The presence of a large number of tanks in the armies of the countries of probable opponents forced the leadership of the Wehrmacht to attend to the issue of creating effective anti-tank weapons. Horse-drawn artillery from the beginning of the 30s of the twentieth century was already assessed as very slow and heavy. In addition, the horse-drawn carriage was too easy a target and made it difficult to move the guns on the battlefield. Mechanical artillery was more mobile, but the ideal option for fighting enemy tanks was a self-propelled tracked chassis.
Already after the military campaign in Poland, work began to boil at German factories on the conversion and conversion of insufficiently armored and weakly armed PzKpfw I light tanks into anti-tank self-propelled guns. At the same time, instead of a turret, an armored conning tower was placed on top of the tank, with a 47-mm anti-tank gun installed in it, which the Germans inherited during the Anschluss of Czechoslovakia.
This is how the Panzerjager I anti-tank self-propelled gun was born. The first serial German tank destroyer based on the chassis of the hopelessly outdated light tank PzKpfw I Ausf. B. 47-mm Czechoslovakian anti-tank gun came in handy, during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, it went to the Germans in significant quantities. This gun was created by Skoda in 1937-1938 and had the designation 4.7 cm KPUV vz. 38 (factory index A5). The gun was adopted by the Czech army. With all its remarkable characteristics, the gun had one significant drawback - it was completely unadapted to mechanical traction. The speed of its towing by horses was 10-15 km / h, which was enough for the Czech army, but absolutely did not suit the Wehrmacht, which lived with the idea of lightning war.
Panzerjager-I, the first version with a tight cockpit
In the winter of 1940, the German company Alkett received an order for the design of an ACS using a Czech anti-tank gun and a chassis for light tanks Pz-I or Pz-II. By this time, the company's engineers had already created a project of an anti-tank self-propelled gun with a 37-mm cannon based on the Pz-I Ausf. A. light tank. However, this tank turned out to be unsuitable for alteration for a new weapon - when firing without the use of special stops, a sloth was simply broken by the tank. Therefore, the gun was mounted on the chassis of the Pz-I Ausf. B tank, installing it in an open top and rear armored jacket. The maximum thickness of her armor was 14.5 mm. The horizontal pointing angles of the gun were ± 17.5 degrees, the vertical angles were from -8 to +12 degrees.
Cannon ammunition - 86 rounds. For firing, armor-piercing shells made in the Czech Republic and Austria were used. In 1940, a 47-mm sub-caliber ammunition was developed for this gun. At a distance of 500 meters, it was able to penetrate 70mm armor. The anti-tank self-propelled gun was adopted by the Wehrmacht in March 1940 under the designation 4.7cm Pak (t) Sfl auf Pz. Kpfw. I Ausf. B (Sd. Kfz. 101). The conversion of light tanks into tank destroyers was carried out by the German firms Alkett and Daimler-Benz. The first was engaged in the final assembly of the anti-tank self-propelled gun, while the second carried out a major overhaul of the chassis and engines of the converted "units".
The chief of the Wehrmacht General Staff Franz Halder left the following entry about this ACS: “47-mm guns: 132 self-propelled guns (47-mm Skoda guns). Of these, 120 were transferred to tank divisions; 12 remain in reserve. Thus, tank divisions receive 1 company of self-propelled anti-tank guns in their anti-tank divisions. The initial order was exactly 132 SPGs (of which 2 prototypes). The production of self-propelled guns dragged on until June 1940. In the troops, the name Panzerjager-I (tank hunter) was assigned to them.
Panzerjager-I, fighting in France
In the spring-summer hostilities of 1940 against France, this self-propelled gun was not used in large quantities. Some of her meetings with French tanks revealed the insufficient armor penetration of the gun, in the ammunition of which there were no sub-caliber shells yet. At the same time, in general, the use of anti-tank self-propelled guns in the troops was assessed positively. In the fall of 1940, Panzerjager-I was actively used at shooting ranges and ranges, firing at an extensive collection of captured armored vehicles from France and England.
At the same time, the first modernization of the machines was carried out. The modernization included replacing the old armored deckhouses with new, more spacious, fully welded deckhouses. In the fall of 1940, the Wehrmacht issued an order for the production of another 70 (according to other sources 60) of these tank destroyers. Most likely, such a small batch size was due to the limited availability of the chassis of the PzKpfw I Ausf tanks. B. The Skoda and Daimler-Benz factories were involved in the conversion of this batch, since Alquette at that time was busy with a large order for the manufacture of assault guns.
In the summer battles of 1941, the Panzerjager-I, which has sub-caliber shells in its ammunition load, showed itself quite well. All criticism against them came down to their transmission and chassis. Often the chassis of a tank destroyer got stuck even on dirt roads after a light rain. In the fall, the self-propelled guns began to fail the gearbox. The situation began to worsen in late autumn with the onset of cold weather. Self-propelled engines refused to start at temperatures below -15 degrees (the grease thickened, and the Germans simply did not have winter grease).
Panzerjager-I, battles in Rostov-on-Don, autumn 1941, the Don hotel is on fire in the background
Tankers and everyone involved with the engines had to warm up the engines of their cars with blowtorches or by adding gasoline to the engine lubricant, while these methods were fraught with sad consequences, but the Germans had no other choice. Often they had only to envy the Russians, who had an abundance of winter lubricant, and also to scold their logisticians, who did not bother to prepare everything they needed for the winter campaign in Russia. Thus, Russia's harsh climatic conditions partly influenced the decision to send the 605th Anti-Tank Battalion to North Africa. There Panzerjager-I fought quite successfully with British cruiser tanks, and in close combat they could even hit the rather well-protected Matilda.
