Editing Panzer I (section)

==Development history==
The post-[[World War I]] [[Treaty of Versailles]] of 1919 prohibited the design, manufacture and deployment of [[tank]]s within the [[Reichswehr]]. Paragraph Twenty-four of the treaty provided for a 100,000-[[German mark|mark]] fine and imprisonment of up to six months for anybody who "[manufactured] armored vehicles, tanks or similar machines, which may be turned to military use".<ref>Guderian, ''Achtung-Panzer!'', p. 133</ref>

Despite the manpower and technical limitations imposed on the German Army by the Treaty of Versailles, several Reichswehr officers established a clandestine general staff to study World War I and develop future strategies and tactics. Although at first the concept of the tank as a mobile weapon of war met with apathy, German industry was encouraged to look into tank design, while quiet cooperation was undertaken with the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>Gander, ''Tanks & Armour: Panzerkampfwagen I & II'', pp. 6–7</ref> There was also minor military cooperation with Sweden, including the extraction of technical data that proved invaluable to early German tank design.<ref>Perett, ''German Light Panzers: 1932–42'', p. 4</ref> As early as 1926 the German companies Krupp, [[Rheinmetall]] and [[Daimler-Benz]] were contracted to develop prototype tanks armed with a 75&nbsp;mm [[cannon]]. These were designed under the cover name ''[[Großtraktor]]'' (large [[tractor]]) to veil the true purpose of the vehicle.<ref name=FrancoPanzerI3>Franco, ''Panzer I: El Inicio de una Saga'', p. 3</ref> By 1930 a light tank armed with rapid-fire machineguns was to be developed under the cover name ''[[Leichttraktor]]'' (light tractor).<ref name="ReferenceB">Thomas L. Jentz, Hilary Louis Doyle: ''Panzer Tracts No.1-1 – Panzerkampfwagen I – from Kleintraktor to Ausf. B''</ref> The six produced ''Großtraktor'' were later put into service for a brief period with the 1&nbsp; Panzer Division; the ''Leichttraktor'' remained in testing until 1935.<ref name=FrancoPanzerI3 />

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, German tank theory was pioneered by two figures: General [[Oswald Lutz]] and his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel [[Heinz Guderian]]. Guderian became the more influential of the two and his ideas were widely publicized.<ref>''See:'' ''Achtung-Panzer!'', first released in German in 1937.</ref> Like his contemporary, Sir [[Percy Hobart]], Guderian initially envisioned an [[armoured fighting vehicle|armored]] [[corps]] (''panzerkorps'') composed of several types of tanks. This included a slow [[infantry tank]], armed with a small-[[caliber]] cannon and several [[machine guns]]. The infantry tank, according to Guderian, was to be heavily armored to defend against enemy anti-tank guns and [[artillery]]. He also envisioned a fast breakthrough tank, similar to the British [[cruiser tank]], which was to be armored against enemy anti-tank weapons and have a large, 75&nbsp;mm (2.95&nbsp;in) main gun. Lastly, [[Germany]] needed a [[heavy tank]], armed with a 150&nbsp;mm (5.9&nbsp;in) cannon to defeat enemy [[fortifications]], and even stronger armor. Such a tank required a weight of 70 to 100&nbsp; tonnes and was completely impractical given the manufacturing capabilities of the day.<ref>Guderian, ''Achtung-Panzer!'', pp. 169–70 for a detailed look into Guderian's theories.</ref>

Soon after rising to power in Germany, [[Adolf Hitler]] approved the creation of Germany's first panzer divisions. Simplifying his earlier proposal, Guderian suggested the design of a main combat vehicle, which would be developed into the [[Panzer III]], and a breakthrough tank, the Panzer IV.<ref>Gander, ''Tanks & Armour: Panzerkampfwagen I & II'', p. 9</ref> No existing design appealed to Guderian. As a stopgap, the German Army ordered a preliminary vehicle to train German tank crews. This became the Panzer I.<ref>McCarthy, ''Panzerkrieg'', p. 31</ref>

