Pz.Kpfw.I Weak Spots

"Brief characteristics:

1. Armour: front, side, and turret armour is 13 mm thick.
2. Engine: gasoline.
3. Length: 3.7 m, width: 2.1 m, height: 1.8 m
4. Armament: 2 machine guns, 2 smoke launchers

Tanks in Snow 1941-42

Winter is a difficult time for any kind of vehicle, including tanks. Since the Russian winter is long, the USSR paid a lot of attention to how tanks put up with it. This applied in full to mobility in winter. Driving through deep snow banks was a mandatory part of testing every armoured vehicle starting with the MS-1. The MS-1 showed insufficient traction in snow, which is a part of the reason why the "Eagle's Claw" track was introduced. Winter tests of the Vickers Mk.E tank in the USSR were also a key factor in accepting the tank into production. 

T-34 tanks were often the only Soviet tanks that could move outside of roads in winter.

The Fight for Sight

Optics often come up in discussions that compare Soviet and German tanks. The famous "Zeiss optics" are often invoked by those who are not very well versed in the subject matter. The issue was not in Soviet sights. Plenty of them survived to this day, and any who wish can evaluate their quality on their own. German tanks were first and foremost superior in their observation devics. Their visibility was better than that of Soviet tanks, which was often a deciding factor in victory on the battlefield. However, the evolution of German observation devices is an interesting topic for discussion.

Extra Protection

The tendency to increase armour protection was one of the most notable features of the German tank building school. No nation in the world increased protection without a radical change to the chassis. For instance, the Pz.Kpfw.III more than tripled the thickness of its front armour compared to its initial form. The Pz.Kpfw.IV set a record, quadrupling the thickness of the front hull compared to that of the B.W. This wasn't it, as the Germans still worked on improving protection of tanks that were already build. This article will cover those methods.

Video: Performance of Tanks in Snow

It is often said that the Red Army effortlessly won battles in the winter because its tanks worked in the snow while the German ones didn't. I take a look at how true this statement is in my latest video, comparing wintertime performance of several Soviet, German, British, and American tanks.

Captured Tank Observation

Continued from part 2.

"T-1 tank

The driver's observation devices are located in the turret platform. There are two slits in the observation hatch in front of the driver. For observation hatches are located in the corners of the turret platform. The slits in the hatches on the left side are covered with two layer protective glass. There are no slots in the right side. The driver observes through the front slits and the left slit.

The commander observes through the machine gun sight. Outside of battle, he can use the observation ports above the machine guns. Observation ports without slits are located on the sides of the turret. Two observation ports with slits are located in the back of the turret. The location and range of the devices is shown in figure 15. The observation devices do not protect the observer. It is impossible to observe to the right during battle.

Quantity Over Quality

This penetration table is fairly well known. It appears in several period publications and a translated version was even sent to the USSR. Nevertheless, it gives some information as to how well the guns of the Western Allies performed against German armour.

However, there was one interesting observation made that didn't come along with this table to any other publication. Since hitting a tank at 2000 yards was very difficult, and the 2-pounder could penetrate older German tanks in the front and even newer ones from the side at nearly that distance, what was the point of having a 6-pounder at all?

Small, But Fierce

One of the distinguishing characteristics of German tank building in WWII was an aim to use up obsolete vehicles, including those which used to be the backbone of the German tank force. If a German tank became obsolete, that didn't mean that it would be scrapped. Some tanks were sent to training units, other were modernized. Obsolete tanks, especially light ones, were often converted to SPGs or engineering vehicles. This was the fate that awaited the PzI, Germany's first mass produced tank, which was already obsolete at the start of WWII.

Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf. F: Pocket Tiger

Coming up with tank ratings is a hobby of many tank experts, as well as people who consider themselves as such. As a rule, the creators try to determine the best tank. While some kind of systematic approach was developed over the years, picking out the worst tanks is usually more complicated. Often, creators of lists of the worst tanks make their choices according to no set system and end up naming a number of tanks that didn't earn such a shameful label.

If we consider the tank's characteristics, the time of its appearance on the battlefield, and combat effectiveness, then one of the worst tanks of WWII was the German Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf. F. Conceptually similar to the British Infantry Tank Mk.I, it entered service in the middle of the war, with very questionable characteristics.

Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf. C: Kniepkamp's Latecomer

Putting the PzI Ausf. B into production was the correct decision, albeit a late one. The problem wasn't only that the concept of a light tank with machineguns for armament was obsolete. The 6th Department of the Armament Directorate was disappointed in the chassis developed by Krupp's engineers overall. Even though the power to weight ratio of the PzI grew from 11.1 to 17.2 hp/ton after modernization, there was no drastic improvement in mobility. 40 kph is not what was expected with such a boost. It's not surprising that, instead of developing the PzI Ausf. B further, the German military decided to develop a completely new tank: the PzI Ausf. C.

Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf. B: All Grown Up

The creation of the PzI light tank did not come easily for German tank building. The tank was redesigned several times while still in the development stage, starting out as a 3 ton tank with a 20 mm autocannon, and ending up as a 5 ton tank, where nothing larger than a pair of MG-13 machineguns could fit into the turret. Even though the PzI entered production and became a mass produced tank, easily numbering over 1000 units, the German tank forces were not completely satisfied with its characteristics even before production began. Modernization was only a matter of time. What results did it bring?

PzI Trials

"Conclusions

After concluding trials of tank #1, it's possible to make the following conclusions:

1. The tank has the following mobility characteristics:
1. Maximum speed on a paved highway in packed snow: 39.96 kph
2. Average speed:
1. On paved highway in packed snow: 25 kph
2. On dirt road covered in loose snow, 200-300 mm deep: 9-10 kph
3. Off road with snow 300-450 mm deep: 6-7 kph
3. The dirt road and off-road performance of the tank in 200-450 mm of snow is satisfactory.

German from Iberia

The Spanish Civil War began on July 17th, 1936. By the end of the month, the rebels gained the support of Italy and Germany, who promised, among other things, supplies of military hardware. In mid-August, Italian L3/35 tankettes arrived in Spain. German tanks arrived much later: 32 PzKpfw I Ausf. A tanks and one command vehicle were received in October of 1936. At approximately the same time, the first Soviet T-26es arrived in Spain and became the main opponents of the rebel tanks. As for the "Spanish" PzKpfw I Ausf. A, one of them became a Soviet trophy and was run through a whole spectrum of trials. What did the Soviet testers discover and what conclusions did they make?

PzKpfw I: Panzerwaffe's First

German generals often call PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II tanks "training" tanks in their memoirs. This is true in some way, as many converted PzKpfw I tanks were used to train crews. However, during the development of these tanks, there wasn't a word uttered about training as their main function. The Wehrmacht's first tanks were created as typical light tanks of the early 1930s, which mostly had machinegun armament. With this design, the Germans aimed towards the ideal concept of a German tank, setting the foundation for all subsequent vehicles of the Third Reich. The first member in the family that would become the weapons of blitzkrieg was the PzKpfw I Ausf. A.

Captured German Tanks in the Red Army

According to Maksim Kolomiyets, this was the inventory of German tanks in the Red Army on June 16th, 1945:

