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>
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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>
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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>
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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>