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| General Characteristics (Ausf B) | |
| Length: | 4.4 m |
| Width: | 2.0 m |
| Height: | 1.7 m |
| Weight: | 6 tons |
| Speed: | 40 km/h (road) - (off-road) |
| Range: | 140 km |
| Primary armament: | Two 7.92 mm machine guns |
| Secondary armament: | - |
| Power plant: | 100hp, six-cylinder Maybach engine |
| Crew: | 2 (Commander and Driver) |
The Panzer I is a German tank used in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.
Production History
The first prototype was designed by Krupp in 1932. Production started in July 1934.
Variants
Combat History
The Panzer I first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War, in 1936, as part of the German forces sent to assist General Franco and the Nationalists. The Panzer I turned out to be underpowered, under-gunned, and outclassed by the Soviet T-26 and BT-5 tanks used by the Republican forces. A number of Panzer Is were captured by the Republican forces, and re-gunned with a variety 20mm or 25mm anti-tank guns.
The Panzer I was intended as a training tank, to be replaced by the Panzer III in actual combat. However, because of delays in the production of Panzer IIIs, the Panzer I was the main tank used in the invasion of Poland, and was used extensively in the invasions of France, Denmark, and Norway.
Fifteen Panzer IAs were purchased by Nationalist China, and saw combat in the Chinese Civil War.
After Germany removed the Panzer I from combat, they were used extensively for patrolling in conquered territories.
Design
The Panzer I was first of Germany's post World War I tanks. In 1932, specifications for light (5-ton) tank were made and issued to Rheinmetall, Krupp, Henschel, MAN and Daimler Benz. In 1933, Krupp's design was selected. It was based on the British Camden-Lloyd Mk. IV, two of which had been secretly purchased from the Soviet Union. Since the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to produce any tanks, these versions were referred to as "Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper" (agricultural tractors). The design was modified in late 1933 to combine the Krupp chassis with the Daimler Benz turret. In 1934, the resulting tank was designated the Panzer I Ausf A, and in July, production began.
Armor
The Panzer I had 13mm of unsloped or slightly sloped homogenous steel armor on all side surfaces, with 8mm of armor on the top of the turret, and 6mm on the top and bottom of the hull. The armor was sufficient to stop rifle bullets and most machine-gun bullets, could not stop anything heavier, such as anti-tank rifles and anti-tank guns. Since it was intended as a training tank, this was sufficient to protect against most training accidents.
Armament
The Panzer I was armed with a pair of 7.62mm machine guns in the turret. These guns could be independantly elevated, but both turned with the turret. This made the Panzer I a good tank against infantry and soft vehicles, but completely impotent against anything with armor.
Movement
The Panzer IA had a 57hp Krupp M305 4-cylinder engine, capable of propelling it at 37km/h (23 mph) on good terrain, and a range of 145km (90 miles) on-road. The IB had a 100hp, six-cylinder Maybach NL38TR engine giving it a top speed of 40km/h (25mph), and a range of 170km (105 miles) on-road. Like all the German tanks of WWII, the Panzer I was gasoline-fueled.