• 1st Belorussian Front: 39 Panthers (26 need repairs), 11 PzIVs (all need repairs), 2 PzIIIs (all need repairs), 9 Jagdpanthers (7 need repairs), 74 StuGs (59 need repairs). Total: 135 vehicles, 103 need repairs.
• 2nd Belorussian Front: 3 Tigers (all need repairs), 2 PzIVs (all need repairs), 12 PzIIIs (11 need repairs), one PzI, one PzII (needs repairs), one Jagdpanther (needs repairs), 12 StuGs (all need repairs), 255 APCs (44 need repairs, 211 cannot be repaired).
• 1st Ukrainian Front: 11 Tigers (1 needs repairs, 5 cannot be repaired), 27 Panthers (17 need repairs, 10 cannot be repaired), 47 PzIVs (15 need repairs, 14 cannot be repaired), 52 PzIIIs (34 need repairs, 9 cannot be repaired), one PzI, 17 PzIIs (8 need repairs, 8 cannot be repaired), 118 StuGs (93 need repairs, 5 cannot be repaired), 45 other SPGs, 62 APCs (34 need repairs, 23 cannot be repaired). Total: 317 tanks and 62 APCs.
• 2nd Ukrainian Front: 27 Tigers (24 need repairs, 3 cannot be repaired), 122 Panthers (27 need repairs, 86 cannot be repaired), 79 PzIVs (10 need repairs, 53 cannot be repaired), 49 PzIIIs (11 need repairs, 25 cannot be repaired), one PzI, 23 PzIIs (2 need repairs, 19 cannot be repaired), 30 150 mm SPGs (12 need repairs, 13 cannot be repaired), 2 105 mm SPGs (need repairs), 4 Jagdpanthers (need repairs), 158 StuGs (38 need repairs, 64 cannot be repaired), 81 other SPGs, 485 APCs (374 need repairs, 111 cannot be repaired). Total: 575 tanks and 485 APCs.
• 3rd Ukrainian Front: 36 Tigers, 84 Panthers, 3 PzIVs, 6 150 mm SPGs, one Jagdpanther, 28 StuGs. Total: 319 tanks and SPGs (data is incomplete).
• Courland group: 15 Tigers (8 need repairs), 35 Panthers (25 need repairs, 4 cannot be repaired), 41 PzIVs (15 need repairs), 12 PzIIIs (8 need repairs, 1 cannot be repaired), one PzI, 2 PzIIs (need repairs), 18 150 mm SPGs (17 need repairs), 19 105 mm SPGs (15 need repair), 9 StuGs (need repairs), 323 other SPGs, 279 APCs (113 need repairs). Total: 474 tanks and SPGs, 279 APCs.

There is no data for other fronts, but an estimated 3000 armoured vehicles were captured, 1851 tanks and SPGs and 1081 APCs.

Via mihalchuk-1974

German Tank Bunkers

Rounding out my collection of Soviet tank turrets dug in for defensive purposes, here are some designs for German attempts at the same thing. These three light tank turret designs appear mostly identical: a relatively short turret ring with a wider fighting compartment beneath it. Ammunition storage is not shown, but presumably it would be placed along the walls of the compartment.

German Experience in the Spanish Civil War

"DOKUMENT
Oberkommando des Heeres.
Berlin, den 30. 3. 1939.
Gen St d H Nr. 130/39 g. Kdos. O. Qu. III
125 Ausfertigungen. Prüfnr. 56

The following is a report on the participation of the German Army in the Spanish Civil War and the lessons learned.
...
7. Tank forces

The use of obsolete Spanish and foreign armoured cars for reconnaissance was unsatisfactory due to insufficient off-road performance.

Italian light machinegun tanks were successfully used by infantry for close reconnaissance. Spanish infantry did not use their tanks in this manner. According to German observers, the tank could achieve better and quicker results after a successful breakthrough than just patrols on foot.

As an offensive weapon, tanks were used little in Spain, in small amounts of less than 50 vehicles and without appropriate support from artillery or trained infantry.

Aside from valuable and vast technical experience with vehicles, there are several points that must be analyzed carefully due to the specifics of this war. For instance, it was impossible to organize cooperation between tanks and infantry or artillery for both White and Red forces. From the Red side, Russian tanks broke off from infantry and were destroyed by Spanish nationalists, which threw incendiary bottles and hand grenades at them, and which could only be prevented by accompanying Red infantry due to the tanks' small numbers.

The German machinegun tanks [PzI] were not used in large units. The tanks were subordinated to infantry in small groups and supported it from line to line like an armoured infantry gun. Machinegun tanks could not achieve a decisive effect, since infantry was often incapable of capturing and holding territory, or did not deem it necessary. They were defenseless against sudden appearances of gun tanks [T-26], except at very short ranges.

It was already known since the World War that a gun tank has an advantage over a machinegun tank in a duel, and this was also true in Spain. On the other hand, the fact that machinegun tanks could penetrate Russian tanks at 100 meters and the effect of antitank guns led to Russian tanks approaching to a range of 1000 meters and firing from the spot, rarely moving closer. Gun tanks were frequently a decisive factor of the success of the Reds.

