Panzerjaeger I

Panzerjaeger I

First German tank destroyer that entered the service in 1940, during the invasion of France. The experiences from invasion of Poland proved that light tankettes armed with anti-tank guns were able to destroy far better German tanks. The technology gained after annexation of Czechoslovakia (especially high velocity guns) lead to construction of Panzerjaeger I, which basically was 47mm Skoda gun mounted on Panzer I chassis with only partial armor that protected the crew. Nevertheless the simplicity of the design was a strong point - they were produced fast for the needs of upcoming clash with France armed with very heavy armored tanks. Panzerjaeger I was used in France, later in Balkans, North Africa and during Operation Barbarossa. In 1942 they were pretty much obsolete, especially with introduction of heavy tanks (KV-1, IS-1) that were immune to fire from their guns.

Battle of FranceFirst Battle of El AlameinOperation BarbarossaSecond Battle of El AlameinSiege of Tobruk

tanksworld war 2 tanks