Armáda 21 Kopřivnické tanky - Neznámá kapitola z historie automobilky Tatra – Zavadil Radomír (2025)

The Tatra car manufacturer is known primarily for its trucks, but also for its passenger cars. Decades of tradition stem from the successful development of a chassis consisting of a central load-bearing tube, swinging half-axles, and an air-cooled engine. The company's production, especially after the merger with Ringhoffer's factories, also included rail vehicles and other industrial products that ensured the company's prosperity. A special branch of production became military vehicles, including tracked machines - tanks. Tanks? In this case, we are not talking about a well-known chapter from the history of the car manufacturer, but rather a more interesting one. The beginning must be sought in the time when Tatra, still under the name Kopřivnická vozovka, was invited to collaborate on the production of two vehicles with a combined drive system also known as "kolohousenka". The technical successes in the development of heavy vehicles and the experience gained in building the prototype of the KTT artillery tractor were to become the next figurative step leading to the development of its own armored combat vehicle with a combined chassis. The rapid development of armored technology in the mid-1930s prompted the Czechoslovak military administration to respond with a new specification of conditions for domestic construction...