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Versions

Like in the case of all German vehicles, several versions of the Panzer I were also developed. Some of them were somewhat successful, but most of them were just prototypes or were manufactured in small series.

Panzer I Ausf. C neuer Art (VK 601)

Since 1938, everybody knew that the Panzer I Aus A/B did not have much potential as a first-class combat vehicle, for which reason the possibility of optimizing it as a light reconnaissance vehicle was studied. A communication dated September 15, 1939, issued by the Department of Weapons of the Army, ordered the assignment of this vehicle to this new function, as well as the review of its use as an air borne light tank.

The resulting Panzer I Aus neuer At (VK 601) was a completely new design which featured just a few components of any other earlier versions of the Panzer I. A limited number of series were manufactured by Klauss Maffei and Daimler Benz from late 1942 to early 1943. It was a big progress if compared to the Ausf A/B since it mounted a 20 mm EW141 gun and a 7,92 MG34, which in addition to the higher power of the engine (a 6-cylinder, 150 hp Maybach HL 45 P) made it an efficient quick reconnaissance vehicle. The armor was also improved. It basically had the general architecture of the A/B versions but already mounted the suspension system consisting of big intercalated roadwheels, a typical feature of German designs. If it had been manufactured in series, it would have probably supported the aerotransported operations, with the help of the big Messerschmitt Me 321 Gigant gliders.

A certain number of these vehicles were assigned to the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions in order to be evaluated in combat in the eastern front. Later on, they were sent to the Balkan front and ended up in Normandy in 1944, in the LVIII Panzer corps.

Panzer I Ausf. D neuer Art verstarkt (VK 602)

Along with the Ausf. C, the Panzer I Ausf. D neuer Art verstarkt (VK 602) was projected. But only a prototype was released. It was basically an Ausf. C with an improved armor and a 180 hp Maybach HL 66 P engine.

Panzer I Ausf. F neuer Art verstarkt (VK 1801)

The Panzer I Ausf. F was a retrocession in the philosophy of design of German tanks during IIWW, being a typical infantry tank in the old British sense of the term. While the Blitzkrieg deemed it necessary to have a great number of armored vehicles which could act quickly and independently of the infantry, this infantry tank was opposed to this concept since it was slow, heavy and strongly armored and it generally carried light armament. Its main function was to give support to the infantry. The Ausf. F was all this, since its 80 mm thick armor could guarantee protection against almost every antitank of the time. The weight of this armor (approx. 20 tn, four times heavier than the armor of the A version) limited its speed to 25 Km/h, although it mounted a 150 hp Maybach HL 45 P.

The development of the Panzer I Ausf. F Neuer Art Verstarkt (VK 1801) started in December 1939, after the successful campaign in Poland. The design specifications required a strongly armored Panzer I, for which reason the resulting design can be described as an Ausf. B based on the suspension of the Ausf. C, strongly reinforced and widened, supplied with dry tracks and with the maximum armor that the structure could support. The prototype was ready in June 1940 and an initial order of 30 units was placed. Krauss Maffei was in charge of the production, while Daimler Benz was in charge of the turrets. A second order for 100 additional units was cancelled in April 194, before the production started. The first order for 30 units was ready between December 1942 and January 1943.

This vehicle had several unusual features for that time. Visibility for the commander was possible through five periscopes located on the roof of the turret. The driver could see through a visor very similar to the one subsequently used by the Tiger I, in addition to a periscope at the left, on the roof. Access of the crew was possible through two 80-mm thick circular hatches on the lateral sides of the vehicle, for which reason it was necessary to make some cuts on the fenders.

Eight of these vehicles were used by the 1st Panzer Division in early 1943 and sent to Russia to be evaluated in combat. Afterwards they served in Yugoslavia in antipartisans operations. The 12th Panzer Division also used some of these units on the Eastern Front. Three of them survived the war, one was captured by the US Army in Germany and subsequently sent to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, where it was destroyed along with other vehicles that had played a very important role during the Korea War. The other two surviving vehicles are nowadays in the ancient Oriental Block: one at the Armored Vehicles Museum in Belgrade and the other one at the Russian Museum in Kubinka.

