Panzerjäger I
In service 1940 - 1943
Also known asPanzerjager I, 4.7 cm PaK(t) auf Panzerkampfwagen I
The first German self-propelled anti-tank gun: a Czech 4.7 cm gun bolted onto an obsolete Panzer I chassis.
Built byAlkett and Skoda
Photograph pending. No clearly licensed photograph of this vehicle was found.
Development history
With the Panzer I useless as a gun tank by 1940, Alkett removed its turret and mounted a captured Czech 4.7 cm anti-tank gun behind an open three-sided shield. Two hundred and two were converted and they fought in France, North Africa and the opening of Barbarossa, where the gun could still penetrate most Allied tanks but the shield left the crew exposed to anything larger than small-arms fire. It began the German improvised tank-destroyer tradition that ran through the Marder series to the Hetzer.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
Panzerjager I (early shield)
1940First series with a low five-sided gun shield.
Panzerjager I (Alkett late shield)
1941Taller seven-sided shield giving better crew protection; used in North Africa.
Notable actions
- Battle of France
- North African Campaign
- Operation Barbarossa