When Germany totally disregarded the WWI surrender agreements in 1933, they had to build their military almost from scratch. While not totally defenseless, the vast majority of their equipment was left over from WWI. In addition, they had no air force, a minimalist navy, and a fairly small army. However, this did not last for long, for while they were not allowed aircraft, large ships, or tanks, the design work on all these had been underway for years.

This was particularly true when it came to armor. Their initial tanks were vehicles that could be built fairly quickly in order to provide the numbers needed for both training and for trying out tactics. The smallest of these was the three-man Panzer I. This was a fairly quick (by the day's standards) light tank that had armor that could stop a rifle bullet, and small machine guns in a manually operated turret. These tanks were fairly capable recon vehicles that were never designed to take on enemy tanks. That job was left to later panzers. However, they were useful when put up against unarmored vehicles and troop concentrations.

It would be safe to say that many of Germany's later tank aces started out learning the trade in these small tanks. Even when no longer deemed appropriate for the modern battlefield, they were still used in a variety of other roles. This included training (with the turret removed) as well as the basis for various self propelled artillery and as the initial tracked tank hunter.

As is obvious from the title of this series, this is basically a photo book. In fact, it is one of the thickest of the series with nearly 300 pages. Not surprising is that it was heavily photographed in the years prior to the war and much of this book is from the pre-war years. It also includes operations in Poland and other campaigns as well as a look at the SPGs and Panzerjaegers developed for this chassis. There are several different sections with a small historical preface to each one. A welcome addition to this series and a book that I know you will enjoy and find useful.

September 2026

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