The 2 cm ''Flak 38 auf Panzer'' I ''Ausführung'' A, commonly known as the ''Flakpanzer'' I, was a rare

self-propelled anti-aircraft gun An anti-aircraft vehicle, also known as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) or self-propelled air defense system (SPAD), is a mobile vehicle with a dedicated anti-aircraft capability. Specific weapon systems used include machine guns, ...

conversion of the

Panzer I The Panzer I was a light tank produced in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Its name is short for (German for "armored fighting vehicle mark I"), abbreviated as . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was ''Sd.Kfz. 101'' ...

in use by the military of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Development

The ''Flakpanzer'' I was developed during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

when it was recognized that the motorised Flak was insufficiently armoured. The German ''

Heereswaffenamt ''Waffenamt'' (WaA) was the German Army Weapons Agency. It was the centre for research and development of the Weimar Republic and later the Third Reich for weapons, ammunition and army equipment to the German Reichswehr and then Wehrmacht ...

'' decided to combine light anti-aircraft guns with tank chassis. The chassis of the

was used for these conversions, simply because it was available. The conversions were done by Stoewer. In total, 24 of these vehicles were built. During the conversion, parts of the frontal superstructure and the complete cover of the engine compartment were removed to gain more flat space to stand on. To achieve a better centre of gravity the frontal armour of the superstructure was moved about 18mm forward. The flaps on the side were made from simple sheet metal and did not offer real protection. When in action they were folded down and used to stand on. To gain more space (the Panzer I was a very small armoured vehicle) the radio was dismounted; communication was done with hand signals. The vehicles were armed with the

Flak 38 The Flak 30 (''Flugzeugabwehrkanone 30'') and improved Flak 38 were 20 mm anti-aircraft guns used by various German forces throughout World War II. It was not only the primary German light anti-aircraft gun but by far the most numerously pro ...

; additionally, the crew was armed with small arms, like the

Karabiner 98k The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×5 ...

. To make it easier for the driver to enter the vehicle, the main gun was mounted not centrally, but slightly to the right. The ammunition was stored under the driver's seat and behind the loader. Due to insufficient space inside the vehicle, a coupling for the ''Sonderanhänger 51'' trailer was added, with additional ammunition and replacement barrels for the gun transported in the trailer.

Service

Only one unit, the Fla.-Btl.(mot) 614 (Motorized Flak Battalion 614) was equipped with the Flakpanzer I. The unit was assembled in 1941 and in the same year was stationed in Romania. From there they moved into the southern part of the eastern front. In service the vehicles were of limited use against aircraft, but were mostly used against ground targets because the gun could only fire straight forward being in a relatively fixed mount. For proper anti-aircraft fire, a traversable gun mount was preferable, but space was far too limited on the Panzer I chassis for such mounts. Due to the insufficient protection of the crew in this sort of deployment, they suffered high losses. The companies of the battalion were assigned to other units for this. The whole battalion was wiped out in 1943 during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

, even though most of the vehicles had probably been abandoned or destroyed already.

References

External links

Information on the Panzer I and Flakpanzer I {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=Tanks , portal3=World War II Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons World War II self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons of Germany Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944