Panzer I
Panzerkampfwagen I | |
---|---|
![]() A Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A being displayed at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster in Germany | |
Type | Light tank |
Place of origin | ![]() |
Service history | |
In service | 1934–1945 in Nazi Germany |
Used by | Nazi Germany, Bulgaria, Republic of China, Hungary, Spain |
Wars | Spanish Civil War Second World War Second Sino-Japanese War |
Production history | |
Designed | 1934 |
Manufacturer | Henschel, MAN, Krupp, Daimler |
Produced | 1934–1937 |
No. built | 1493 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 5.4 tonnes (6.0 short tons) |
Length | 4.02 m (13.2 ft) |
Width | 2.06 m (6.8 ft) |
Height | 1.72 m (5.6 ft) |
Crew | 2 (commander and driver) |
Armor | 7–13 mm |
Main armament | 2 × 7.92 mm MG13 machine guns |
Engine | Krupp M 305 four-cylinder air-cooled gasoline engine 60 PS (59 hp, 44 kW) |
Power/weight | 11.1 PS/t |
Suspension | leaf 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 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).
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.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 38 Ausf. A and 3 Panzerbefehlswagen I Ausf. B command vehicles. García, Las Armas de la Guerra Civil Española, p. 308
- ↑ McCarthy, Peter (July 14, 2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall Of Hitler's Tank Divisions (Hardcover). Basic Books. p. 51. ISBN 9780786712649.
- ↑ McCarthy, Peter (July 14, 2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall Of Hitler's Tank Divisions (Hardcover). Basic Books. p. 72. ISBN 9780786712649.
- ↑ McCarthy, Peter (July 14, 2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall Of Hitler's Tank Divisions (Hardcover). Basic Books. p. 99. ISBN 9780786712649.
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