Chassis Conversions

Panzer Befehlswagen I (Sd.Kfz. 265)

In 1935 Krupp started developing what would be the first armored vehicle to be used as a command vehicle. It was officially named Panzer Befehlswagen I (Sd.Kfz. 265) and was based mainly on the Panzer I Ausf B. From 1935 to 1937 Daimler Benz manufactured some 190 vehicles according to this configuration in addition to other six vehicles based on the chassis of the Panzer IA. This was the most successful version out of the many ones projected on the original chassis. This version participated in all the European fronts at the beginning of the war. Its function - the tactical control of armored vehicles - became outdated towards the end of 1941, when all German armored vehicles already had radio equipment that allowed them to communicate with the battalion. Originally, these vehicles had two radio equipments, exclusively operated by the third member of the crew. One of these equipments (FuG 2) communicated every vehicle under its control (in the company) while the second one (FuG 6) communicated every particular Panzer Befehlswagen with the battalion commander. Some vehicles also had frame antennas in addition to the usual 2m in an attempt to increase transmission power. But this modification never became a standard feature.

With this vehicle, the crews of armored companies gained experience in the coordination of mobilization of vehicles. This feature marked the German superiority on the battlefields at the beginning of the conflict. At that time, the allied units used a communication system based on flags, although in most of the cases the conditions of the battlefield made it impossible to use such a system. Just a few vehicles had a radio. This left every commander isolated from the rest of the unit, he could only act according to the goals assigned to him before starting any actions and had limited response capacity in real time.

Mechanically, this vehicle was identical to the Panzer I. The main difference was the replacement of the rolling turret with a fixed structure, completely closed, in order to give more room to the crew compartment. Two slightly different versions of this turret were developed. One of them had another upper rectangular fixed turret, while the other version, a simpler one, did not present this feature.

This vehicle also had tables for blueprints and a small workbench, in addition to extra room for a third member of the crew in charge of operating the above mentioned radio equipment. The armament was restricted to just one MG34 mounted on a spherical mount at the front of the new superstructure. This machine gun could be dismounted and used as an infantry weapon. Out of the 200 manufactured vehicles, only 96 were in service at the beginning of the campaign in France in May 1940. A few of them were exported to Hungary. It remained in service up to 1942, not as a first line vehicle but as a command vehicle for engineer units and Panzerjäger.

Panzerjäger I

The German Army was one of the armies having the highest mechanical capacity before the beginning of the war. Therefore, they soon discovered that it was necessary to supply the anti tank units with self-propelled elements. One of the first attempts was the conversion of the chassis of the Panzer I Ausf B into a Panzenjager I, mounting a Czech 47 mm A-5 PUV vz 36 gun manufactured by Skoda. This gun was incorporated to the array of armament of the units belonging to the Wehrmacht after the annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, following the usual policy of incorporation of every foreign resource possible. Within the German Army it was known as 4,7 cm Pak (t) 36L/43.4. Originally, the idea was to use an exclusive weapon - the 5 cm Pak 38 - but it was not available when the chassis conversions started. At the same time, a small quantity of vehicles were equipped with the 3,7 cm Pak 36/37 L/45, but they were soon after discarded due to their low power.

During March-May 1940, Alkett converted 132 chassis, divided into three series of 40, 50 and 42 vehicles. By February 1941, Skoda had converted another 70 vehicles, thus totaling 202 conversions. The difference between them was the quantity of armored plates of the shield. Those manufactured by Skoda had 7 plates, while the ones manufactured in Germany had a simpler shield, only five sides. This shield was a 27 mm thick armored fixed structure, without any roof or rear plate. It allowed an azimuth movement for the gun of approximately 17º to each side, with a maximum elevation of 12º. This gun was served by a crew of three members, having 86 rounds. It did not have any antipersonnel defense, with the exception of the weapons of the crew. This mistake was repeated later on with very serious consequences during the antiattacks Ferdinand series.

