Difference between revisions of "Panzerjager I"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
[[File:GarageImage_PanzerjagerI.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{Break}}
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''', otherwise known as the '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''', is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]].
 +
 
 +
The vehicle is based on a Pz.Kpfw.I chassis, which is also found on the [[Flakpanzer I]]. This means it has no armour. It has a silhouette slightly resembling a [[Marder III]], but is quite scaled down.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 13 mm (18°) ''Front plate'' <br> 13 mm (72-75°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 13 mm (26°) ''Lower glacis'' || 13 mm || 13 mm || 8 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Superstructure || 14 mm (26°)|| 14 mm (15-18°)|| N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
* Suspension wheels and bogies are 10 mm thick while the tracks are 15 mm thick.
 +
 
 +
Any enemies at this rank can pierce your armour. However, the biggest threats are the SPAA vehicles due to their higher rate of fire with effective weapons that will absolutely rip apart the vehicle. Airplanes too are a concern, and artillery is very deadly.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
+
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
  
== Weaponry ==
+
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 142|rbMinHp= 88|<!--AoAweight=(optional) -->}}
=== Main weaponry ===
 
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
 
  
=== Additional weaponry ===
+
== Armaments ==
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
+
=== Main armament ===
 +
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 +
{{main|Pak.(t)(Sf.) (47 mm)}}
  
=== Machine guns ===
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[Pak.(t)(Sf.) (47 mm)|47 mm Pak.(t)(Sf.)]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
|-
 +
! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 86 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+10° || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 10.6 || 14.6 || 17.8 || 19.6 || 20.9 || rowspan="2" | 3.9 || rowspan="2" | 3.5 || rowspan="2" | 3.3 || rowspan="2" | 3.0
 +
|-
 +
! ''Realistic''
 +
| 7.1 || 8.4 || 10.2 || 11.3 || 12.0
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
== Usage in the battles ==
+
==== Ammunition ====
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 +
|-
 +
| Pzgr.36(t) || APC || 87 || 82 || 66 || 50 || 38 || 29
 +
|-
 +
| Pzgr.40 || APCR || 119 || 110 || 77 || 50 || 32 || 21
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Normalisation at 30°<br>from horizontal
 +
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 +
|-
 +
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| Pzgr.36(t) || APC || 775 || 1.65 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 15 || +4.0° || 48° || 63° || 71°
 +
|-
 +
| Pzgr.40 || APCR || 1,080 || 0.825 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_PanzerjagerI.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! Full<br>ammo
 +
! 1st<br>rack empty
 +
! 2nd<br>rack empty
 +
! 3rd<br>rack empty
 +
! 4th<br>rack empty
 +
! 5th<br>rack empty
 +
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''86''' || 50&nbsp;''(+36)'' || 38&nbsp;''(+48)'' || 28&nbsp;''(+60)'' || 10&nbsp;''(+76)'' || 0&nbsp;''(+86)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
<!--==== [[Optics]] ====
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
 +
|-
 +
!
 +
! Default magnification
 +
! Maximum magnification
 +
|-
 +
! Main Gun optics
 +
| X1.9 || X3.5
 +
|-
 +
! Comparable optics
 +
| colspan="2" | ___
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
-->
 +
 
 +
== Usage in battles ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
Although virtually unarmoured, the Panzerjäger I ''can'' be used in a head-on manner. However, this is not recommended. It is much better to snipe or ambush the enemy. Its gun may have a good Rate of Fire, but many other guns of its rank, such as the British 2 pounder, will reload faster than you. Your gun is extremely powerful for its rank, which means you will go through almost anything, so there is no need to throw yourself in front of the enemy.
 +
 
 +
While the gun can be sufficient and one-shot many enemies from light to medium tanks, more heavily armoured tanks will be a problem unless using the APCR ammunition. The common enemies to be concerned about are the B1 bis, B1 ter, and Matilda Mk II if the Panzerjäger I is used as the highest-BR option in your line-up. The B1 bis is only frontally penetrable on the turret ring or the exposed breech of the hull-mounted 75 mm. The B1 ter is only penetrable in flank shots with APCR or a very lucky turret ring hit. The Matilda is only frontally penetrable on the turret ring or demands use of APCR.
 +
 
