Pzkpfw I
The Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The name is short for the German Panzerkampfwagen I (armored fighting vehicle mark I), abbreviated PzKpfw I. The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 (special purpose vehicle 101). Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934.
Created in the early 1930s (primarily for training purposes), the German Pz.I light tanks had limited combat capability. On the one hand, this was due to purely machine-gun armament, the futility of which was evident already at that time was fully confirmed during the war in Spain, on the other - poor engineering performance and the lowest technical reliability compared to other German tanks power plant. Intended only as a training tank to introduce the concept of armored warfare to the German Army, the Panzer I saw combat in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, in Poland, France, the Soviet Union and North Africa during the Second World War, and in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Before the Nazis came to power, Germany had already begun step by step to violate the terms of the Versailles treaty. In addition to a purely theoretical interpretation of the results of the use of tanks in the Great War and theoretical developments that were not prohibited by the Versailles ban on armored vehicles (except for obsolete armored cars for the police forces), the country's industry gradually developed and accumulated the necessary production experience. In 1925 a tank project was developed, for secrecy referred to as the Grosstraktor ("large tractor"). Then followed Leichttraktor ("small tractor"), work on which began in May 1928.
The first mass German tank created in the period between the two world wars was PzKpfw I. Work on this tank began in 1931, when the German Armed Forces Armaments Department formed the requirements for a training tank of 5 tons. In the documents the vehicle was designated Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper (agricultural tractor), which was not unusual in the conditions of Germany of that time. The order for the creation of PzKpfw I was received by four leading German engineering companies: Friedrich Krupp AG, Rheinmetall-Borsig, MAN and Daimler-Benz AG.
Each of the firms provided three samples of machines with approximately the same technical characteristics. The military preferred the LKA from Krupp. The main reason for this was not so much the outstanding characteristics of the LKA, but the fact that this project could be implemented faster than the rest and with the least cost when setting up serial production. The first five prototypes of the "Krupp" tank (at that time still without turrets and weapons) were tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf in the summer of 1933.
The results of the tests showed insufficient reliability of the transmission and running gear of the machine, so the specialists of Krupp had to carry out a number of improvements aimed at overall improving the reliability of the tank chassis. After that, the military gave the go-ahead for the creation of another 15 pre-series vehicles. Their assembly was conducted at factories of several companies. Such an extraordinary decision was dictated by the desire to prepare workers and equipment for mass production of tanks in the future.
The hull and turret of the new tank were developed by Daimler-Benz. The welded hull provided protection to the crew. The turret, also welded, was shifted to the right along the axis of the tank. The maximum thickness of the armor was 13 mm. The tank was equipped with a Krupp engine, which had a capacity of 57 liters, and theoretically could develop speed up to 37 km / h. The armament consisted of two MG-13 machine guns of 7.92 mm caliber.
The first serial chassis were created in December 1933, and in July 1934 the Germans began mass production of the new tank. In the same year the machine began to enter the arsenal of training teams. By October 1935, the first German tank divisions were equipped with new equipment. Soon the tank received a new designation - PzKpfw I. In the period from 1934 to 1936, about 1,100 examples of the first modification of the combat vehicle were built.
After the transfer of the tank to the troops, it turned out that the power of its engine was insufficient. Instead of 37 km/hr, in reality the tank could develop only 28 km/hr. In this connection, work was begun on its improved modification, which received the designation PzKpfw I Ausf.B. Accordingly, all earlier machines were designated as Pzkpfw I Ausf.A.
In 1935 as a new engine for PzKpfw I was selected, the six-cylinder Maybach NL 38 TR motor with water cooling. The power of this engine was 100 liters. Due to the fact that the overall dimensions of the new engine did not allow it to be placed in the engine compartment of the first modification of the tank, the hull had to be altered - it became longer by 40 cm. As a result, the running gear also was lengthened by one skating rink, and slightly elevated above the ground to make the turn easier.
PzKpfw I Ausf.B with MG-13 machine gunsIt is interesting that no works aimed at strengthening the weapons of PzKpfw I were conducted. The first tanks of modification "B" were equipped with all the same MG-13, then in the turret a twin installation of two MG-34s was installed. These machine guns had a slightly higher rate of fire, but the same rifle caliber is 7.92 mm. That is, if the increase in firepower has occurred, it is so meager that it can not be taken into account.
At Seseña, on 29 October 1936, some German Pz 1 and Italian CV 35s met a number of Russian T-26B gun tanks . That is recorded as the first tank engagement in Spain and its outcome is still controversial. General Emilio Faldella and the Italian War Department of the period) give an almost opposite version of the episode from that of Soviet sources. Only one CV 35 was destroyed and another damaged; three Russian tanks destroyed by our 65/17 anti-tank team and another disabled. Emilio Faldella, in his Venti mesi di guerra in Spagna (Twenty months of war in Spain), Le Monnier, Florence 1939, at page 129, reports that Barresi’s flamethrower tank succeeded in stopping a Russian tank but the latter’s gunner hit the Nationalist tank, killing the crew.
