Panzerjäger I

Panzerjäger I
A Panzerjäger I in North Africa
Type	Tank destroyer
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1940–43
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Alkett
Designed	1939–40
Produced	1940–41
No. built	202
Specifications
Weight	6.4 tonnes (14,109 lbs)
Length	4.42 m (14 ft 6 in)
Width	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Height	2.14 m (7 ft)
Crew	3
Elevation	-8° to +10°
Traverse	35°
Armor	6–14.5 mm
Main armament	4.7 cm (1.85 in) Pak(t)
Engine	3.8 litre (230 cu in) 6-cylinder, water-cooled Maybach NL 38 Tr 100 horsepower (75 kW)
Power/weight	15.6 hp (11.7 kW) / tonne
Transmission	6 speed ZF F.G.31
Suspension	leaf-spring
Ground clearance	29.5 cm (1 ft 7 in)
Fuel capacity	146 l (39 US gal)
Operational range	140 km (87 mi)
Speed	40 km/h (25 mph)

The Panzerjäger I (English: Tank Hunter 1) was the first of the German tank destroyers to see service in the Second World War. It mounted a Czech Škoda 4.7 cm (1.9 in) cm 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 and served to extend the life of the obsolete Panzer I tank chassis. 202 Panzer I were converted to the Panzerjäger I in 1940 and 1941. They were employed in the Battle of France, in the North Africa Campaign and on the Eastern Front.

The Panzer I turret was removed and a fixed gun shield 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.Alkett and contractors built 202 vehicles, the first series of 132 by Alkett 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 formal name of the equipment was 4.7 cm PaK(t) (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I ohne Turm, translating as "4.7 cm anti-tank gun (Czech) on turretless Pz.Kpfw. I".

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; 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 Training Brigade") in preparation for Operation Barbarossa.