In the pre-war years, light tanks were the basis of the tank fleet of all armies in the world. Due to their relative simplicity and cheapness, their production was on the shoulder not only of the leading industrial powers, but also of countries that were not among the economic leaders. The multifunctionality of these combat vehicles also mattered. They were entrusted with almost the entire range of tasks solved by tanks: support for infantry and cavalry, the fight against enemy armored vehicles, reconnaissance, combat guard. The predominance of light tanks in the troops was preserved in the initial period of World War II. However, soon the share of these machines in the armies of the main warring states began to decline sharply. In 1943, in the Soviet Union and Germany, for example, their production stopped altogether. At the end of the war, light tanks were used only for reconnaissance, and mainly in the armies of the western allies. The century of these combat vehicles, until recently the most massive and universal, turned out to be short: among the armored vehicles of the new generation, there was practically no place left for them...