German Armored Forces & Vehicles

PzKpfw I tanks on parade.

Parade of PzKpfw I tanks, 1935. The Mark I entered production in 1934, and was produced in substantial numbers from the latter part of that year. Combat capacity of this vehicle was extremely limited. It was undergunned (2 7.92.mm MG 13 machine guns), and so lightly armoured as to be barely bullet-proof. Nonetheless, it was a very important vehicle in the development of the panzer force. It was an effective training vehicle for panzer crew. It gave German industry its first serious experience of manufacturing tanks and - because of the lack of readiness of the panzer arm for war in 1939 - formed a large component of the force in the Polish and Western campaigns. In the interim, most of the tanks used on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War were PzKpfw I. Superior tactics, not superior technology, won success for the panzers in these campaigns; even then, casualties were, understandably, high. Another factor favouring the production of the PzKpfw I in the mid-1930s was that these little tanks could be produced fairly cheaply, quickly and in large numbers - bringing forward the day on which impressive parades such as this could be staged. Best regards, JR.