Tankette

The vulnerability of their light armour, however, eventually led armies to abandon the concept with some exceptions such as the more modern German Wiesel (Weasel) series.

[citation needed] The first designs were a sort of mobile, one-man machine gun nest protected against small arms fire and shell fragments.

While the design was influential, few Carden Loyd tankettes saw combat,[citation needed] other than those the Bolivian side used during the Chaco War.

Some L3s went with the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano, CSIR) as late as Operation Barbarossa.

[3] The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) became one of the most prolific users of tankettes, producing a number of designs for reconnaissance and infantry support in Second Sino-Japanese War[7] and jungle warfare.

[3][8] Due to their limited utility and vulnerability to anti-tank weapons (even machine guns), the tankette concept was abandoned, and their role largely taken over by armoured cars.