Like many other Axis light tanks, the R-1 proved to have a poor performance because of its weak armor and armament, as well as the lack of a radio, which had limited its effectiveness for the reconnaissance role.

A proposal existed to turn them into tank destroyers by mounting 45 mm 20-K guns on them (see TACAM R-1), which was to make them more effective against enemy armor.

After King Michael's Coup on 23 August 1944, which had overthrown the pro-Axis Ion Antonescu and had put Romania on the Allied side, the R-1 saw service once again at the Soviets' will.

[23][24] While glorious in its days during World War I, it became obsolete by the 1930s,[25][26] which had led to Romania searching for ways to improve its tank force.

[30] It was then that they were first shown a description of the AH-IV by the ČKD company,[31] which had first asked the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defense for approval to deliver tanks to Romania in 1933.

[45][46] A Romanian commission was sent to the Renault and Vickers factories in November 1935 to inspect armored fighting vehicles, but eventually decided to purchase Czechoslovak tanks, visiting Czechoslovakia that same month.

[12][47] On 2 April 1936, a contract was signed with ČKD for the delivery of 36 AH-IVs and 100 P-II-a tanks (a vehicle similar to the LT vz.

[47] The situation was critical on 27 September 1937, when the Romanians had refused to take over the first ten production vehicles because they didn't meet the conditions that were agreed on.

The borrowed vehicles performed well and did not show any serious operational or technical shortcomings; the Romanians were satisfied with the trials' results.

[12][47] The official takeover by the Romanian side was only signed on 19 August, since the vehicles had to perform further tests to demonstrate their ability during summer conditions.

[9] In May 1938, a Romanian delegation led by General Vasile Negrei was again sent to Czechoslovakia to negotiate the buying of a license for producing the R-1.

[17] After long negotiations, a new agreement was signed on 22 February 1939, but was only approved by the Romanian Ministry of Defense 15 May, after the German occupation of Czech territory.

[4] According to Charles Kliment and Vladimír Francev, the vehicle that was built in Romania was the one with the number 301, which photographs show to be a modified R-1 version, having a commander's cupola on the turret and a slightly elevated right side of the hull.

[18] A Romanian report from March 1938 stated that the soon-to-be-acquired reconnaissance vehicle was actually supposed to have a 37 mm gun as its main armament and have armor strong enough to resist against anti-tank rifles of calibers smaller than 15 mm—the R-1 possessed none of these features.

[18] The vehicle, whose crew consisted of two men, had its viewing ports and gun mount different compared to those of the AH-IV-P.

The other three brigades (5th, 6th and 8th) were more heavily armed and motorized, having had a significant offensive potential and conducted extensive mechanized operations during the 1941 and 1942 campaigns, within the 3rd Army.

[14] Korne is known to have successfully counterattacked Soviet infantry divisions in September and October 1941, which had strong tank, artillery and air support.

[80] Soviet major Fedor Volonchuk describes in his memoirs an episode from the Crimean campaign, which had happened in November.

They kept on repeating this action, trying to trick Soviet observers into believing that big amounts of tanks were gathering up behind that hill.

[84] Multiple cavalry brigades were used for security duties in the Transnistria Governorate and the area between it and the Dnieper river, serving under General Petre Dumitrescu's 3rd Army.

[90] The next day, during a Soviet counteroffensive, the 1st Cavalry Division had to set on fire its four fuelless R-1s while retreating, to avoid intact capture by the enemy.

[95] On 22 November 1943, the General Staff of the Romanian Army had decided to rearm the 14 surviving R-1s with captured Soviet 45 mm 20-K anti-tank guns.

This conversion was provisionally dubbed TACAM R-1, but was quickly recognized as being virtually useless, since these guns were ineffective against Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks, and was therefore cancelled.

[96][97][98] On 23 August 1944, Romania's Conducător, the pro-Axis Marshal Ion Antonescu was overthrown by King Michael's Coup, which had made the country defect from the Axis powers.

Many of its vehicles were captured by the Soviets, who gave the Romanians some Panzer IV medium tanks and StuG III G assault guns in exchange.

[103] Russian tank historian Yuri Pasholok describes it as "ironic" how the R-1 saw action in modern-day Czech territory towards the end of its career, since the vehicle had been designed in Czechoslovakia.

[105] Romanian author Alexandru Ștefănescu goes as far as stating the vehicle was "disappointing", adding to Axworthy's reasons that the tank had "poor sights" and "was only useful for supplying ammunition on the battlefield", quoting General Petre Dumitrescu.

[59] Despite these drawbacks, Charles Kliment and Vladimír Francev, two authors of Czech literature, describe the vehicle's performance as "very successful".

[17] Yuri Pasholok, a Russian author of books and online articles, also describes the vehicle's career as having been "rather successful", especially considering it was of an outdated class.

It was built from 2006 to 2013 in the Czech Republic by Luděk Fiala and Lubomír Smolinský, with assistance of the Lichkov Military Museum, and is currently being used at commemorative events.