The Panzer&nbsp;I's design history can be traced to the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Carden Loyd tankette]], of which it borrowed much of its track and suspension design. After six prototypes ''Kleintraktor'' were produced the cover name was changed to ''Krupp-Traktor'' whereas the development codename was changed to ''Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper'' (La&nbsp;S) (Agricultural Tractor). The La&nbsp;S was intended not just to train Germany's panzer troops, but to prepare Germany's industry for the mass production of tanks in the near future; a difficult engineering feat for the time.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', p. 4</ref> The armament of production versions was to be two 7.92&nbsp;mm [[MG 13|MG 13 machine guns]] in a rotating turret.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', pp. 4–5</ref> Machine guns were known to be largely useless against even the lightest tank armor of the time, restricting the Panzer&nbsp; I to a training and anti-infantry role by design.<ref>McCarthy, ''Panzerkrieg'', p. 31</ref>
[[File:Krupp M305 motor schematic diagram.png|thumb|Krupp M305 4-cyl. aircooled [[Flat engine|Flat boxer-engine]]]]
The final official designation, assigned in 1938, was ''Panzerkampfwagen&nbsp; I'' (M.G.) with special ordnance number ''Sd.Kfz. 101''.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', pp. 5–6</ref> The first 150 tanks (1./LaS, 1st series LaS, Krupp-Traktor), produced in 1934, did not include the rotating turret and were used for crew training.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', p. 6</ref> Following these, production was switched to the combat version of the tank. The Ausf.&nbsp;A was under-armored, with steel plate of only 13&nbsp;millimeters (0.51&nbsp;in) at its thickest. The tank had several design flaws, including suspension problems, which made the vehicle pitch at high velocities, and engine overheating.<ref>Gander, ''Tanks & Armour: Panzerkampfwagen I & II'', p. 10</ref> The driver was positioned inside the chassis and used conventional steering levers to control the tank, while the commander was positioned in the turret where he also acted as a gunner. The two crewmen could communicate by means of a voice tube.<ref>Perrett, ''German Light Panzers'', pp. 5–6</ref> Machine gun ammunition was stowed in five bins, containing various numbers of 25-round magazines.<ref>Specifically, there was an eight-magazine bin in the turret, and four bins in the hull containing 8, 20, 6, and 19 magazines respectively. For more information see Perrett, ''German Light Panzers'', p. 6</ref> 1,190 of the Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A were built in three series (2.-4./LaS).<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Further 25 were built as command tanks.''

[[File:Panzer I Ausf. A at El Golos.jpg|thumb|A Spanish Panzer I {{not a typo|Ausf. A on}} display at the El Goloso Museum of Armored Vehicles in Spain. This particular vehicle has its original drive-sprockets and tracks replaced by those of the US M113 [[armored personnel carrier]] (APC).]]

Many of the problems in the Ausf.&nbsp;A were corrected with the introduction of the Ausf.&nbsp;B. The air-cooled engine (producing just {{convert|60|PS|kW}} was replaced by a water-cooled, six-cylinder [[List of WWII Maybach engines#Table 1: Maybach WWII engines which reached series production|Maybach NL38 TR]], developing {{convert|100|PS|kW}}, and the [[ZF Friedrichshafen|ZF]] FG 35 [[gearbox]] was changed to a FG 31.<ref>Spielberger, ''Die Panzerkampfwagen I und II'', pp. 36–37</ref> The larger engine required the extension of the vehicle's chassis by 40&nbsp;cm (16&nbsp;in), and this allowed the improvement of the tank's suspension, adding another [[bogie wheel]] and raising the tensioner.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', pp. 21–21.</ref> The tank's weight increased by 0.4&nbsp;tons. Production of the Ausf.&nbsp;B began in August 1936 and finished in the summer of 1937 after 399 had been built in two series (5a-6a/LaS).<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Further 159 were built as command tanks in two series, and 295 chassis were built as turretless training tanks. 147 more training tanks were built as convertible chassis with hardened armor with the option to upgrade them to full combat status by adding a superstructure and turret.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

