Difficulty: 3/5
Model Features:
- Functional rolling tracks.
- 360-degree rotating turret.
- 1:45 Minifig Compatible Scale
Package Features:
- 253 New Construction Elements.
- Paperback printed instruction manual.
Kits are prepared and packaged upon purchase. Please allow 5-7 days for processing.
History:
The Panzer I Ausf. A was the first German tank to enter mass production. It served as an adequate infantry support and reconnaissance vehicle during the early conflicts leading up to the second world war.
The Panzer I Ausf. A first saw combat in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. Germany, supporting the Nationalist side of the conflict, sent aid in the form of military equipment and training, including 96 Panzer I Ausf. A tanks. Though reliable and well-suited for conditions in Spain, a major problem arose when faced with the Soviet-supplied T-26, which the Panzer I had almost no chance of defeating unless at very close ranges.
A small number of 15 Panzer I Ausf. A tanks were also sold to China in 1936. In China, the Panzer I was unsuited for the terrain and climate, and thus broke down often. They participated in the defense of Nanking, to which all 15 were captured by Japanese forces.
By the time of the German invasion of Poland in 1939, almost half of the German forces were comprised of Panzer I tanks. German victory in Poland was costly, with about 300 Panzer I tanks lost. Similar to Spanish experiences fighting the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, the Polish 7-TP tank outclassed the Panzer I in almost every way. The German invasion of France soon after would also result in heavier losses in armor. The French Char B1 and Somua S35 tanks were better armed and armored than even the latest and heaviest German Panzer IV. By Operation Barbarossa in 1941, nearly another 300 Panzer I tanks were lost during the first month of fighting alone. By this point, the Panzer I was declared obsolete and was either pulled from frontline service or up-gunned into specialist variants, such as the Panzerjäger I.
From the beginning, the Panzer I was meant to be an intermediary solution to bolster the rearming of the German military after the Treaty of Versailles, while better and heavier vehicles were being developed. Despite its mixed performance over the years in combat, the design and manufacturing experience Germany gained with the Panzer I actually helped Germany develop the infrastructure to develop more successful vehicles later during the war.
