Praga MT

Project of artillery tractor from 1925. The design was based on the French light tank Renault FT 17, which was also in the armament of the Czechoslovak army. In the front part of the hull was the crew compartment, behind it was placed the engine and in the rear part was mounted the tail support. A winch with a thrust of 3.5 tonnes was placed in the support.
The first machine was loaned to the Army in 5/1925. The vehicle underwent its first trials on 7/6/1925 to 11/6/1925. The tests were conducted at the 5th Motorized Battery 51. Artillery Regiment, where a 10 cm howitzer vz. 14/19. A German civilian tractor Hanomag WD 25 took part in the comparison tests. In the comparative tests, the German type appeared preferable. Although the Praga MT had a large pulling power, its steering was poor and the vehicle was unreliable. The verdict was that it was unsuitable for artillery units. However, the army paid for both vehicles on 22 June 1925 (298,000 crowns) and took them into its inventory. The eventual conversion to a tank was not ordered by the army and the vehicles were taken over in their original condition as tractors. The vehicles were given military registration numbers 14417
(police registration number NIX 107) and 14418 (police registration number NIX 108).
Both prototypes were assigned to the 51st Artillery Regiment in Brandýs nad Labem until 20.4.1926, after which they were transferred to the Assault Carriage Battalion in Milovice.
Here the tractors did not stay long, as early as 25.6.1926 it was sent to the manufacturer for unspecified repairs. They did not return to the Milovice battalion until 20.12.1927, and it is believed that they may have been converted into a scale model of a Renault FT tank. In fact, there is a drawing of a Praga MT tank whose dating matches the time when the tractors were under repair at ČKD. Unfortunately this is just an assumption and a hypothesis. So far no relevant evidence has surfaced.
The vehicles subsequently served in the Armoured Car Company as training vehicles. On 16.10.1930 they were transferred to the 2nd Armoured Car Company and on 16.3.1932 the vehicles were withdrawn. The second prototype, No. 14418 (police registration number NIX 108), was transferred to the artillery car detachment in 2/1933.

The Praga MT (MT - "small tractor") did not meet the requirements of the army. The concept, based on an obsolete tank design from World War I, was outdated. More modern designs were planned.
Mr Pejcoch's book (see source in the table) indicates that the prototypes were later sold to civilian buyers who used them as agricultural and construction tractors. Interestingly, this design was the basis for a light tank project bearing the same name Praga MT (MT - "small tank").
The Praga MT was the first Czechoslovak design of a tracked artillery tractor, which, although unsuccessful and did not see mass production, provided the first experience with such machine designs.

Ivo Pejčoch - Czechoslovak Tracked Artillery Tractors 1918-1950, Ares Publishing House, ISBN 978-80-86158-52-5
Vladimír Francev, Charles K. Kliment - Czechoslovak Armoured Vehicles 1918-1948, ARES publishing house, 2nd edition, Prague 2004, ISBN 80-86158-40-3
Vladimír Francev - Renault FT Tank founder and his service in Czechoslovakia, Jakab publishing, Armada No. 3, year of publication 2019, ISSN: 2571-3639

Gentlemen,
I would like to submit a photocopy of drawing No. 6821 of the design of the so-called "Mignon tank" and a photograph of the experimental Praga MT tractor.


The copies were made in the archives of the defunct companies VHJ ČKD Praha and Praga - Vysočany, n.p.