### Cons

* Poor dispersion
* At 20mm, it has the lowest caliber top-tier gun for a Tier I tank
* Little damage per shell

* Requires multiple hits to cause any significant damage

* Poor effective power/weight ratio

## Strategy

### As Pz. II

With its speed and view range, the Pz. II is best used for scouting enemies. Try not to let the enemy spot you, especially if you are up against Tier II tanks. If you are spotted, do not stop moving and move erratically to make it harder for the enemy to lock onto you. Move toward your allies for cover, they will take care of any tank that followed you back.

Never take on a Tier II tank alone, odds are you won't survive. Instead, follow your teammates and spot enemies before they spot your team. Although you likely will not do significant damage, your gun can still be put to good use by destroying an enemy's tracks, thereby making them an easy target for your team.

If there is another Pz. II on your team, you can follow it and attack in pairs. Attacking in pairs against a lone enemy is an effective strategy in close combat, as it forces the opponent to focus on one tank and hopefully expose its weak spots to the other. Additionally, both tanks firing a salvo can cause confusion to the enemy, making two tanks feel like four.

### Against Pz. II

A lone Pz. II is usually no big deal as long as you do not expose your sides or rear to it. Keeping your rear bumper against a wall is a good defensive tactic, as it forces the Pz. II go for your sides and, usually, exposing their sides as well.

If you find yourself in a head-on face off with a Pz. II, do not move. Any tank with low dispersion should be able to target the panels in between the sloped armor.

The only time you should really be worried about a Pz. II is if you are at low HP. At that point, a Pz. II will have no trouble picking you off.

## Specifications

The following specifications represent those achieved by the tank without enhancements from consumables or equipment.

### Modules

 **Terrain CrossingCapacity** | Road: 95% Ground: 74%Water: 61%

## History

In July of 1934, the Waffenamt (Ordnance Department) ordered the development of an armored vehicle ten tons in weight and armed with a 20mm automatic cannon. In early 1935, a number of manufacturers, including Krupp AG, MAN (chassis only), Henschel und Sohn AG (chassis only), and Daimler-Benz AG provided their prototypes of the Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper 100 (LaS 100) - agricultural tractor - for evaluation by the army. The new vehicle was also known as the 2cm MG Panzerwagen and as VK 622 (Versuchkraftfahrzeug 622). The new light tank, Panzerkampfwagen II, was to supplement new Panzerkampfwagen I light tanks as a vehicle with heavier armament capable of firing armor-piercing and high explosive rounds. Krupp was the first to present their design, but it was not adopted. It was then decided to utilize the chassis designed by MAN and hull by Daimler-Benz. In October of 1935, the first soft steel prototype was tested and ten LaS 100 tanks, later designated as Ausf a1s, were ordered. From late 1935 to May 1936, MAN produced ten Ausf a1 tanks.

The Panzerkampfwagen II (Sd.Kfz.121) was larger than the Panzerkampfwagen I, but was still a light training tank. Due to the delays in production of the Panzerkampfwagen III and Panzerkampfwagen IV, the Panzer II entered combat service as a "stop-gap" vehicle for the expanding Panzertruppen. Similarly to the Panzerkampfwagen I, it did not prove very effective in combat, although it was the main battle tank of the Panzertruppen until 1940 and 1941.

Overall, the Panzerkampfwagen II was ineffective as a combat tank but was an important step in the development of more powerful panzers. When put in good hands, the Panzer II was a good light tank and an effective light reconnaissance vehicle that provided German designers and manufacturers with more tank building experience. As with any other panzer, its chassis became a base for the usual conversions, including the Marder II tank destroyer, Wespe self-propelled howitzers, and others. Additionally, other designs utilized the same components: the Flammpanzer II Flamingo/PzKpfw II(F) flamethrower tanks, the Schwimmpanzer II amphibious tank, and the Sturmpanzer II Bison self-propelled gun.

## Historical Accuracy

The 2 cm Flak 38 gun configuration is fake.

* The 2 cm Kw.K. 38 was only mounted on the Ausf J-L variants. Its configuration on the A-F variants is also fake.

## Trivia

The Panzer II was severely nerfed in Update 6.2, when the clip was reduced from 6 shells to 3 shells.

The Panzer II is one of the few tanks with full auto-loader guns, even before Update 5.5.