The Panzer I was a light tank which was produced in Germany in the 1930s. Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934. Although intended only as a training tank to introduce the concept of armored warfare to the German Army, the Panzer I saw combat in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, in Poland, France, Soviet Union and North Africa during the Second World War, and even in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Based on experience gathered during the Spanish Civil War, the Panzer I helped shape the German armored corps used to invade Poland in 1939 and France in 1940. By 1941, the Panzer I chassis were being reused for production of tank destroyers and assault guns. Ultimately, the Panzer I's performance in combat was limited by its thin armor and light armament, consisting of only two general purpose machine guns. Because it was designed solely for training, the Panzer I was not as capable as other light tanks of the era, such as the T-26. Although weak in combat, it formed a large proportion of Germany's tank strength on paper and was used in all major campaigns between September 1939 and December 1941. Inevitably, the small, vulnerable light tank would be overshadowed in importance by better-known German tanks such as the Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger, but its contribution to the early victories of Nazi Germany during the Second World War was significant.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_I> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1613: Mikhail I was elected unanimously by the Zemsky Sobor to become Tsar, beginning the Romanov dynasty in Imperial Russia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_of_Russia> 1804: Built by Cornish inventor Richard Trevithick, the first self-propelled steam engine or locomotive first ran in Wales. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trevithick> 1848: The Communist Manifesto by communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was first published, becoming one of the world's most influential political tracts. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto> 1952: Protesters in Dhaka, East Pakistan walked into military crossfire demanding the establishment of the Bengali language as an official language. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Language_Movement> 1958: British artist Gerald Holtom designed a logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament that became more commonly known as the peace symbol . <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/peace_symbol> 1965: Black nationalist Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in New York City's Audubon Ballroom. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: bronze (v): 1. To plate with bronze metal. 2. To colour like bronze metal. 3. (of the skin) To change to a darker, tanned colour due to exposure to the sun <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bronze> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Without Art, we should have no notion of the sacred; without Science, we should always worship false gods. --W. H. Auden <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/W._H._Auden> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
