Panzerjäger I
The Panzerjäger I was the first tankhunter of the German army in World War II. The Panzer I tank was never ment to be a wartime combat vehicle, but a training and development device. By lack of sufficient better tanks, the Panzer I nevertheless went to war in 1939. By equipping the obsolete Panzer I hull wich a powerful Czech anti-tank gun of 47mm however, a potent anti-tank vehicle was created. It was not well armoured, but it's modern antitank gun could defeat all existing tanks of that era at normal combat range.
Panzerjäger I, first production run.
202 Panzer I tanks were converted to Panzerjäger I. The turret was removed and the 47mm gun installed behind a steel shield. These modern powerful guns were fallen in German hands after the annexation of Czechia in 1939. The gunshield initially was constructed from five sheets of steel. But the protection this offered against small calibre bullets and shrapnell was limited to the front an sides of the crew compartment. To offer the crew better protection a seven sheet shield was built on the vehicles of the second production run. The crew consisted of three: commander/gunner, driver and loader.
Panzerjäger I, second production run North-Africa.
De Panzerjäger I was first deployed in the French campaign of 1940. 27 Panzerjäger were shipped to Lybia in the spring of 1941 to support Rommels Africa Corps. The Panzerjäger I was intensively used during the early stages of the Russian campaign in 1941. But during 1942 most of them were worn out or destroyed. As better tanks and tankhunnters became available to the Germans in the meantime, no more Panzerjäger I's were built.
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