 +
=== Modules ===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Tier
 +
! colspan="2" | Mobility
 +
! Protection
 +
! colspan="2" | Firepower
 +
|-
 +
| I
 +
| Tracks
 +
|
 +
| Parts
 +
| Horizontal Drive
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| II
 +
| Suspension
 +
| Brake System
 +
| FPE
 +
| Adjustment of Fire
 +
| Pzgr.40
 +
|-
 +
| III
 +
| Filters
 +
|
 +
| Crew Replenishment
 +
| Elevation Mechanism
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| IV
 +
| Transmission
 +
| Engine
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
*
+
* Large ammo reserve of 86 rounds
 +
* Agile vehicle
 +
* Good power-to-weight ratio (27.34 hp/ton in AB, 15.62 hp/ton in RB/SB)
 +
* One of the best guns in Rank I, can penetrate most things it comes up against and destroy them in 1-2 penetrating hits due to HE filler
 +
* Access to APCR ammunition for certain targets that the APC-HE cannot penetrate reliably
 +
* Good ballistics for 47 mm, can be used effectively at long range
 +
* Narrow, can fit in tight spaces
 +
* Fast reload
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
*
+
* Tall profile, bigger target
 +
* Very thin armour, maximum of 15 mm
 +
* Crew operating the gun have no armour protection in the top and rear of their position
 +
* Not a lot of horsepower, poor for towing downed allied vehicles
 +
* No defensive machine gun, open-top SPAA can be a problem
 +
* Gun quickly becomes obsolete in uptiers, it does not cope well with sloped armour
 +
 
 +
== History ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 +
===Development===
 +
The heavily armoured tanks in Allied inventory was considered a threat to the German armoured forces, which consisted of mostly 3.7 cm gun that were ineffective. To counter these threats, the  Germans sought for a vehicle able to mount a bigger gun able to fight these tanks. It was found that they could convert obsolete chassis designs like the Panzer I to mount the guns, thus saving the design process of developing a new vehicle for the role. The Czech 4.7 cm Pak(t) anti-tank gun was chosen for this task, and was mounted on a converted Panzer I chassis with the turret removed, a gun shield was used for the mount of the gun. Between 1940 to 1941, 202 Panzer I's were converted by Alkett and Deutz AG to these tank destroyers, designated the "Panzerjäger I", the first of its kind of tank destroyers in the war.
 +
 
 +
===Combat usage===
 +
The Panzerjäger I were organised in anti-tank battalions, each having three companies with nine vehicles each. Five battalions in the war were equipped with the tank destroyer. The first usage of the Panzerjäger I was in the Battle of France, where four battalions were committed. Though, only Anti-Tank Battalion 521 saw service from the beginning to the end as the other four were still in training when the campaign started. The opinion of the crew of these vehicles were positive, saying that the weapon was adequate to distances up to 600 meters if the enemy had 45 to 50 mm of armour. However, the crew also say that the ability to observe the battle in the vehicle was terrible, the crew had to look over the shield to see what is ahead, risking themselves to injury to the head.
  
== Historical part ==
+
After the Battle of France, the Panzerjäger I's in Anti-Tank Battalion 605 were sent to the North African Campaign, though only 3 of the 27 vehicles made it as the transport freighter ''Castellon'' carrying the rest was sunk. The battalion was in full strength during the British offensive in Operation Crusader in November 1941, to which they lost 13 vehicles in the battle. Battle experience praise the accuracy the vehicle provides, but state that the vehicles were too weak for the combat conditions and the gun didn't have enough penetration in long distance. With an APCR round, it was found it could destroy the venerable Matilda infantry tanks at distance of around 400 meters. The battalion continued this battle of attrition with reinforcement and losses that during the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, only 11 Panzerjäger I's were left in the battalion. The last two replacement vehicle were sent to the battalion in November 1942. In Operation Barbarossa, five anti-tank battalions were equipped with the Panzerjäger I's, which made up a total of 135 vehicles. The combat experience was subpar, while the Panzerjäger I had a good effective range of up to 1,000 to 1,200 meters, but the high profile of the vehicle presented a big target to enemy anti-tank weapons and artillery, even shrapnel from high-explosive shells could penetrate the thin armour. Many Panzerjäger I's were destroyed and by the Fall of 1942, many battalions reported to be under equipped for further action and were disbanded. At this point, better anti-tank weaponry and vehicles were more accessible and replaced the Panzerjäger I in service, notably the Marder series.
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
 
  
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guids, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
 
