AB Landsverk

Landsverk (AB Landsverk) was founded in 1872 as "Firman Petterson & Ohlsen". It was a heavy industry, manufacturing
railroad cars, harbour cranes and agricultural machinery, located in Landskrona, Sweden.

In late 1920 the company found itself on the verge of bankruptcy. Through a Dutch company the German "Gutehoffnungshütte Aktienverein für Bergbau und Hüttenbereich Oberhausen" (GHH) invested heavily and gained control of 50% of the shares.

In 1923 the company manufactured a small number of tracked agricultural tractors based on an American design. In 1925 the Germans increases their ownership to 61% and three years later the name was changed to "AB Landsverk". In 1929 the German engineer Otto Merker was assigned to Landsverk to develop armoured vehicles, and a few prototypes of a German design with both wheels and tracks was manufactured in Landskrona. In 1930 the Swedish Army ordered an armoured car for trials, and a few years later three light tanks on wheels and tracks.

In 1933 Lithuania ordered six, and The Netherlands twelve, L-180 armoured cars. In 1934 Landsverk presented the L-60, the first tank ever with torsion-bar suspension. There were some very limited export of armoured cars to other countries like Denmark and Finland, and Hungary manufactured the L-60 as "Toldi". The Landsverk anti-II was an AA variant of this tank.

During WW2 Landsverk designed, and partly manufactured, most of the Swedish Army's tanks.

The Irish Army operated several Landsverk vehicles throughout the last 80 years. Two L-60 tanks were purchased in 1935 as training tanks to supplement the single Vickers Mk D. Although three tanks were of dubious military value, budget constraints prevent additional purchases. Both were out of service by 1953 due to lack of tracks. Both are still in existence, and one has been completely restored to working condition.

The Irish Army also used the L180 armoured car. The type was adopted to replace the ageing Rolls Royce Armoured Car fleet in 1937. 8 were delivered by 1939, but the last 5 on order were never delivered to the Irish Army due to the outbreak of the War. As was the case with many other vehicles in the Irish Army, budget constraints meant that the L180s were still in front-line service (albeit up-gunned with 20mm cannons) until 1972. Incredibly, they were then transferred to the Irish Army Reserve, the FCA, where they were kept in service until the mid 1980s. 4 are preserved, including one donated to the Swedish Army.

The Landsverk Company produced an armoured scout car based on the Unimog S404 in the late 1950s. The Irish Army purchased 15 of the vehicles (originally inteded for the police force in the Belgian Congo) in 1971 at a bargain price. They were intended as a stop-gap vehicle for use until the first Panhard M3 VTT APCs entered service in 1972. The type had excellent off-road capability but poor on-road handling due to a high centre of gravity and several accidents occurred as a result. A four-man dismountable squad was carried, but space was cramped, and in any case a four-man detachment was far too small for any sort of realistic military purpose. Other criticisms were that the FN MAG gunner's position was too exposed. Eventually the Unimog Scout Cars arrived in Ireland in February 1972, their departure having been delayed by a local peace group who thought they were destined for the Provisional Irish Republican Army. By mid 1978 all had been transferred to the Irish Army Reserve, the FCA. All were withdrawn by 1984, and two are preserved; one in the transport museum in Howth Co Dublin and one in England.

Right after the war, Landsverk was confiscated by the Swedish state and sold to Kockums.

External links

* [http://www.cavaleriemuseum.nl Dutch Cavalry Museum]