Panzerjäger I

Panzerjaeger I in North Africa, probaby in 1941.

On the way to the front during the French campaign in 1940.

The Panzerjäger I (German "Tank Hunter 1") was the first of the German tank-destroyers to see service in the Second World War. It mounted a Czech Skoda 4.7 cm (1.9") PaK (t) anti-tank gun on a converted Panzer I Ausf. B chassis. It was intended to counter heavy French tanks like the Char B1 that were beyond the capabilities of the 3.7 cm PaK 36 anti-tank gun then in service, and served to extend the usable lifetime of otherwise obsolete Panzer I tanks.[1] Over 200 were converted in 1940—41. They were employed in the Battle of France, the North Africa Campaign, and on the Eastern Front.

Design and production

Another PzJgI in North Africa

The Panzer I's turret was removed and a fixed gunshield added to protect the armament and crew. The anti-tank gun was mounted on a pedestal in the fighting compartment with the wheels, axle, and trails removed; it retained its original gun shield. It normally carried 74 anti-tank and 10 HE shells. Total production was 202 vehicles. Alkett produced the first series of 132 in 1940. Ten of the second series of 70 were assembled by Alkett, while the remainder were assembled by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz in 1940 and 1941. Vehicles in the second series are recognizable by their seven-sided gun shield while the first series had a five-sided shield. The vehicle's formal name was 4.7 cm PaK(t) (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I ohne Turm, which translates as "4.7 cm anti-tank gun (Czech) on turretless Pz.Kpfw. I".

Organization

The Panzerjäger I's were generally organized into nine-vehicle companies, with three companies per battalion. For the French Campaign (only), Anti-tank Battalion (Panzerjäger-Abteilung) 521 had only six vehicles per company. With two exceptions, they were only used by independent anti-tank battalions during the war. However, after the Balkan Campaign, one company was assigned to the SS-Brigade Leibstandarte der SS Adolf Hitler and another to Panzerjäger-Abteilung 900 of Lehr-Brigade (mot.) 900 ("900th Motorized Demonstration Brigade") in preparation for Operation Barbarossa.

Combat history

Ninety-nine vehicles equipped Anti-tank Battalions 521, 616, 643, and 670 in the battle for France. Only Anti-tank Battalion 521 participated in the campaign from the beginning, as the other three were still training until a few days after the campaign began, but they were sent to the front as they finished their training. Twenty-seven Panzerjäger Is equipped Anti-tank Battalion 605 in North Africa. It arrived in Tripoli, Libya, between 18 and 21 March 1941. Five replacements were sent in September 1941, but only three arrived on 2 October as the others had been sunk on board the freighter Castellon. At the start of the British Operation Crusader, the battalion was at full strength, but lost thirteen vehicles during the battles. Four more replacements were sent in January 1942, so that it mustered seventeen at the beginning of the Battle of Gazala. Despite the shipment of another three vehicles in September/October 1942, the battalion only had eleven by the beginning of the Second Battle of El Alamein. The last two replacements received by the battalion were in November 1942. Anti-tank Battalions 521, 529, 616, 643, and 670 were equipped with one hundred thirty-five Panzerjäger Is for Operation Barbarossa.