Generally speaking, the Panzerjäger I - or 4,7 cm Pak (t) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. B as is was officially called - was not very successful. In addition to its scarce protection (defect inherited from the Panzer I), the low fire power of its armament caused this vehicle to be retired from the front by 1943, when it was already outdated, having just a nominal value as a combat element. It was used in all the European fronts and also in Africa, as a part of the Panzerjäger Abteilung (like the PzJgAbt 643 in France, 1940). But beyond its importance as a weapon in itself, what should be highlighted is its role as pioneer of the concept of a self-propelled anti-tank tracked vehicle, concept which would prove to be very effective as regards performance in combat, cost and quick manufacture.

Sturmpanzer I

Following the need of a self-propelled antitank weapon (the Panzerjäger I), it became evident that it was necessary to have a gun with the same features to serve as support to the infantry. This was the birth of the 15 cm sIG33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B, the first attempt to mount a field gun on an already existing motorized chassis. This would become a common practice in the Wehrmacht, which used almost all available chassis to generate a self-propelled artillery version with quite satisfactory results according to the model. Among the guns used for this purpose, we can highlight the 15 mm field howitzer Schwere Infanteriegeschütz 33 (also known as 15 cm sIG33), since it was mounted after several modifications on the chassis belonging to the Panzer I, II, III, and 38(t).

The Sturmpanzer I Bison - as this Panzer I version was also known - was produced by Alkett on the basis of the conversion of the chassis of the Paner IB existing during Jan/feb 1940. Only 38 units were completed, which were available to participate in the campaign to France (May 1940) and then in the Balkans and Russia within the 701-706 sIG (Sf) kompanien. They were retired from service by the end of 1943 while in the 704 sIG (Sf) Kompanien.

The insertion of a 150 mm howitzer into a chassis originally thought to mount two MG14 could not be satisfactory. The howitzer weighted 1750 kg, plus the shield, the four members of the crew and other modifications, totaled 8,5 tn. The chassis was overloaded to the limit. This affected the suspension and the all terrain mobility, in addition to limiting its general performance.

The height of the vehicle was raised up to 3,35 m, and with a gauge of approximately 2 m, its stability was seriously compromised.

The basic modifications of the chassis set up the basis for most of the future self-propelled German guns: a lightly armored shield without a roof, protecting the gun and the crew, allowing a limited azimuth movement. In the case of the Sturmpanzer I the shield was open on the rear side. For the insertion of the howitzer, a few modifications were introduced, since it was mounted with its original mount.

In spite of its limitations, the combination of the chassis and the gun proved to be satisfactory, following the mechanized infantry pace and supplying support fire.

Despite the reduced number of units which were manufactured, its use ratified the concept of self-propelled artillery, thus opening the way to the development of more elaborate models, once again ratifying the role of experimental vehicle of the Panzer I. Chassis.

Ladungsleger I

During the period 1939/1940 approximately 100 Panzer I A/B units were converted into Ladungsleger auf Panzer I A/B. These vehicles were conceived as support vehicles for the engineer units. Their specific mission was to destroy barricades and fortified areas. For this purpose they transported 50/80 kg of explosives.

Most of these modified vehicles were supplied with an A-shaped tubular structure oriented backwards, which allowed for the transportation on its end of the explosive charge, raised some three meters and separated from the vehicle by 2 meters. Just a few vehicles had a ore compact structure that kept the explosive charge just above and behind the turret. Both models maintained the armament and other capacities of the standard Panzer I units. Through a wire system, the charge was released and detonated in site from within the vehicle, without exposing the crew.

They were used during the first campaigns of the war at the western front (within the 7th Panzer Division), in Norway and later in Russia and the Balkans. They were retired from service during the campaign of the Eastern front, when it became evident that the attacks to fortified lines have ended. At that time, the defensive role played by the Wehmacht rendered it useless.

Supplementary Bibliography

Chamberlain, Peter y Doyle, Hilary - Encyclopedia of German tanks of World War Two Ed. Arms & Armour
Sawodny, Michael - Unusual Panzers Ed. Schiffer
Scheibert, Horst - Panzer I Ed. Schiffer