The situation in Russia was partially mitigated by the fact that almost all Panzerjager-I anti-tank self-propelled guns were concentrated in the southern sector of the Eastern Front, where the frosts were not so severe. In particular, these self-propelled guns were in service with the famous SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler". Also, a number of captured vehicles were used by the Red Army. The last episodes of Panzerjager-I use on the Eastern Front date back to the 1942 campaign, the battles at Stalingrad and the Caucasus.
If we talk about efficiency, then the 47-mm anti-tank gun from a distance of 600-700 meters could hit all Soviet tanks with the exception of the KV and T-34. True, these formidable machines could be amazed if a shell hit the side of their cast turrets from a distance of 400 meters. At the same time, it should be noted that sniper shooting at the front was not of a mass character. Only sub-caliber ammunition could significantly increase the effectiveness of the gun. Its appearance in the ammunition set made it possible to penetrate the armor of Soviet tanks from a distance of 500-600 meters, but the armor-piercing effect of these shells was catastrophically small. The tungsten-molybdenum core has proven to be very weak in practice. The number of secondary fragments that could pose a threat to the tank crew was also extremely insignificant. It was often possible to observe such cases when a sub-caliber projectile, breaking through the armor of a Soviet tank, disintegrated into 2-3 pieces, which simply fell to the floor of the tank, without causing harm to either the equipment or the crew.
Panzerjager-I in Africa
Panzerjager-I - the first serial German tank destroyer can only be considered as a completely successful, but still an intermediate solution. The 47-mm anti-tank gun, created by Czech designers in the late 30s, was focused on fighting the armored vehicles of its time, but was ineffective against the Soviet KV and T-34.
Reviews for combat use in France
4 anti-tank battalions took part in the French campaign. One of them was attached to Kleist's tank group from the first day of the campaign, that is, from May 10, 1940, three other battalions 616, 643 and 670 were involved in battles as they were ready for battle. In the combat report of the 18th Infantry Division, the combat actions of the new tank destroyers were assessed as successful. The new tank destroyers fought excellently against enemy armored vehicles, and were also effective in destroying buildings in settlements, exerting a demoralizing effect on enemy soldiers.
The commander of the 643rd anti-tank battalion, who had only a month to train him, summarized his observations from the use of these combat vehicles:
Joint marches with the infantry led to the fact that the vehicles were often out of order. Breakdowns associated with the failure of differentials and clutches were especially often noted. Joint marches with tank units led to exactly the same destructive results. The overweight and noisy Panzerjager-I is not able to maintain the same pace of movement as the tanks.
On the march, the self-propelled guns are not able to maintain a speed of more than 30 km / h, also every half hour in the first 20 km. march, it is necessary to make stops in order to cool the engine of the machine, as well as conduct an inspection, if necessary, perform minor repairs and lubrication. In the future, stops must be made every 30 kilometers. Due to the lack of replaceable driver-mechanics, the length of the day's march on hilly terrain does not exceed 120 km, on good roads - no more than 150 km. The length of the march at night with the headlights on is highly dependent on the degree of natural light and weather conditions.
Panzerjager-I on the march
The anti-tank self-propelled gun proved to be quite effective in the fight against equipment, the booking of which did not exceed 40-50 mm. at distances of no more than half a kilometer, a maximum of 600 meters. At distances of up to 1 kilometer, an anti-tank gun can disable the tracks of tanks, which are damaged by direct hits or ricochets. Also, tank destroyers are able to effectively hit enemy machine-gun nests at distances of up to 1 kilometer; at long distances, the defeat of small-sized targets is significantly difficult, primarily due to the small increase in the existing telescopic sight. The flat trajectory of the applied armor-piercing shells is 2000 meters. The demoralizing effect of Panzerjager-I appearing on the battlefield is enormous, especially when they fire with armor-piercing and high-explosive shells.
The view from the self-propelled gun is quite poor, while you can look forward through the upper edge of the wheelhouse shield, but the result will be death. In street battles, the crew practically has no opportunity to follow what is happening. The commander of the self-propelled gun must almost always keep the target in the gun sight, which is very difficult to carry out in motion. The view on the sides of the machine should be carried out by the loader, who, because of this, is often distracted from working directly with the tool. The driver fully concentrates his attention on the route of movement and also cannot control the terrain. Any sufficiently brave enemy soldier is able to destroy the crew of a self-propelled grenade by throwing it into the wheelhouse from the side or from the rear of the vehicle. Often, in the heat of battle, the company commander's radio warnings of a threat are ignored.
The battalion personnel are aware that the Panzerjager-I was created in sufficient haste and is the first such vehicle in the German army. But already now we can say with confidence that the armoring of the vehicle is completely inadequate to the combat situation. The shells of the French 25-mm anti-tank guns are able to penetrate the vehicle's armor even from serious distances. The conning tower's armor can be pierced even with armor-piercing rifle-caliber bullets! As a result of direct hits of shells, a large number of fragments are formed not only from the shell itself, but also from the armor of the tank destroyer. These fragments pose a serious threat to the entire crew. The cutouts for the gun sight and gun barrel are very large. It seems necessary to create a new wheelhouse with thicker armor, especially on the sides, as well as equip it with observation devices.
Despite all the shortcomings, well-trained crews would never agree to replace self-propelled tank destroyers with towed 37-mm guns.
Specifications
Combat weight - 6, 4 tons.
Crew - 3 people. (commander-gunner, loader, driver-mechanic)
Armament - 47-mm cannon 4, 7 cm Pak 38 (t).
The horizontal aiming angle of the gun is 35 degrees.
The gun's vertical aiming angle is from -8 to +12 degrees.
Ammunition - 86 shells.
The thickness of the frontal armor of the hull is 13 mm.
The thickness of the frontal armor of the cabin is 14.5 mm.
Maximum highway speed - up to 40 km / h
The power reserve is 150 km.