In general, it can be said that our ideas of tank-compatible terrain are very limited. It was possible to find out impassable obstacles and drive around them. It was harder for small tanks used in Spain due to many small obstacles, low stone garden walls, rough terrain with bushes, small but sudden changes in elevation, small rivers, and heavy wet silty soil.

Unlike in peacetime training and especially demonstrations, tanks in periods of long war should be taken care of just like horses, and should, if possible, avoid even small obstacles in order to not break down at a crucial moment.

During street fighting in Madrid, tanks had difficulty in streets with barricades, as they could not use their speed or fire at upper floors or roofs. Tanks armed with flamethrowers were used effectively in street fighting.

Foreign opinion suggests that tanks are effective when applied suddenly, in large amounts, and against an enemy that is already wavering, along with artillery support. Armour and armament are more important than speed or range. A tank unit needs means of fighting enemy tanks. All tank attacks not protected from tank or anti-tank guns, or done without an infantry escort, led to heavy losses and achieved success only through chance.

Light tanks are effective only with flamethrowers, their machinegun fire is inaccurate on the move. However, machineguns with special ammunition are being developed.

In general, tanks in Spain are used in insignificant amounts and without support from other types of forces. Anti-tank artillery, which was often used in small numbers, only sometimes surpassing the enemy, was often ineffective.

8. Anti-tank defenses

Due to a small amount of tanks and anti-tank guns used, experience gained was primarily technical and tactical. The use of anti-tank guns in Spain was always according to principles of the 14th company of an infantry regiment. Principle of use as an anti-tank unit were not applicable. Based on experience, including in Madrid, anti-tank guns have proven their reliability. They have shown that they can successfully fight Russian gun tanks. Based on the actions of Russian tanks in Spain (firing from 1000 meters and use for special tasks that arose in Spanish conditions), the limited range of anti-tank guns is insufficient. As a temporary solution, the sight scale should be increased to 1000 meters, but having a long range anti-tank gun is preferable.

He-112 fought armoured cars successfully. The S-30 machinegun with 2 cm armour piercing rounds is sufficiently effective.

If an anti-tank defense is well organized, many tanks will be lost, as it was shown that anti-tank guns surpass tanks in rate of fire, precision, and shot power, while being small and hard to notice even while firing.

Due to a lack of artillery in Spain, anti-tank guns were successfully used during offensive and defensive action as infantry guns against machinegun nests, concrete bunkers, and assaults on settlements, in combination with machinegun tanks. This was an infrequently used method, as it was feared that gun positions will be discovered ahead of time.

According to reports, it is adequate to have one gun every 200 meters when defending. This is adequate for limited amounts of tanks used in Spain, but not for massed use of tanks.

Red anti-tank trenches 500 meters long or more turned out to be completely impassable. They were made in mountain roads using explosives. Presence of other obstacles like concrete walls with closed off passages or streets covered in felled trees paralyzed movement.

Due to an extended front line and a lack of experienced sappers, anti-tank mines were not tested in large amounts.

In close combat, bottles with a flammable liquid and sulphuric acid were used effectively. Tanks that were hit caught fire and were knocked out."

Militägeschichte. 1976. № 3. S. 332-334.

Anti-tank Posters

I've already shown some Soviet anti-tank posters, but here are some more. These are pre-war, and contain a little more information about the tank aside from where to shoot it.

First, we have a "light tank type 2", which is quite clearly a PzI Ausf. B. The dimensions of the tank and maximum armour thickness are almost correct, the weight is a bit off, but the top speed (50 kph) is completely ridiculous. The tank is credited with the ability to break a 25 cm thick tree, climb a vertical obstacle 60 cm tall, a grade of 40 degrees, a body of water 80 cm deep, and a 1.6 meter long trench, all of which are nicely represented graphically at the bottom of the image. Similar graphics show that the battalion cannon can penetrate it at a range of 1200 meters, and a machinegun can do so at a range of 800 meters. Despite the picture showing a Maxim gun, the fine print reads "with a high caliber machinegun".

Then we have a "light tank type 2 B", which is a PzII. The mass, size, and speed data is much better, than for the PzI, only the weight is a little higher than it should be. All other information is communicated in the same manner.

