Panzerjäger I
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The Panzerjäger I ("English: tank hunter number 1") was the first
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
''
panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' (German language, German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to ''Pz.Jg.'' in German) was a branch of service of the Nazi Germany, German Wehrmacht during the World War II, Second World War. It was an Anti-tank war ...
'' (a self-propelled anti-tank gun, or "
tank destroyer A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...
") to see service in the
Second World War 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 ...
. All mounted the Czech
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-built 4.7 cm KPÚV vz. 38 (German designation "4.7 cm PaK (t)")
antitank gun Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first devel ...
on a converted
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. 10 ...
''Ausf. B''
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
. It was intended to counter heavy French tanks like the
Char B1 The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II. The Char B1 was a specialised break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turre ...
''bis'' that were beyond the capabilities of the 3.7 cm PaK 36 anti-tank gun and extended the life of the obsolete Panzer I chassis. A total of 202 Panzer I chassis were converted to Panzerjäger I standard in 1940–41, and were employed in 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 ...
, in the North Africa Campaign and on the Eastern Front.


Design and production

The Panzer I turret was removed and a fixed gun shield added to protect the armament and crew. The antitank gun was mounted on a pedestal in the fighting compartment after wheels, axle and trails were removed, but retained its original gun shield. It normally carried 74 antitank 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
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in 1940 and 1941. The first series had a five sided shield.; vehicles in the second series are recognizable by their seven sided gun shield. The formal name was ''4.7 cm PaK(t) (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I ohne Turm'', translating as "4.7 cm antitank gun (Czech) (self-propelled) on turretless Pz.Kpfw. I".


Organization

Panzerjägers were organized into companies of 9, with 3 companies per battalion, although for the
French Campaign 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 German invasion of France during the Second World ...
, anti-tank battalion ''Panzerjäger-Abteilung'' 521 had just 6 vehicles per company. For the remainder of the war, they were used solely by independent antitank battalions, with two exceptions post the Balkan Campaign, one company was assigned to the '' SS-Brigade Leibstandarte der SS Adolf Hitler'' and another to ''PanzerjägerAbteilung'' 900 of '' Lehr-Brigade (mot.) 900'' ("900th Motorized Training Brigade") in preparation for
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
.


Combat history

Antitank Battalions 521, 616, 643 and 670 had 99 vehicles in 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 ...
. Only Antitank Battalion 521 participated in the campaign from the beginning; the other three were still training until a few days after the campaign began but were sent to the front as training finished. Twenty-seven ''Panzerjäger I'' equipped Antitank Battalion 605 in North Africa. It arrived in
Tripoli, Libya Tripoli (; ar, طرابلس الغرب, translit= Ṭarābulus al-Gharb , translation=Western Tripoli) is the capital and largest city of Libya, with a population of about 1.1 million people in 2019. It is located in the northwest of Libya o ...
between 18 and 21 March 1941. Five replacements were sent in September 1941 but only three arrived on 2 October, the others being sunk on board the freighter ''Castellon''. At the start of the British
Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...
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 The Battle of Gazala (near the village of ) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the ( Erwin Rommel) consisting of German an ...
. Despite the shipment of another three vehicles from September–October 1942, the battalion only had eleven by the beginning of the
Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...
. The last two replacements were received by the battalion in November 1942. Anti-tank battalions 521, 529, 616, 643 and 670 were equipped with 135 ''Panzerjäger I'' for
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
. They were assigned as given below for the opening stages of the battle: By 27 July 1941, ''Abteilung'' 529 had lost four ''Panzerjäger I'' vehicles. On 23 November 1941 it reported that it still had 16 vehicles, although two were not operational.Jentz, p. 58 On 5 May 1942, Battalion 521 reported that only five of those vehicles still existed. ''Abteilung'' 529 had only two on strength when it was disbanded on 30 June 1942. ''Abteilung'' 616 seems to have been an exception as it reported all three companies were equipped with the ''Panzerjäger I'', during mid or late 1942.


Combat assessments

; 643, 25 July 1940 :"The 4.7 cm armor-piercing shells () were effective against thick armor at ranges up to – sufficient to . Observation was limited; the crew, with the exception of the driver, had to look over the gun shield to observe what is in front of the , resulting in the exposure of body parts to potential dangers; namely shots to the head (also known as in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
). In effect the crew behind the gun shield were blind in
urban combat Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and ...
, suppressing fire and individual tanks". ; 521, July 1941 :"The effective range of the 4.7 cm Pak(t) is with a maximum range of . When attacking an enemy position equipped with anti-tank guns and artillery, namely near
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and
Rogachev Rahachow or Rahačoŭ ( be, Рагачо́ў, ; russian: Рогачёв, Rogachyov, also transliterated Rogachev; pl, Rohaczów; yi, ראגאטשאוו, ''Rogatshov'', ) is a town in the Gomel Region of Belarus. It is center of Rahachow District ...
, its rather tall superstructure presented a target for artillery and anti-tank guns. Thus the is destroyed before it can get into action. When large shells explode close-by,
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pierced the thin armor. Russian anti-tank guns already penetrate at range. The 1st Kompanie lost 5 out of the 10 vehicles (Kampffahrzeuge) in such actions, of which only two could be repaired." ; 605, July 1942 :"The accuracy of this weapon was commented on; as it will usually hit its target with the first shot at ranges up to . However, its penetration qualities were far too low for the necessary combat ranges in the desert of North Africa. The chassis, engine and suspension were constantly in need of care due to the additional weight of the anti-tank gun. In one case, three Mk II ( Matilda II infantry tanks) were penetrated at a range of by 4.7 cm tungsten-core armor-piercing shell (''Pz.Gr. 40''). It usually penetrates of armor. Therefore, a small percentage of these rounds are desired. The 4.7 cm armor-piercing shell (Pz.Gr. 36(t)) will not penetrate a Mk.II at . But the crew will abandon the tank because fragments
spall Spall are fragments of a material that are broken off a larger solid body. It can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure (as in a ba ...
off the armor on the inside."


See also


Comparable vehicles

* – similar German vehicle mounting a 47 mm gun on a Renault R35 chassis *
Semovente da 47/32 The Semovente L. 40 da 47/32 was an Italian self-propelled gun built during World War II. It was created by mounting a Cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun in an open-topped, box-like superstructure on a L6/40 light tank chassis. Some were built as ...
– comparable Italian vehicle using a 47 mm gun *
TACAM R-1 The TACAM R-1 (''Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil R-1'' – "Anti-tank gun on R-1 mobile gun carriage") was a small tank destroyer for use by Romania during World War II. It was designed on 22 November 1943 at the request of the Romanian General Staff. ...
– Romanian project comparable in characteristics


Notes


References

* Chamberlain, Peter, and Hilary L. Doyle. Thomas L. Jentz (Technical Editor). ''Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945''. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1978 (revised edition 1993). *


External links


Surviving Panzer I tanks
- A PDF file presenting the Panzer I tanks (PzKpfw. I, VK1801, Panzerbefehlswagen, Panzerjäger I tanks) still existing in the world {{DEFAULTSORT:Panzerjager I World War II tank destroyers of Germany Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944