Serial production of PzKpfw I Ausf.B continued until 1937, and the chassis was manufactured until 1941. PzKpfw I was considered by the German military only as a training tank. However, as so often happens, reality made its own adjustments to expectations and calculations. Until 1937 it was the PzKpfw I tank that had to be the basis of the German armored forces. At the beginning of the Second World War, the armed forces of the German army consisted of more than 1000 PzKpfw I of both modifications.
The first baptism of fire "unit" was during the Civil War in Spain. According to various sources, from 32 to 41 tanks of this type entered the arsenal of the German volunteer legion "Condor", which fought on the side of the Francoists. Of these, the tank group "Truten" (Drohne) was formed. Despite the fact that the main task of the members of the group was training Spanish tankmen, they had to take part in hostilities independently. Even in the first battles, the Soviet T-26 guns, armed with guns, were superior to German machine-guns. Although MG armor-piercing bullets penetrated Soviet tanks from 120-150 meters, this distance still had to be approached. But the 45-mm T-26 gun guaranteed a kill of the PzKpfw I from any distance.
Although, for understandable reasons, the criticism of these tanks by German specialists who participated in the “Spanish dress rehearsal” is very restrained, it is nevertheless strict and instructive. The German light tank (as all specialists confirmed, both German and Italian) showed its complete inconsistency. It is possible that sometimes, under particularly favorable conditions, it can be used for purely reconnaissance purposes, but for battle in the proper sense, even for escorting infantry, this tank was unacceptable.
The thickness of the armor of this tank was completely insufficient. Already from an average distance and with an unfavorable angle of 20 mm, the projectile easily pierces it and destroys the tank. Sometimes it was enough bullets infantry rifle or machine gun to take him out of battle, even when shooting at considerable distances. Germanic designers expected to compensate for this lack of a light tank by increasing its speed. Undoubtedly, the axiom “speed protects against fire” can sometimes be accepted. However, in this case it turned out to be erroneous, and one of the main reasons for this error is that the much faster growth rate of light weapons of defense was not taken into account compared to the increase in the speed of tanks.
The crew of the tank going high speed became very tired. This reduced the maneuverability of the tank. Crews of captured German tanks often said that they lost orientation and could not determine exactly where their troops were and where the enemy was. There were many cases of the capture of German tanks in good condition by republican troops. This is explained by the fact that, due to strong shocks, the crews of these tanks lost control of their vehicle, lost their ability to navigate, and were forced to stop their tanks and surrender.
Experiences with the Panzer I during the Spanish Civil War helped shape the German armored corps' invasion of Poland in 1939 and France in 1940. To improve the situation in Spain, an attempt was made in the field to install a 20-mm automatic cannon "Breda" on the tank. To put the gun in the turret, the troops had to build a cylindrical insert. There is no data on the combat application of this "homemade".
In 1938, when Germany gradually began to increase its territories at the expense of other countries, PzKpfw I took part in the Anschluss of Austria. At that moment, their very limited technical reliability was fully manifested. At least 35% of all tanks of this type broke down right on the march and were thrown on the roadside. In the same year, during the occupation of the Sudetenland, the Germans tried to save an already negligible resource of their equipment and to deliver tanks to the place of combat operations on trucks.
During the Polish campaign of 1939, there was still a large number of PzKpfw in the German army. Weak armor and bad weapons again made themselves felt, and losses were significant. The total number of losses was 320 vehicles, but most of the equipment the Germans managed to repair.
By the time the German offensive began in the West, there were only about 550 PzKpfw I in the army, for which they were assigned subordinate tasks. But even in such conditions, the losses were very high, and following the results of the campaign in France, the number of irretrievably lost "units" amounted to 182 combat vehicles.
By 1941, the Panzer I chassis design was used for production of tank destroyers and assault guns. There were attempts to upgrade the Panzer I throughout its service history, including by foreign nations to extend the design lifespan. It continued to serve in the armed forces of Spain until 1954.
The Panzer I's performance in combat was limited by its thin armor and light armament of two general purpose machine guns. As a design intended for training, the Panzer I was not as capable as other light tanks of the era, such as the Soviet T-26. Although weak in combat, it formed a large portion of Germany's tank strength in numbers and was used in all major campaigns between September 1939 and December 1941. The small, vulnerable light tank would be surpassed in importance by better-known German tanks such as the Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger. Nevertheless, the Panzer I's contribution to the early victories of Nazi Germany during the Second World War was significant.