  
== Read also ==
+
== Media ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
;Videos
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|7QXTwiEGLT4|'''PanzerJager 1. Nice little gun, on a nice Chassis!'''  - ''Joseph 2000''}}
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
''ETC.''
+
;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
 +
* [[Flakpanzer I]]
 +
;Similar German vehicles
 +
* [[Marder III]]
 +
* [[Marder III H]]
 +
;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
 +
* [[M3 GMC]]
 +
* [[SU-5-1]]
 +
* [[SU-57]]
 +
* [[Ho-Ni I]]
 +
* [[47/32 L40]]
 +
* [[Ikv 72]]
  
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''page on the Wikipedia;''
+
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''
+
* ''other literature.'' -->
 +
* [[wt:en/devblog/current/886/|[Development]  The Panzerjäger I, and announcing a branch of German SPGs with open cabins]]
 +
* [[wt:en/news/4478-profile-panzerjäger-i-the-first-german-tank-hunter-en|[Profile] Panzerjäger I - The first German Tank Hunter]]
 +
* [[wikipedia:Panzerjäger_I|Wikipedia - Panzerjäger I]]
 +
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Panzerjager_I.php Tanks Encyclopedia - 4,7 cm PaK (t) (Sfl) auf Pz.Kpfw.I (Sd.Kfz.101) ohne Turm, Panzerjäger I]
 +
 
 +
{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Revision as of 13:12, 4 June 2020

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
germ_panzerjager_1.png
Panzerjäger I
AB RB SB
1.3 1.3 1.3
Research:4 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:2 100 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Panzerjager I.jpg


The 4,7 cm Pak(t) auf Pz.I Ausf.B, otherwise known as the Panzerjäger I, is a rank I German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.57 "Battle March".

The vehicle is based on a Pz.Kpfw.I chassis, which is also found on the Flakpanzer I. This means it has no armour. It has a silhouette slightly resembling a Marder III, but is quite scaled down.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides (Slope angle) Rear Roof
Hull 13 mm (18°) Front plate
13 mm (72-75°) Front glacis
13 mm (26°) Lower glacis
13 mm 13 mm 8 mm
Superstructure 14 mm (26°) 14 mm (15-18°) N/A N/A

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and bogies are 10 mm thick while the tracks are 15 mm thick.

Any enemies at this rank can pierce your armour. However, the biggest threats are the SPAA vehicles due to their higher rate of fire with effective weapons that will absolutely rip apart the vehicle. Airplanes too are a concern, and artillery is very deadly.

Mobility

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 46 5 6.4 142 191 22.19 29.84
Realistic 43 5 88 100 13.75 15.63

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Pak.(t)(Sf.) (47 mm)
47 mm Pak.(t)(Sf.) Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 86 -8°/+10° ±15° N/A 10.6 14.6 17.8 19.6 20.9 3.9 3.5 3.3 3.0
Realistic 7.1 8.4 10.2 11.3 12.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Pzgr.36(t) APC 87 82 66 50 38 29
Pzgr.40 APCR 119 110 77 50 32 21
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Normalisation at 30°
from horizontal
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Pzgr.36(t) APC 775 1.65 1.2 9.0 15 +4.0° 48° 63° 71°
Pzgr.40 APCR 1,080 0.825 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 66° 70° 72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Panzerjager I
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
86 50 (+36) 38 (+48) 28 (+60) 10 (+76) (+86) Yes


Usage in battles

Although virtually unarmoured, the Panzerjäger I can be used in a head-on manner. However, this is not recommended. It is much better to snipe or ambush the enemy. Its gun may have a good Rate of Fire, but many other guns of its rank, such as the British 2 pounder, will reload faster than you. Your gun is extremely powerful for its rank, which means you will go through almost anything, so there is no need to throw yourself in front of the enemy.

While the gun can be sufficient and one-shot many enemies from light to medium tanks, more heavily armoured tanks will be a problem unless using the APCR ammunition. The common enemies to be concerned about are the B1 bis, B1 ter, and Matilda Mk II if the Panzerjäger I is used as the highest-BR option in your line-up. The B1 bis is only frontally penetrable on the turret ring or the exposed breech of the hull-mounted 75 mm. The B1 ter is only penetrable in flank shots with APCR or a very lucky turret ring hit. The Matilda is only frontally penetrable on the turret ring or demands use of APCR.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire Pzgr.40
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Large ammo reserve of 86 rounds
  • Agile vehicle
  • Good power-to-weight ratio (27.34 hp/ton in AB, 15.62 hp/ton in RB/SB)
  • One of the best guns in Rank I, can penetrate most things it comes up against and destroy them in 1-2 penetrating hits due to HE filler
  • Access to APCR ammunition for certain targets that the APC-HE cannot penetrate reliably
  • Good ballistics for 47 mm, can be used effectively at long range
  • Narrow, can fit in tight spaces
  • Fast reload

