Panzer I

The Panzer I tank was a Nazi Germany light tank that was used during many wars of the 1930s as well as during World War II. The name of the tank is short for Panzerkampfwagen I ("armored fighting vehicle mark I") (abbreviated PzKpfw I).

Panzerkampfwagen I
SdKfz101.jpg
A Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A being displayed at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster in Germany
TypeLight tank
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service1934–1945 in Nazi Germany
Used byNazi Germany, Bulgaria, Republic of China, Hungary, Spain
WarsSpanish Civil War
Second World War
Second Sino-Japanese War
Production history
Designed1934
ManufacturerHenschel, MAN, Krupp, Daimler
Produced1934–1937
No. built1493
Specifications
Mass5.4 tonnes (6.0 short tons)
Length4.02 m (13.2 ft)
Width2.06 m (6.8 ft)
Height1.72 m (5.6 ft)
Crew2 (commander and driver)

Armor7–13 mm
Main
armament
2 × 7.92 mm MG13 machine guns
EngineKrupp M 305 four-cylinder air-cooled gasoline engine
60 PS (59 hp, 44 kW)
Power/weight11.1 PS/t
Suspensionleaf quarter-elliptic springs
Operational
range
On-road: 200 km (120 mi)
Off-road: 175 km (109 mi)
Maximum speed On-road: 50 km/h (31 mph)
Off-road: 37 km/h (23 mph)

The tank was only intended for use as a training tank to introduce the concept of armoured warfare to the German Army. The tank was used in combat in Spain during the Spanish Civil War,[1] in Poland,[2] France,[3] the Soviet Union and North Africa[4] during the Second World War, and in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The tank had thin armor and light armament of two machine guns. It was weak in combat but was a large part of Germany's tank forces. The Panzer I was replaced by the Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger later on.

Panzer I Media

References

  1. 38 Ausf. A and 3 Panzerbefehlswagen I Ausf. B command vehicles. García, Las Armas de la Guerra Civil Española, p. 308
  2. McCarthy, Peter (July 14, 2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall Of Hitler's Tank Divisions (Hardcover). Basic Books. p. 51. ISBN 9780786712649.
  3. McCarthy, Peter (July 14, 2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall Of Hitler's Tank Divisions (Hardcover). Basic Books. p. 72. ISBN 9780786712649.
  4. McCarthy, Peter (July 14, 2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall Of Hitler's Tank Divisions (Hardcover). Basic Books. p. 99. ISBN 9780786712649.