===Other frontline-type Panzer I tanks===
Two more combat versions of the Panzer&nbsp;I were designed and produced between 1939 and 1942. By this stage, the design concept had been superseded by medium and heavy tanks and neither variant was produced in sufficient numbers to have a real impact on the progress of the war. These new tanks had nothing in common with either the Ausf.&nbsp;A or B except name.<ref name="Gander, Tanks & Armour, p. 14">Gander, ''Tanks & Armour: Panzerkampfwagen I & II'', p. 14</ref> One of these, the [[Panzer I Ausf.&nbsp;C]], was designed jointly between [[Krauss-Maffei]] and Daimler-Benz in 1939 to provide an amply armored and armed reconnaissance light tank.<ref name=PerrettPanzers6>Perrett, ''German Light Panzers'', p. 6</ref> The Ausf.&nbsp;C boasted a completely new chassis and turret, a modern [[torsion-bar suspension]] and five ''Schachtellaufwerk''-style interleaved roadwheels.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', pp. 37–38</ref> It also had a maximum armor thickness of 30&nbsp; millimeters (1.18&nbsp;in), over twice that of either the Ausf.&nbsp;A or B, and was armed with a Mauser EW 141 semi-automatic [[anti-tank rifle]], with a 50-round drum, firing powerful armor-piercing [[7.92×94mm Patronen|7.92×94mm Patronen 318]] anti-tank rounds. Forty of these tanks were produced,<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', p. 37</ref> along with six prototypes.<ref name="Gander, Tanks & Armour, p. 14"/> Two tanks were deployed to [[1st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|1st Panzer Division]] in 1943, and the other thirty-eight were deployed to the [[LVIII Panzer Reserve Corps]] during the [[Normandy Landings|Normandy landings]].<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', p. 38</ref>

[[File:Pz I Ausf F.jpg|thumb|right|A former German Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. F on display at the [[Military Museum (Belgrade)|Belgrade Military Museum]] in Belgrade, Serbia]]

The second vehicle, the [[Panzer I Ausf. F|Ausf.&nbsp;F]], was as different from the Ausf.&nbsp;C as it was from the Ausf.&nbsp;A and B.<ref>Gander, ''Tanks & Armour: Panzerkampfwagen I & II'', pp. 14–15</ref> Intended as an infantry support tank, the Panzer&nbsp;I Ausf.&nbsp;F had a maximum armor thickness of 80&nbsp;millimeters (3.15&nbsp;in) and weighed between 18 and 21&nbsp;tonnes.<ref>Perrett, ''German Light Panzers'', pp. 6–7. Perrett claims a weight of 18&nbsp;tonnes, although Franco claims 21.</ref> The Ausf.&nbsp;F was armed with two 7.92&nbsp;mm [[MG-34]]s.<ref>Gander, ''Tanks & Armour: Panzerkampfwagen I & II'', p. 14; although this is similar to the armament of earlier Ausf.&nbsp;A and B, these two were armed with the older MG-13s, not the modern MG-34.</ref> Thirty were produced in 1940, and a second order of 100 was later canceled. In order to compensate for the increased weight, a new {{convert|150|hp|kW}} Maybach HL45 Otto engine was used, allowing a maximum road speed of 25&nbsp;kilometers per&nbsp;hour (15.5&nbsp;mph) and used five overlapping road wheels per side, dropping the Ausf. C's interleaved units. Eight of the thirty tanks produced were sent to the 1st Panzer Division in 1943 and saw combat at the [[Battle of Kursk]]. The rest were given to several army schools for training and evaluation purposes.<ref>Franco, ''Panzer I'', pp. 38–39</ref>