Now we get to an interesting one, a "medium tank type 3 B", which is an early PzIII (looks more like an Ausf. D than an Ausf. B), one that still had 8 wheels and leaf springs. Very few of these tanks were produced. Intelligence is doing its job!

World of Tanks History Section: Airborne Tanks

The question of reinforcing airborne infantry with armoured vehicles was explored in all countries that played a major part in WWII. Earlier, we talked of flying tanks, but that went nowhere. For countries with mature aircraft industries, a simpler and more effective method was to transport vehicles using transport planes or cargo gliders.

From the late 1930s, engineers from various countries developed special tanks for airborne forces. These vehicles were lightly armoured, weighed less than 10 tons, and were armed with machine guns or small caliber cannons.

The British light Mk. VII tank was developed by the Vickers-Armstrong company as a reconnaissance vehicle. The main quality of the vehicle was its speed, as its armour was very thin, 4-14 mm. The suspension consisted of four large road wheels on each side, built using the ideas of American engineer Christie. The tank was armed with a 2-pounder gun and a 7.7 mm machine gun.

In 1942, the British decided to use the Mk. VII in an airborne role. This is when the tank received its name: "Tetrarch". The Hamilcar glider was developed to transport the Tetrarch. During transit, the tank was held in a special compartment. The crew remained inside. Tetrarchs were used during landings in Normandy in June of 1944, as well as during crossing of the Rhine in 1945. The Mk. VII did not have a large effect on the flow of battle.

Another vehicle was built on the Tetrarch chassis, the Mk. VIII Harry Hopkins, which had thicker armour than its predecessor (38 mm), as well as a differently shaped hull and turret. 90 of these vehicles were built, but they never saw combat.

In the US, a T9 light tank was developed for airborne units. The vehicle was designed by the Marmon-Harrington company's plans, weighed 7.7 tons, and was armed with a 37 mm gun. In 1942, the tank was modernized, and received an improved turret, increased front armour, and a gyroscopically stabilized gun. The new vehicle received the index T9E1. 1900 tanks of this type were planned, but only 930 were built. In 1944, the tank was renamed to M22, nicknamed "Locust" on the battlefield. The vehicle was used by the British army, using the same Hamilcar gliders meant for the Tetrarch.

Germany's engineers, possessing the heaviest airplane of the war, the Me.323 Gigant, also worked on an airborne tank. The VK 601 project was developed by Krauss-Maffei and Daimler-Benz, from fall of 1939 to the middle of 1942. Formally, the vehicle was a modified PzI, but realistically, it was a radically new vehicle. The tank, indexed Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. C had a Kniepkamp suspension with a 150 hp engine, allowing it to achieve a speed of 79 kph. The turret housed a semi-automatic 7.92 mm anti-tank rifle and an MG-34 machine gun.

Different sources claim that between 40 and 46 of these tanks were built. Two vehicles were sent for testing to the Eastern Front in 1943, the rest were included in the 58th reserve tank corps and were lost in France after the Allies landed in the summer of 1944.

Original article available here.

World of Tanks History Section: PzKpfw I

On June 28th, 1919, Germany and the Entente signed the Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI, the largest conflict in the history of humanity at that point. A portion of German territory was annexed by the victorious nations, its colonies were also appropriated, it was forced to pay reparations. There were also harsh limits on Germany's military force. The land army was limited to 100 000 men, drafts were not allowed, a portion of Germany's warships were handed over to the victors, and the tonnage of new ones was strictly limited. Armoured vehicles (aside from outdated police cars) and aviation were forbidden. The conditions were such that their goal was, apparently, not to maintain peace in Europe, but to humiliate Germany and force them to take revenge.

Years before the nazis, Germany already started to, step by step, violate the conditions of the treaty. Aside from theoretical developments, which were not forbidden, the manufacturing base of the country slowly but surely accumulated experience. In 1925, a tank codenamed Großtraktor (large tractor) was developed. Leichttraktor (small tractor) followed in May of 1928.

The first mass produced German tank was the PzKpfw I. Work on this tank started in 1931, when the Directorate of German land forces drafted the requirements for a teaching tank, 5 tons in mass. The vehicle was officially named Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper (agricultural tractor), which was not unusual in Germany at the time. Friedrich Krupp AG, Rheinmetall-Borsig, MAN, and Daimler-Benz AG received orders for this new tank.

