Tankopedia
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Panzer I

In service 1934 - 1941

A machine-gun-armed training tank that nonetheless spearheaded Germany's first blitzkrieg campaigns.

Built byKrupp / Henschel / MAN

Panzer I
SdKfz101 — baku13, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Development history

Officially a tractor to evade Versailles restrictions, the Panzer I was designed to teach a new army how to build, maintain and fight tanks. It was combat-tested in Spain and made up a large share of the panzer divisions in Poland and France, where doctrine and radios mattered more than its feeble armament. By 1941 surviving hulls were converted into ammunition carriers and tank destroyers.

Variants

One canonical record, 4 recorded variants.

  1. Ausf. A

    1934

    Krupp M305 engine, five small road wheels, poor cooling.

  2. Ausf. B

    1935

    Lengthened hull, Maybach NL38 engine, extra road wheel.

  3. Panzerbefehlswagen I

    1936

    Fixed superstructure command version with extra radios.

  4. Panzerjager I

    1940

    Czech 4.7 cm PaK in an open shield: Germany's first tank destroyer.

Notable actions

  • Spanish Civil War (1936-39)
  • Invasion of Poland (1939)
  • Battle of France (1940)
  • North African Campaign (1941)