Panzerjäger I

Also known as PzJg I, Panzerjaeger I, Panzerjager 1, 47 mm antitank gun PaK(t) on Panzer IB

1940 German self-propelled antitank gun

Key facts

Type: Panzerjäger , Self-propelled anti-tank gun
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1940–1943
Used by: Nazi Germany
Wars: World War II
Designer: Alkett
Designed: 1939–1940
Produced: March 1940– February 1941
Mass: 6.4 t (14,000 lb)
Length: 4.42 m (14 ft 6 in)
Width: 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.14 m (7 ft)
Elevation

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Article

The Panzerjäger I (English: "tank hunter mark I") was the first German Panzerjäger ("tank hunter") to see service in the Second World War. It mounted the Czech 4.7 cm KPÚV vz. 38 (German designation "4.7 cm Pak (t)") anti-tank gun on a converted open-topped Panzer I Ausf. B chassis. It was intended to counter heavy French tanks like the Char B1 bis that were beyond the capabilities of the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun and extended the life of the obsolete Panzer I chassis. A total of 202 Panzer I chassis were converted to Panzerjäger I standard in 1940–41, and were employed in the Battle of France, in the North Africa campaign and on the Eastern Front.

Design and production