Each company produced a prototype with more or less the same characteristics. The military liked Krupp's LKA tank the most. The best thing about it was not its technical characteristics, but that it was the project that could be built the fastest, and the cheapest. Five of Krupp's tanks, still without armament, were tested at Kummersdorf in the summer of 1933. The tests demonstrated insufficient reliability of the transmission and suspension, forcing Krupp's engineers to make some changes. After that, 15 more vehicles were given the green light. The vehicles were assembled at multiple factories. This unorthodox decision was made to distribute the tank building experience.

The hull and turret were developed by Daimler-Benz. A welded hull protected the crew and components from bullets. The turret, also welded, was placed to the right of the tank's axis. The maximum armour thickness was 13 mm. The tank was equipped with a Krupp 57 hp engine, theoretically making it capable of accelerating to 37 kph. The tank's armament consisted of two 7.92 mm MG-13 machine guns.

The first mass produced chassis were made in December of 1933. In July of 1934, the tank started mass production. In the same year, the first tanks started arriving at training centers. By October 1935, Germany's first tank divisions were formed. That is when the tank received its name: PzKpfw I. According to foreign historians, there were about 1100 vehicles of the first configuration built.

When the tank entered the army, its downsides quickly showed themselves. Its engine was too weak. Instead of the ideal 37 kph, it could only reach 28 kph. Work started on an improved PzKpfw I Ausf. B. Retroactively, all existing tanks were named PzKpfw Ausf. A.

In 1935, the new six cylinder water cooled Maybach NL 38 TR engine was chosen for the tank. The new engine was more powerful, at 100 hp. Because it was larger than the engine compartment of the PzKpfw I, the tank became longer by 40 cm. The tank gained another road wheel, and an idler was lifted to make turning easier.

Interestingly enough, no work on improving armament was conducted. First "B" tanks were equipped with the same MG-13s, and later, dual MG-34s. These machine guns fired a little faster, but had the same rifle caliber. If the firepower was improved, it was so miserly, that it is not worth mentioning.

The PzKpfw I Ausf. A remained in production until 1937, and the chassis until 1941. The PzKpfw I was seen as a strictly training tank. However, as it often happens, reality interfered. Until 1937, the PzKpfw I was the main tank of the German army. Germany started WWII with over 1000 PzKpfw I of both modifications.

The tank saw its first combat in Spain, during the Spanish Civil War. Various sources record 32-41 tanks shipped along with the German volunteers of the Condor legion, fighting on the side of Franco. These tanks formed the Drohne tank group. Despite the fact that the group's main function was to teach Spanish tankers, the group frequently saw combat. The very first battles showed the superiority of Soviet T-26 tanks, armed with cannons. Armour piercing bullets could penetrate the T-26 at 120-150 meters, but it was hard to close in to that distance, as the T-26's 45 mm gun could destroy the PzKpfw I at any range.

In order to somehow improve the situation, there was an attempt to install the Breda 20 mm autocannon. In order to fit the gun into the turret, it had to be modified with a cylindrical addition. There is no data on the combat use of this "homebrewed" vehicle.

In 1938, Germany started expanding its territory. PzKpfw I took part in the Anschluss of Austria. Here is where the PzKpfw I showed its poor reliability. At least 35% of both types of tank broke down and were abandoned by the side of the road during the march. In order to conserve the negligible number of tanks, they were delivered to the Sudetenland by trucks.

During the Polish campaign in 1939, most tanks in the German army were still PzKpfw Is. Weak armour and armament were apparent. 320 tanks were lost, but most were repaired by the Germans.

At the time of Germany's advance in the West, only 550 PzKpfw I tanks remained, and they were assigned secondary roles. Even then, the losses were very great, and 182 units were lost irreparably.

As time went on, the amount of PzKpfw I tanks declined. In the West, as well as the East, they were used until 1944, primarily to combat partisans.

Small amounts of PzKpfw Is were shipped to China, Hungary, Spain, and, according to some sources, Croatia.

Original article available here.