Cons:

  • Tall profile, bigger target
  • Very thin armour, maximum of 15 mm
  • Crew operating the gun have no armour protection in the top and rear of their position
  • Not a lot of horsepower, poor for towing downed allied vehicles
  • No defensive machine gun, open-top SPAA can be a problem
  • Gun quickly becomes obsolete in uptiers, it does not cope well with sloped armour

History

Development

The heavily armoured tanks in Allied inventory was considered a threat to the German armoured forces, which consisted of mostly 3.7 cm gun that were ineffective. To counter these threats, the Germans sought for a vehicle able to mount a bigger gun able to fight these tanks. It was found that they could convert obsolete chassis designs like the Panzer I to mount the guns, thus saving the design process of developing a new vehicle for the role. The Czech 4.7 cm Pak(t) anti-tank gun was chosen for this task, and was mounted on a converted Panzer I chassis with the turret removed, a gun shield was used for the mount of the gun. Between 1940 to 1941, 202 Panzer I's were converted by Alkett and Deutz AG to these tank destroyers, designated the "Panzerjäger I", the first of its kind of tank destroyers in the war.

Combat usage

The Panzerjäger I were organised in anti-tank battalions, each having three companies with nine vehicles each. Five battalions in the war were equipped with the tank destroyer. The first usage of the Panzerjäger I was in the Battle of France, where four battalions were committed. Though, only Anti-Tank Battalion 521 saw service from the beginning to the end as the other four were still in training when the campaign started. The opinion of the crew of these vehicles were positive, saying that the weapon was adequate to distances up to 600 meters if the enemy had 45 to 50 mm of armour. However, the crew also say that the ability to observe the battle in the vehicle was terrible, the crew had to look over the shield to see what is ahead, risking themselves to injury to the head.

After the Battle of France, the Panzerjäger I's in Anti-Tank Battalion 605 were sent to the North African Campaign, though only 3 of the 27 vehicles made it as the transport freighter Castellon carrying the rest was sunk. The battalion was in full strength during the British offensive in Operation Crusader in November 1941, to which they lost 13 vehicles in the battle. Battle experience praise the accuracy the vehicle provides, but state that the vehicles were too weak for the combat conditions and the gun didn't have enough penetration in long distance. With an APCR round, it was found it could destroy the venerable Matilda infantry tanks at distance of around 400 meters. The battalion continued this battle of attrition with reinforcement and losses that during the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, only 11 Panzerjäger I's were left in the battalion. The last two replacement vehicle were sent to the battalion in November 1942. In Operation Barbarossa, five anti-tank battalions were equipped with the Panzerjäger I's, which made up a total of 135 vehicles. The combat experience was subpar, while the Panzerjäger I had a good effective range of up to 1,000 to 1,200 meters, but the high profile of the vehicle presented a big target to enemy anti-tank weapons and artillery, even shrapnel from high-explosive shells could penetrate the thin armour. Many Panzerjäger I's were destroyed and by the Fall of 1942, many battalions reported to be under equipped for further action and were disbanded. At this point, better anti-tank weaponry and vehicles were more accessible and replaced the Panzerjäger I in service, notably the Marder series.


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See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
Similar German vehicles
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

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Germany tank destroyers
Pz. I Derivatives  Panzerjäger I
Pz. II Derivatives  15cm sIG 33 B Sfl
Pz. 38(t) Derivatives  Marder III · Marder III H · Jagdpanzer 38(t)
Pz. III Derivatives  StuG III A · StuG III F · StuG III G · StuH 42 G
Pz. IV Derivatives  Jagdpanzer IV · Panzer IV/70(A) · Panzer IV/70(V) · Dicker Max · Nashorn · Brummbär · VFW
Pz. V Derivatives  Jagdpanther G1 · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1
Pz. VI Derivatives  Sturer Emil · Elefant · Ferdinand · 38 cm Sturmmörser · Jagdtiger
Wheeled/Half-track  8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. · Sd.Kfz.251/9 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · 15 cm Pz.W.42
ATGM Carrier  RakJPz 2 · RakJPz 2 (HOT) · Wiesel 1A2
Other  Waffenträger · M109G · JPz 4-5 · Raketenautomat · VT1-2