Panzerjäger I

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Panzerjäger I
Type	Tank destroyer
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Specifications
Weight	6.4 tonnes
Length	4.14 m
Width	2.01 m
Height	2.25 m
Crew	3
Armor	7-13 mm (hull) 14.5 mm (superstructure)
Primary armament	47mm PaK
Engine	Maybach NL 38 water cooled gasoline 74.6 kW (100 hp)
Power/weight	11.7 hp/tonne
Suspension	Helical spring/leaf-spring
Operational range	140 km

The Panzerjäger I ("Tank Hunter I") was the first of the Panzerjäger designs for German tank destroyers in the Second World War. It was based on the converted chassis of the Panzer I Ausf. B and was armed with the Skoda 47 mm PaK L/43 anti-tank gun. The Panzerjäger proved to be a cheap and fairly effective solution to help counter French tanks, and served to extend the usable lifetime of obsolete Panzer I tanks.

As with most early tank destroyers, the crew was highly vulnerable, their only protection coming from a frontal gun shield; the gun also had a very limited traverse.

202 Panzer I tanks were converted, 132 by Alkett and 70 by Skoda. The Skoda conversion is recognizable by its seven-sided gun shield versus the Alkett model's five-sided shield.

They were first used in France, and continued to see action in North Africa and on the Eastern Front. After being replaced by better self-propelled guns in 1943, the Panzerjägers were relegated to missions patrolling occupied Europe such as operations against partisans in the Balkans.

The Panzerjäger's formal name was 4.7cm PaK(t) (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I. The (t) stands for "Tschechoslowakisch" (German for "Czechoslovakian") and the (Sf) stands for "Selbstfahrlafette" (German for "Self-propelled carriage").

[edit] External links

• AFV Database
• OnWar
• WWII Vehicles
• Surviving Panzer I tanks - A PDF file presenting the Panzer I tanks (PzKpfw. I, VK1801, Panzerbefehlswagen, Panzerjäger I tanks) still existing in the world

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